RPA Ready? Unlocking Organizational RPA Readiness

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a relatively new digital technology in business process automation that is getting more widely adopted by many organizations in various industries. However, the promised benefits of RPA are not experienced by all organizations mainly because of a lack of organizational readiness. In this study, based on a literature review and in-depth interviews with sixteen RPA experts from eight industries, we identify 17 organizational readiness factors for RPA adoption. These factors are classified under five categories: change valence, change efficacy, technology context, organizational context, and environmental context, as outlined within our organizational RPA readiness framework. Our findings suggest a need to reassess and expand the existing list of organizational readiness factors typically applied to other digital technologies to better fit with the unique context of RPA. Notably, four factors have been identified as specifically tailored to RPA: exception handling, RPA strategy, RPA governance, and RPA Process fit. Moreover, some factors may hold greater importance in achieving organizational readiness for successful RPA adoption. Among these, RPA process fit, RPA governance, and top management support emerged as the most prominent, as highlighted by 15 out of 16 experts. The proposed organizational RPA readiness framework can help managers better prepare for the planning, prioritizing, and decision-making regarding RPA adoption initiatives.