Business process management adoption and culture: a case of Saudi Arabia

<p>Business process management (BPM) is a holistic management and customer-focused approach to increase the overall effectiveness and efficiency of organisations. BPM adoption is a challenge because it requires management commitment, resources and time. Several studies have attempted to identify the factors that influence BPM adoption. Although many of these studies have identified culture as a key factor that influences BPM adoption, they have not identified its important groups and their dimensions as well as its influence on BPM adoption.</p> <p>Thus, this study aims to identify the important culture groups and their significant dimensions in the Saudi Arabian context. In addition, it examines empirically the impact of culture on BPM adoption in this context where BPM offers an effective and efficient way to potentially transform the country's business environment. Saudi Arabia is a developing country that has an expanding corporate sector. Recently, an innovative strategy, Vision 2030, was launched, which propagates a new concept to transform an oil-dependent economy to a knowledge-based economy with diversified income sources.</p> <p>This study adopted a positivist paradigm and employed a quantitative method approach. It collected data and information via questionnaires from participants working in Saudi Arabian organisations of different sizes in various industries and sectors, which have adopted BPM. These participants, with experience in BPM adoption in their organisations, were from different hierarchical levels and departments and had diverse job titles.</p> <p>Through an extensive literature review and empirical validation, this study identifies key groups of culture and their dimensions of significance that influence BPM adoption. Dimensions such as customer orientation (CO), continuous improvement (CI), innovation (INV), accountability (ACC), commitment (COM) and teamwork (TW) are considered important dimensions of organisational culture, whereas the power distance (PDI), individualism versus collectivism (IDV), masculinity versus femininity (MAS) and the uncertainty avoidance (UAI) are considered important dimensions of national culture.</p> <p>This study concludes that organisational culture positively influences BPM adoption in Saudi Arabia. The national culture of Saudi Arabia significantly influences BPM adoption and the Saudi organisational culture, which, in turn, significantly influences BPM adoption in the country. Thus, the national culture has direct and indirect positive effects on BPM adoption.</p> <p>This study contributes to theory by developing and empirically validating a BPM adoption and culture (BPMAC) model that explains the role of organisational and national cultures and identifies their dimensions of significance in BPM adoption. It is a pioneering attempt to propose national culture as a construct and study its effect on BPM adoption based on Hofstede's theory. The BPMAC model may be applicable in contexts similar to Saudi Arabia, such as other Gulf and Arab countries. Moreover, professionals can use this model to pursue successful BPM adoption. The BPMAC model informs managers, decision-makers and practitioners about the key dimensions of organisational and national cultures that assist in successful BPM adoption. In addition, the model would serve to enhance effective collaboration between local and foreign entities during the BPM adoption process.</p>