Organizational Culture and BPM Ambidexterity in the EU Public Sector: the FADE Model

Abstract

Organizational culture plays a paramount role in the success and outcomes of Business Process Management (BPM) initiatives. So far, academic research has primarily focused on the cultural values supporting exploitative BPM, and to a greater extent in the private sector. In this study, we aim to uncover the cultural context in the international public sector, underpinning the explorative dimension of BPM, as well as the necessary capabilities to balance explorative and exploitative process management practices. The latter is defined as BPM ambidexterity. For this purpose, we have conducted case studies in European Union (EU) public sector organizations because this governmental level stimulates digital innovation and is quite varied while not being limited to a single country. Our main contribution is a model of cultural values supporting exploratory BPM, called FADE (i.e., values related to Failure allowance, Agility, Disruptiveness, and Ecosystems).