The relevance of relationship in BPM for developing new business models

This paper presents a combined analysis of IS and Business Process Management in the context of New Business Models, due to two emergent ne-cessities drove by the actual, rapidly changing environment: a) an increase in inter-organizational relationships; and b) an enlargement of intra-organizational relationships. Both of them bring to a growth in the distribution of value crea-tion within, and among organizations. This determines a greater degree of openness to external relevant actors, with consequences on management of rela-tionships, thus on BPM. Starting from a lack of contribution in socio-relational terms, our purpose is to offer a conceptual framework, based on a thorough lit-erature review, that contributes to rationalize traditional and new fields of BPM, considering the relevance of relationships. By following ten identified themes related to BPM emerged from ERCIS 2010, we update the research agenda, adding new application fields. We conclude with managerial implications, limi-tations and suggestions for future research.