A cognitive BPM theory for knowledge-intensive processes

PurposeA literature review was conducted in order to establish a detailed definition of a knowledge-intensive process (KiP). Moreover, relevant theories from humanities – especially the fields of linguistics and philosophy – were thoroughly researched and adapted for establishing descriptive and ana...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Business process management journal Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 465 - 488
Main Authors:	de Almeida Rodrigues Gonçalves, João Carlos, Baião, Fernanda Araujo, Santoro, Flavia Maria, Guizzardi, Giancarlo
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 15-03-2023 Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Subjects:	Business process management Collaboration Decision making Information systems Inventory control Knowledge management Linguistics Literature reviews Open source software Speech act Business process management Intentionality Common ground Knowledge-intensive process Cognitive BPM
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Summary:	PurposeA literature review was conducted in order to establish a detailed definition of a knowledge-intensive process (KiP). Moreover, relevant theories from humanities – especially the fields of linguistics and philosophy – were thoroughly researched and adapted for establishing descriptive and analytical foundations for the phenomena involved. Finally, a cognitive business process management (BPM) theory was proposed in order to assess how sufficient are its respective explanatory and predictive powers. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned objective.Design/methodology/approachThis study proposes a novel theory for KiPs that describe the process flow based on the participants' interactions and their beliefs, desires and intentions as the main drivers of the process enactment and execution.FindingsThe proposal puts forth a comprehensive definition of a KiP, depicting knowledge intensity, participant interaction and decision-making. The inner dynamics of each of these two elements (as well as other associated elements) are described as an information systems (IS) theory that enables the study of KiPs in detail, going beyond the typical techniques of the BPM field and common obstacles.Originality/valueA theory proposal for KiP that applies concepts from speech act theory and intentional states as the main drivers for understanding the process dynamics are, to the best of the authors' knowledge, not present at the literature. Being an original proposal, the real-world scenario discussed brings up the explanatory and predictive powers of the theory as well as its innovative value for research in the field.
ISSN:	1463-7154 1758-4116
DOI:	10.1108/BPMJ-11-2021-0746