On the importance of agile communication skills in BPM education: Design principles for international seminars

Bergener Katrin, vom Brocke Jan, Hofmann Sara, Stein Armin, vom Brocke Christina

Abstract
Business Process Management (BPM) has evolved as an integrated management discipline that aims to enable organizations to continuously innovate and improve their operations. BPM experts are exposed to communication processes involving people from various backgrounds (e.g., various business areas, fields of expertise, and cultures). Research in applied linguistics has shown that it is difficult to plan for constellations of such communication processes; thus, agile communication skills are vital for successful business communication. Teaching programs for BPM, however, do not account for these skills. Rather, they mainly address methods for the analysis, implementation, and management of business processes. As a result, graduates—though they may be technically and methodologically apt—face unexpected challenges due to communication deficiencies in BPM projects. BPM research has shown that deficiencies in communication are in fact among the most frequent reasons for project failure. In this paper, we present a

Keywords
Business Process Management (BPM); BPM Education; Agile Communication Skills; Virtual Collaboration; International Collaboration; Intercultural Communication; Higher Education