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In a joint project with Australia’s Queensland University of Technology, Kathrin Figl also investigated the effects of visual process models on employees’ power of imagination and the quality of their ideas, as compared to the effects of textual process descriptions. This research focused particularly on ideas for improving existing processes. Previously, no research had been done that provided an unequivocal answer to the question of whether visual process models help analysts to come up with innovative solutions or, on the contrary, if visual models restrict their mental perspective. An experiment showed that this latter concern is unwarranted: Visual models worked a little better than textual descriptions in stimulating the creative quality of suggestions for improvements. They do not increase the overall number of ideas for improvements, but they enhance their usefulness and appropriateness for enterprises. “Our test subjects, for instance, came up with more ideas on how to use new technologies in the process. This means that visual process models do not lead to more ideas overall, but they help us to generate ideas of higher quality that are more useful,” Kathrin Figl explains. “Digitalization is bringing changes to enterprises worldwide and across many industries. To remain competitive, it is essential for companies to employ tools that stimulate creative ideas. For this reason, visual business process models are an important tool for optimizing processes and tapping the full potential of digital technologies.”
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