A Critical Investigation of Rationalities in Automation with BPM

Automation is considered a key component of the Business Process Management (BPM) discipline. Existing research within BPM considers the consequences and impacts of automation primarily in technical terms, and other disciplines, such as psychology, focus on individual implications. To facilitate a discussion of the long-term consequences and risks of automation initiatives within BPM and to characterize the discourse around automation in BPM, we draw upon Critical Theory and the notion of rationality. By reviewing how case studies justify, conduct, and evaluate automation initiatives, we identify rationalities present in existing papers and assess what implications are discussed and which are left out of the automation discourse. We observe that most papers are primarily justified with and focussed on performance improvements, and that potential implications from this focus, such as depersonalization and alienation, are almost invisible in the discussion. Based on this, we offer impulses for practitioners and researchers on how the discourse on automation and its risks can be broadened. Further, we contribute to the community by integrating concepts from Critical Theory.