Abstract
Business Process Management (BPM) has evolved as an integrated management discipline that aims to enable organizations to continuously innovate and improve their operations. BPM experts are exposed to communication processes involving people from various backgrounds (e.g., various business areas, fields of expertise, and cultures). Research in applied linguistics has shown that it is difficult to plan for constellations of such communication processes; thus, agile communication skills are vital for successful business communication. Teaching programs for BPM, however, do not account for these skills. Rather, they mainly address methods for the analysis, implementation, and management of business processes. As a result, graduates—though they may be technically and methodologically apt—face unexpected challenges due to communication deficiencies in BPM projects. BPM research has shown that deficiencies in communication are in fact among the most frequent reasons for project failure. In this paper, we present a course setting to teach agile communication skills in BPM education. The approach is informed by literature on BPM education as well as theories from virtual collaboration education. We have evaluated it in an international virtual seminar involving seven European universities. We argue for the importance of agile communication skills in BPM education. In addition, we present design principles for courses to teach agile communication skills that can be applied by fellow academics.
Highlights
Business Process Management (BPM) is a core element of both Information Systems and Management education
Expanding on earlier work (Lind & Seigerroth, 2010; Niehaves & Plattfaut, 2011; vom Brocke & Thomas, 2006; vom Brocke, 2011), we argue that BPM is a collaborative endeavor and that agile communication skills are needed to interact and negotiate successfully with people from various contextual backgrounds
We have reviewed the literature on current BPM curricula in higher education institutions (HEIs) with respect to both content and teaching methods
Summary
Business Process Management (BPM) is a core element of both Information Systems and Management education. Expanding on earlier work (Lind & Seigerroth, 2010; Niehaves & Plattfaut, 2011; vom Brocke & Thomas, 2006; vom Brocke, 2011), we argue that BPM is a collaborative endeavor and that agile communication skills are needed to interact and negotiate successfully with people from various contextual backgrounds. Those agile communication skills are abilities in communication that respond to the challenges of working in international virtual project teams (vom Brocke, 2011). Skills for mastering virtual collaboration in global heterogeneous teams are an essential core competence in BPM because the challenge of cross-organizational business processes is prevalent in today’s working environment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
