Information and communication technology and the implementation of business process management in public organizations in Poland

The article deals with the important topic of the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) used in public organizations in Poland on the possibility of implementing the Business Process Management (BPM) concept in these entities.Design/methodology/approach: In order to assess the above indicated dependence, a research was conducted to identify the level of ICT use in selected public administration units, i.e. in the community offices.The research covered one of the voivodships of Poland, i.e.Warmian-Mazurian, where the entire population of community offices was surveyed.Then, referring to the literature on the subject, the obtained level was assessed for the possibility of implementing and developing the scope of BPM use in these entities.Findings: The conducted research revealed that there are differences in the use of ICT between different types of community offices -the offices of urban type were the leaders in this matter.Thus, it was found that they were best prepared for the use of BPM.Overall, however, the research showed a low level of ICT use in the surveyed entities.Thus, it was concluded that ICT, perceived as a determinant of BPM, has a low potential to stimulate the use of the discussed concept in these entities and may constitute its barrier.The level of use of e-services is also low, and the surveyed offices to a large extent still operate in the traditional system, in which paper documents are the primary carrier of information.Research limitations/implications: (if applicable) If research is reported on in the paper, this section must be completed and should include suggestions for future research and any identified limitations in the research process.Originality/value: The conducted research, in the practical dimension, has the potential to raise the awareness of public managers as to the impact of ICT on the implementation and extension of the use of BPM in the entities they manage.