Elena Gorbacheva

Towards a typology of business process management professionals: identifying patterns of competences through latent semantic analysis

While researchers have analysed the organisational competences that are required for successful Business Process Management (BPM) initiatives, individual BPM competences have not yet been studied in detail. In this study, latent semantic analysis is used to examine a collection of 1507 BPM-related job advertisements in order to develop a typology of BPM professionals. This empirical analysis reveals distinct ideal types and profiles of BPM professionals on several levels of abstraction. A closer look at these ideal types and profiles confirms that BPM is a boundary-spanning field that requires interdisciplinary sets of competence that range from technical competences to business and systems competences. Based on the study’s findings, it is posited that individual and organisational alignment with the identified ideal types and profiles is likely to result in high employability and organisational BPM success.

The Role of Gender in Business Process Management Competence Supply

While Business Process Management (BPM) was originally focused on Information Technology as a key factor driving the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational processes, there is now a growing consensus among practitioners and academics that BPM represents a holistic management approach that also takes such factors as corporate governance, human capital, and organizational culture into account. Studies show that the BPM practice faces a shortage of competence supply that stems from a shortage of qualified BPM professionals. At the same time, there is a distinct underrepresentation of women in technology-related fields; it has been suggested that gender stereotypes are one of the reasons for this underrepresentation. The goal of this research paper is, thus, to better understand the role of gender in the BPM competences supply. In this study 10,405 LinkedIn profiles of BPM professionals were analyzed using a text mining technique called Latent Semantic Analysis. Twelve distinct categories of supplied BPM competences were identified and it was investigated how far gender biases exist among BPM professionals. The nature of BPM-related competences is discussed, together with the differences in their presentation by male and female professionals, which indicate potential existence of gender stereotypes. Further, it is discussed how the apparent underrepresentation of women among BPM professionals can be addressed to close the competence gap in the field. The study contributes to both the call for research on human capital in the BPM field, and the calls for research on gender and gender stereotypes in technology-related fields.

Analysis of e‐inclusion projects in Russia, Austria and Switzerland

Purpose – The issue of digital divide is widely discussed in research as well as in practice. Today, especially senior citizens are excluded from the merits of using information and communication technologies (ICT). This paper aims to study municipal projects for an inclusive information society in Russia, Austria, and Switzerland.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper 50 cities are selected from each country studied based on three variables. In each city, all age‐related e‐inclusion projects are analyzed to find commonalities and varieties.Findings – Results show that in all countries the projects share several commonalities. However, project ideas are not shared internationally.Research limitations/implications – The research is limited by the selection of countries and cities. Future research should compare the results of other countries.Practical implications – Decision makers in municipalities should look for successful e‐inclusion projects in other areas, not only nationally but also internatio...

Social Aspects in Technology Acceptance: Theory Integration and Development

The success of many new technologies and technology-based applications relies heavily on considering social factors. Contemporary models for technology acceptance either neglect social aspects or cover them in a superficial way. In our study we develop a better understanding of social aspects in technology adoption. We analyze and combine items related to social influence from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Model of Adoption of Technology in Households and develop a new research model. While testing this model using quantitative data (n=501), one derived construct appears to be weak. Hence, we introduce new items, provide a second round of data collection (n=682), and develop an improved research model, which is validated by the new data. Here, all constructs work as intended. Our second model has a higher coefficient of determination than the first one. We show that Social Externalities is the most influential social factor towards technology acceptance and provide the corresponding items for future research.

Application of the Design Thinking Approach to Process Redesign at an Insurance Company in Brazil

(a) Situation faced: During the review of an information system for medical material purchasing at a Brazilian insurance company, it became clear that part of the process supported by this system was done informally and there was no consensus among the employees about some of the related fundamental concepts and procedures. (b) Action taken: A consulting firm hired by the insurance company to find a solution to these challenges proposed to use the Design Thinking approach to process redesign, by aligning the Design Thinking stages with the phases of the Business Process Management (BPM) lifecycle. A series of workshops that applied various Design Thinking tools was conducted with representatives from all of the company’s departments that deal with the purchasing process, as well as a team of information technology (IT) professionals. (c) Results achieved: The Design Thinking approach facilitated the following outcomes: (1) formalization of the employees’ perceptions regarding the existing purchasing process, (2) design of a to-be process for material purchasing, which was approved by all stakeholders, and (3) formalization of requirements for the new information system for managing the material-purchasing process. (d) Lessons learned: The case demonstrated the value of applying the Design Thinking approach to process redesign and improvement, adding useful instruments for BPM analysis. The BPM lifecycle phases correspond well with the Design Thinking stages, and Design Thinking techniques match BPM’s social-construction viewpoint well.

Directions for research on gender imbalance in the IT profession

ABSTRACT There is a significant shortage of expert Information Technology (IT) personnel in Europe and elsewhere and a marked under-representation of women in the field. This paper identifies important gaps in research on gender imbalance in the IT profession and motivates future Information Systems research to address each of them. First among these gaps is the lack of research on the far-reaching consequences of gender imbalance in the IT profession. Second, despite a considerable body of research, there is the lack of coherent explanation for this imbalance. Third, although many intervention programmes have been implemented in this area, gender diversity in practice has not improved significantly. This research field also requires theorisation based on the cumulative research efforts in the field, comparative studies in various contexts, and longitudinal studies. We point to opportunities to investigate each of these issues and recommend directions for future research and actionable research questions.

A Gender Perspective on Business Process Management Competences Offered on Professional Online Social Networks

While Business Process Management (BPM) originally strongly focused on Information Technology as a key factor driving the efficiency and effectiveness of organisational processes, there is a growing consensus that BPM represents a holistic management approach that also takes factors like corporate governance, human capital and organisational culture into account. Focusing on human capital, our exploratory study examines competences supplied in the BPM field and how far they represent the holistic nature of BPM. Further, our study tries to understand, whether the BPM field, which is traditionally perceived as very technical, is not immune to the challenge of female underrepresentation. Addressing underrepresentation of women in BPM would help to mitigate the existing competence shortage in the field that stems from the lack of qualified BPM professionals. Thus, we take a gender perspective in analysing 10,405 BPM-related LinkedIn profiles using a text mining technique called Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA). We identify 12 distinct categories of competences supplied by BPM professionals, which, in general, reflect the interdisciplinary nature of BPM, ranging from technical to managerial and domain-specific competences. Analysis of the gender distribution shows that women are underrepresented among the BPM professionals under study and, in particular, among those representing most of the identified categories of competences.

How Can Information Systems Help to Make Policymaking Be More Sensitive to Global Long-Term Perspectives?

In the last decades several positive world trends have indicated that, in general, the world is getting healthier, better educated, richer, more peaceful, and better connected.