Research Students

Name: Alex Kokkonen
Email: akokkone@yahoo.com.au
Title: Expertise in Business Process Management (BPM)
Principal Supervisor: Dr Wasana Bandara
Associate Supervisor: Professor Michael Rosemann
Expected Completion Date: December 2011

Abstract:

As medium and large organisations attempt to become more Business Process focused and oriented, managing their Business Processes accordingly, roles requiring expertise in BPM are increasingly being introduced. Whilst great attention is being paid to the technological aspect of Business Process Management (BPM), relatively little work has been done concerning the People factor of BPM and the characterisation of expertise in BPM. As a result, there appears to be little common understanding of what expertise in BPM is and means in practice. Its characterisation, structure, interrelationships and dynamics are still to be defined.

There are direct implications of the meaning and characterisation of expertise in BPM as a key strategic component itself, as well as for those involved in BPM and BPM strategic development, and the recruitment, development and education of people in organisations. Understanding the characterisation of expertise in BPM is a predecessor to being able to deploy and manage it effectively. Whilst there is a substantial body of knowledge on expertise in general, relatively little has been accomplished to investigate the development of expertise, contributing to the void in the understanding of the implications for the attributes and dynamics of expertise in BPM at all organisational levels.

The aims of this research are firstly to address the managerial question ‘why is understanding expertise in the context of BPM important to organisations?’, and ‘what is expertise in the context of BPM?’. Secondly, to identify describe and define the key attributes characterising expertise in BPM in the form of an a-priori model, outlining their structure, dynamics and interrelationships, and the corresponding major implications for organisations. Finally, the establishment of the normative application areas and how those areas could be improved with an improved understanding of what expertise in BPM is.

The overall research method involves an extensive literature of key relevant literature domains, a single revelatory case study:motivational phase outlining the relevance and importance of the study, and an a-priori model building phase involving continued literature review and ensuring rigour in establishing what expertise in a BPM context is. This is followed by the validation phase of the single revelatory case study, further ensuring research rigour and relevance, and finally development of a normative model emphasising the relevance and importance of the study.

Key Words: Experience, expertise, characterisation, BPM, existentialism