Skip to main content
Book cover

International Conference on Business Process Management

BPM 2021: Business Process Management pp 437–454Cite as

Drivers and Barriers of the Digital Innovation Process – Case Study Insights from a German Public University

Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNISA,volume 12875)

Abstract

Due to growing digital opportunities, persistent legislative pressure, and recent challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, public universities need to engage in digital innovation (DI). While society expects universities to lead DI efforts, the successful development and implementation of DIs, particularly in administration and management contexts, remains a challenge. In addition, research lacks knowledge on the DI process at public universities, while further understanding and guidance are needed. Against this backdrop, our study aims to enhance the understanding of the DI process at public universities by providing a structured overview of corresponding drivers and barriers through an exploratory single case study. We investigate the case of a German public university and draw from primary and secondary data of its DI process from the development of three specific digital process innovations. Building upon Business Process Management (BPM) as a theoretical lens to study the DI process, we present 13 drivers and 17 barriers structured along the DI actions and BPM core elements. We discuss corresponding findings and provide related practice recommendations for public universities that aim to engage in DI. In sum, our study contributes to the explanatory knowledge at the convergent interface between DI and BPM in the context of public universities.

Keywords

  • Digital innovation
  • Digital innovation process
  • Process innovation
  • Public university
  • Case study

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-85469-0_27
  • Chapter length: 18 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-3-030-85469-0
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions
Fig. 1.

References

  1. European Commission: European Commission launches a public consultation on a new Digital Education Action Plan. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1066

  2. Hedlund, H.: Architecting structural flexibility in design processes – a case study of public sector digital innovation. In: ECIS 2019 Proceedings (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Faria, J.A., Nóvoa, H.: Digital transformation at the University of Porto. In: Za, S., Drăgoicea, M., Cavallari, M. (eds.) IESS 2017. LNBIP, vol. 279, pp. 295–308. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56925-3_24

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  4. Skulmowski, A., Rey, G.D.: COVID-19 as an accelerator for digitalization at a German university: establishing hybrid campuses in times of crisis. Hum. Behav. Emerg. Technol. 2, 212–216 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Yoo, Y., Henfridsson, O., Lyytinen, K.: Research commentary—the new organizing logic of digital innovation: an agenda for information systems research. Inf. Syst. Res. 21, 724–735 (2010)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  6. Nambisan, S., Lyytinen, K., Majchrzak, A., Song, M.: Digital innovation management: reinventing innovation management research in a digital world. MIS Q. 41, 223–238 (2017)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  7. Vega, A., Chiasson, M.: A comprehensive framework to research digital innovation: the joint use of the systems of innovation and critical realism. J. Strateg. Inf. Syst. 28, 242–256 (2019)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  8. Mendling, J., Pentland, B.T., Recker, J.: Building a complementary agenda for business process management and digital innovation. Eur. J. Inf. Syst. 29, 208–219 (2020)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  9. Agasisti, T., Pohl, C.: Comparing German and Italian public universities: convergence or divergence in the higher education landscape? Manag. Decis. Econ. 33, 71–85 (2012)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  10. Vicente, P.N., Lucas, M., Carlos, V., Bem-Haja, P.: Higher education in a material world: constraints to digital innovation in Portuguese universities and polytechnic institutes. Educ. Inf. Technol. 25(6), 5815–5833 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10258-5

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  11. Smertenko, P., Dimitriev, O., Pochekailova, L., Cernyshov, L.: Technological transformations and their implications for higher education. In: Valsiner, J., Lutsenko, A., Antoniouk, A. (eds.) Sustainable Futures for Higher Education. CPE, vol. 7, pp. 67–75. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96035-7_8

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  12. Nuere, S., Miguel, L. de: The digital/technological connection with COVID-19: an unprecedented challenge in university teaching. Technol. Know. Learn., 1–13 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Lašáková, A., Bajzíková, Ľ, Dedze, I.: Barriers and drivers of innovation in higher education: case study-based evidence across ten European universities. Int. J. Educ. Dev. 55, 69–79 (2017)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  14. Yin, R.K.: Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Sage Publications (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kohli, R., Melville, N.P.: Digital innovation: a review and synthesis. Inf. Syst. J. 29, 200–223 (2019)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  16. Kerpedzhiev, G.D., König, U.M., Röglinger, M., Rosemann, M.: An exploration into future business process management capabilities in view of digitalization. Bus. Inf. Syst. Eng. 63(2), 83–96 (2020)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  17. van Looy, A.: A quantitative and qualitative study of the link between business process management and digital innovation. Inf. Manage. 58, 103413 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  18. van Looy, A., Poels, G.: A practitioners’ point of view on how digital innovation will shape the future of business process management: towards a research agenda. In: Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2019 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Nambisan, S.: Digital entrepreneurship: toward a digital technology perspective of entrepreneurship. Entrep. Theory Pract. 41, 1029–1055 (2017)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  20. Berger, S., Denner, M.-S., Roeglinger, M.: The nature of digital technologies - development of a multi-layer taxonomy. In: ECIS 2018 Proceedings (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Drechsler, K., Gregory, R., Wagner, H.-T., Tumbas, S.: At the crossroads between digital innovation and digital transformation. Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst. 47, 521–538 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lee, J., Berente, N.: Digital innovation and the division of innovative labor: digital controls in the automotive industry. Organ. Sci. 23, 1428–1447 (2012)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  23. Välimaa, J., Hoffman, D.: Knowledge society discourse and higher education. High. Educ. 56, 265–285 (2008)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  24. Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., Reijers, H.A.: Introduction to business process management. In: Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., Reijers, H.A. (eds.) Fundamentals of Business Process Management, pp. 1–33. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  25. vom Brocke, J., Rosemann, M. (eds.): Handbook on business process management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Rosemann, M., vom Brocke, J.: The six core elements of business process management. In: vom Brocke, J., Rosemann, M. (eds.) Handbook on Business Process Management 1. IHIS, pp. 105–122. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45100-3_5

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  27. Karabegovic, A., Buza, E., Omanovic, S., Kahrovic, A.: Adoption of BPM systems for process design in a higher education institution. In: 2018 41st International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO), pp. 552–557. IEEE (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Helbin, T., van Looy, A.: Is Business Process Management (BPM) ready for ambidexterity? Conceptualization Implementation Guidelines and Research Agenda. Sustainability 13, 1906 (2021)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  29. Grisold, T., vom Brocke, J., Gross, S., Mendling, J., Röglinger, M., Stelzl, K.: Digital innovation and business process management: opportunities and challenges as perceived by practitioners. Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst. (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Rosemann, M., et al.: Towards a business process management maturity model. In: ECIS 2005 Proceedings (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Bruin, T. de, Rosemann, M.: Application of a Holistic Model for Determining BPM Maturity (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Benbasat, I., Goldstein, D.K., Mead, M.: The case research strategy in studies of information systems. MIS Q. 11(3), 369–386 (1987)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  33. Bandara, W., Gable, G.G., Rosemann, M.: Factors and measures of business process modelling: model building through a multiple case study. Eur. J. Inf. Syst. 14, 347–360 (2005)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  34. Eskildsen, J.K., Kristensen, K., Juhl, H.J.: Private versus public sector excellence. The TQM magazine (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): Bildung und Kultur. Private Hochschulen 2019 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Miles, M.B., Huberman, A.M.: Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage Publications (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Benbunan-Fich, R., Desouza, K.C., Andersen, K.N.: IT-enabled innovation in the public sector: introduction to the special issue. Eur. J. Inf. Syst. 29, 323–328 (2020)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  38. Myers, M.D., Newman, M.: The qualitative interview in IS research: examining the craft. Inf. Organ. 17, 2–26 (2007)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  39. Agolla, J.E., van Lill, J.B.: An empirical investigation into innovation drivers and barriers in public sector organisations. Int. J. Innov. Sci. 8(4), 404–422 (2016)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  40. Wipulanusat, W., Panuwatwanich, K., Stewart, R.A., Sunkpho, J.: Drivers and barriers to innovation in the Australian public service: a qualitative thematic analysis. Eng. Manage. Prod. Serv. 11, 7–22 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Dubé, L., Paré, G.: Rigor in information systems positivist case research: current practices, trends, and recommendations. MIS Q. 27(4), 597–636 (2003)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  42. Wolfswinkel, J.F., Furtmueller, E., Wilderom, C.P.M.: Using grounded theory as a method for rigorously reviewing literature. Eur. J. Inf. Syst. 22, 45–55 (2013)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  43. Santana, A.F.L., Alves, C.F., Santos, H.R.M., de Lima Cavalcanti Felix, A.: BPM governance: an exploratory study in public organizations. In: Halpin, T., et al. (eds.) BPMDS/EMMSAD -2011. LNBIP, vol. 81, pp. 46–60. Springer, Heidelberg (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21759-3_4

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. FIM Research Center, Fraunhofer FIT Project Group Business & Information Systems Engineering, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

    Emil Kleider, Benedict Lösser, Anna Maria Oberländer & Torsten Eymann

  2. FIM Research Center, Fraunhofer FIT Project Group Business & Information Systems Engineering, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany

    Thomas Kreuzer

Authors
  1. Emil Kleider
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas Kreuzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Benedict Lösser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anna Maria Oberländer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Torsten Eymann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benedict Lösser .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia

    Dr. Artem Polyvyanyy

  2. NICTA Queensland Research Lab, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Dr. Moe Thandar Wynn

  3. Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Amy Van Looy

  4. Institut fur Datenbanken, Info System, Universitat Ulm, Ulm, Germany

    Prof. Dr. Manfred Reichert

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Kleider, E., Kreuzer, T., Lösser, B., Oberländer, A.M., Eymann, T. (2021). Drivers and Barriers of the Digital Innovation Process – Case Study Insights from a German Public University. In: Polyvyanyy, A., Wynn, M.T., Van Looy, A., Reichert, M. (eds) Business Process Management. BPM 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12875. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85469-0_27

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85469-0_27

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-85468-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85469-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)