Process management is at present one of the most often implemented methods of management within organizations (Armistead, Pritchard & Machin, 1999), though it is not a new concept in and of itself. Its foundations have been set as far back as 60 years (Deming) or even perhaps 100 years ago in Taylor’s work (F.W. Taylor) (Deming, 1986). Traditional process management assumes that processes cannot be altered by process performers in the course of their performance (Gartner IT Glossary, 2016). Within the traditional model, the performance of processes is tied to the decisions of the management of a given organization, which are reflected in standard process models (often in the form of rules and regulations or procedures). But as numerous research demonstrates (Kemsley, 2009a; Pucher, 2010; Ukelson, 2010; HandySoft, 2012), traditional BPM is useful in 20% or perhaps 30% of processes of the organization.

The economy is undergoing accelerating, multidimensional changes, which are the result of the growing demand of customers for easier access to individualized products and services. The speed of those changes, along with their qualitative character and unpredictability, results in the insufficiency of current management principles. (D’Aveni 1994; Płoszajski, 2004) The precise characteristics of new order remain yet unknown, though it is already clear that organisations of this new type will be “slimmed down” to a flat structure, based to a much larger extent on the labour of groups, flexible through assigning rights to line workers, constantly adapting their activities to satisfy the requirements and expectations of their customers. To cope with such unpredictable and accelerating market and technology changes, use should be made of the full dynamism, knowledge and human potential existing in the company.