The role of big data in shaping ambidextrous business process management

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how big data can shape ambidextrous business process management (BPM) in terms of exploitation and exploration. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative methodology involving case studies has been chosen to explore the impact of big data deployment on exploitative and explorative business processes. Findings: The results of case studies offer some opportunities and challenges for service firms related to both the exploitative and the explorative aspects of BPM driven by big data. Originality/value: The deployment of big data in business processes has attracted a large amount of interest recently. However, these studies are mostly conceptual, so empirical research about this complex relationship is quite rare, especially research with specific arguments regarding exploitative and explorative activities. This paper aims to fill this gap by offering empirical evidence for big data-driven business processes.