Business processes management as a tool to enhance intellectual capital in the digitalization era: the new challenges to face

Abstract Purpose – Digitalization is affecting businessmanagement and pushing for new strategies, innovative products, newways to communicate with stakeholders and newchannels.This phenomenon is unavoidable, and companies have to face it in a holistic and integrated way. One holistic and interconnected approach, when studying enterprise challenges, is represented by the business process management method, a fitting mechanism when digitalization needs to be amalgamated in business practices, enhancing the intellectual capital (IC), therefore, this study researches digitalization under business process lens, in a sample of small andmediumenterprises (SMEs), that constitute an under-explored set, as regard digitalization, processmanagement and IC. The research aims to explore the digital tools and business processes link and the related impact on performance, benefits and IC. Design/methodology/approach – In exploring digitalization, a sample of Italian SMEs was scrutinized. The data were elaborated using two types of tests: (1) the binomial tests for the categorical questions and (2) the zeta test was used for quantitative variables. Furthermore, the partial least square (PLS)-SEM model was applied. Findings – Findings reveal that some digital tools are more adopted in the sample analysed, and also some particular digital tools are more inclined to support certain business processes. Furthermore, not only performance benefits emerge, but also benefits in terms of better communication and faster decisions, supporting the decision making process of managers, also considering that business processes approach is one way to manage IC. Practical implications – Thanks to the conducted research it is possible to make aware managers and owners of SMEs to consciously choose the right type of digitalization investments, without neglecting training programme, to realize the company digital transformation, providing a map and bearing in mind the value added creation, protecting their IC. Originality/value – The paper’s originality is represented by the contribution in opening the black box about digitalization, business process management and IC in small and medium companies.