Which Cultural Values Influence the Success of Process Implementations within SME Service Oriented Organizations in the Netherlands?

Digitalization has shifted Business Process Management (BPM) from a technical discipline toward a stronger emphasis on culture, behaviour and organizational knowledge. Yet little is known about which cultural values support process implementation in SMEs. This study examines how BPM culture influences process implementation success in Dutch service-oriented SMEs, drawing on six values: customer orientation, excellence, responsibility, teamwork, innovation, and results orientation. A qualitative multiple case study was conducted across four SMEs, based on thirteen semi-structured interviews and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). While implementation success was assessed through employee acceptance, actual use and structural embedding. The findings show that teamwork and responsibility are most strongly associated with implementation success, whereas customer orientation and results orientation act mainly as motivators when made concrete for employees. The study further identifies communication, leadership & decision-making and organizational culture as contextual conditions that shape how BPM values translate into sustainable process behaviour.