BRIDGING BUSINESS PROCESS INNOVATION AND DATA ANALYTICS VALUE CREATION: A BIBLIOMETRIC AND THEMATIC REVIEW OF GOVERNANCE-ORIENTED RESEARCH

Abstract

The convergence of data analytics and Business Process Innovation (BPI) has become a critical driver of organizational value creation, yet the role of governance as an integrative mechanism remains fragmented across existing research. Despite substantial investments in analytics capabilities, many organizations struggle to translate data-driven insights into sustained business value due to misalignment among analytics, processes, and governance structures. This study addresses this gap by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric and thematic review of governance-oriented research linking data analytics and BPI. Data were collected from the Scopus database using an advanced keyword-based search strategy encompassing Data Governance, Data Analytics, BPI, Value Creation, Digital Transformation, and Big Data Analytics, resulting in a final dataset of 902 publications published between 2016 and 2025. The analysis employed Scopus Analyzer for descriptive statistics, OpenRefine for data cleaning and harmonization, and VOSviewer for bibliometric mapping, including keyword co-occurrence, citation analysis, and co-authorship network visualization. The results reveal significant, accelerating growth in publications, particularly after 2021, with dominant research themes centred on digital transformation, big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and organizational performance. However, governance-related concepts appear less central within the network, suggesting a persistent fragmentation among the governance, analytics, and process innovation research streams. Furthermore, citation analysis shows that highly influential studies predominantly focus on analytics capability and digital transformation, with limited explicit integration of governance perspectives. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that while the field is rapidly expanding, it lacks a cohesive, governance-oriented framework to effectively bridge BPI and the creation of value from data analytics. The findings provide a strong foundation for future research to develop adaptive governance models that align analytics capabilities with business processes to achieve sustainable value creation