BPM capability development – a matter of contingencies

Purpose – 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. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, methods of qualitative IS research are employed to address the research objectives. Findings – The paper shows that maturity model-based guidance would be inadequate. Instead, other concept-external factors resulting from organizational and en...