Joerg Becker

Memorandum on design-oriented information systems research

Information Systems Research (“Wirtschaftsinformatik”) basically follows two research approaches: the behavioristic approach and the design-oriented approach. In this memorandum, 10 authors propose principles of design-oriented information systems research. Moreover, the memorandum is supported by 111 full professors from the German-speaking scientific community, who with their signature advocate the principles specified therein.

A procedure model for process oriented e‐government projects

Purpose – To provide guidelines in the form of a procedural model for e‐government‐indicated business process reengineering (BPR) projects in public administrations.Design/methodology/approach – A range of recently published works, which aim to provide practical advice for process‐oriented e‐government projects, were analysed. Additionally, experiences from several practical e‐government projects were taken into account. The procedural model developed was then tested and evaluated.Findings – There is a lack of process orientation in public administrations. Additionally, existing processes are regularly not applicable to e‐government. Therefore, e‐government projects in practice are not always able to fully implement transactional processes. Part of the value potentially added by e‐government is hence not exploited. One of the main reasons for the lack of process orientation is that there are few BPR methodologies applied and verified in public administrations.Research limitations/implications – The proced...

Specifying information systems for business process integration : a management perspective

Abstract.Supply chain management and customer relationship management are concepts for optimizing the provision of goods to customers. Information sharing and information estimation are key tools used to implement these two concepts. The reduction of delivery times and stock levels can be seen as the main managerial objectives of an integrative supply chain and customer relationship management. To achieve this objective, business processes need to be integrated along the entire supply chain including the end consumer. Information systems form the backbone of any business process integration. The relevant information system architectures are generally well-understood, but the conceptual specification of information systems for business process integration from a management perspective, remains an open methodological problem. To address this problem, we will show how customer relationship management and supply chain management information can be integrated at the conceptual level in order to provide supply chain managers with relevant information. We will further outline how the conceptual management perspective of business process integration can be supported by deriving specifications for enabling information system from business objectives.

BPM capability development – a matter of contingencies

– Business process management (BPM) is a key concept in information systems (IS) research that helps to connect business strategy with the use of technology in an organization. Contemporary BPM research is no longer only about methods, procedures, or tools for managing or modeling processes but about assessing and developing BPM capability in organizations. For this purpose, a vast collection of maturity models has been designed by practitioners and scholars alike. Such models are used to assess the status quo and benchmark it against other organizations, and, most important, to guide the development of BPM capability. With this study, the paper challenges the maturity model perspective of such development models. , – In this study, methods of qualitative IS research are employed to address the research objectives. , – The paper shows that maturity model-based guidance would be inadequate. Instead, other concept-external factors resulting from organizational and environmental characteristics appear to be important indicators. The theory discussion introduces alternative takes on BPM capability development, lays out implications for BPM practice, and presents potentially fruitful paths for future research in the area of BPM capability development. , – This paper challenges the current perspectives and contributes a new direction for conceptualizing BPM capability development.

Business Process Governance: A Comparative Study of Germany and Japan

Purpose – Business process management (BPM) networks have become an important theme in both research and practice. Drawing from governance theory, this paper seeks to provide a theoretical understanding of BPM networks and introduce three types of BPM governance: market, network, and hierarchy. Subsequently, it aims to study the impact of BPM maturity, organization size, and financial stress (independent variables) on the three types of BPM governance (dependent variable).Design/methodology/approach – After a thorough literature analysis a quantitative study is conducted. Comprehensive data of 538 local public administration in Germany and Japan is comparatively studied by means of a PLS (model and multi group) analysis.Findings – The empirical study provides evidence for the significant dependence of BPM governance on contextual variables: the configuration of the BPM network relies on the BPM maturity and the perceived financial stress. Also, such dependence does vary between the two countries. Higher f...

Organizational engineering in public administrations: a method for process-oriented egovernment projects

In the move of eGovernment, process analysis and optimization of administrative procedures are key prerequisites for successful organizational and technical re-structuring of municipal administrations. The full exploitation of the potential of information and communications technology can only be achieved through structured procedures. An integrated process view, which gives an overview of organization units, is vital in the context of any attempts at administration modernization. The high degree of complexity of process models, resulting from the multitude of modelling aims, objects, methods and users, requires both systematic preparation, and a methodical approach to the implementation of process-oriented E-Government projects. Therefore this article provides a procedure model for process-oriented organizational engineering, with reference to the example of local government building permission procedures.

Selecting Processes for Co-designing eGovernment Services

Public administration has been confronted by a series of new demands on the one hand and has been forced to cost and staff cuttings on the other hand. There is a conspicuous trend towards growing individualization, whereby there are increasing demands by individuals on the state, to provide solutions to a variety of problems. Simultaneously, in the context of national and international competition, efficient and effective state activity and support for entrepreneurial activities in a region or country are becoming an increasingly decisive factor in location decisions. For some years, the term ‘eGovemment’ has been universally proposed as a way of closing the public administrations’ modernization and performance gap (Budaus and Schwiering 1999).

Multidimensional knowledge spaces for strategic management - experiences at a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment

This paper provides a case study from the business intelligence department (BID) of a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment. BID is a corporate department that provides crucial information for strategic management activities. In order to support these activities, concepts of knowledge management (KM) can be of substantial importance. Using a conceptual framework, we identified the deficits in managing knowledge assets at the BID and developed a prototype of a KM information system. In particular, we address the problem of an explicit specification of document classification schemas. Thus, we developed a methodological framework for modelling multidimensional knowledge spaces.