Living Labs as An Engaging Approach to Developing Process Thinking Competency – Case Study and Instructional Strategy

The study addresses the imperative for exceptional flexibility and innovation in the modern business environment, emphasizing the need for process thinking competency among employees. While BPM has gained prominence, the literature lacks emphasis on process thinking skills in higher education. The paper proposes a methodology utilizing Living Labs as extracurricular activities to immerse students in mapping, analysing, and improving processes. The Living Lab, defined as a user-centric innovation environment, engages students in real-world challenges, fostering experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and user-centric design. The case study, conducted in a Polish university, demonstrates the potential of Living Labs in developing process thinking. The methodology involves four stakeholder groups: students, academics, professional staff, and external actors. The pilot phase, focused on improving international student support services, unfolds through iterative stages, leading to the co-creation of a resistant university business model. The findings highlight enhanced experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, authentic learning environments, stakeholder engagement, innovation, creativity, and transferable skills development. The paper recommends incorporating Living Labs in BPM education, offering a novel approach to address the void in the literature regarding process thinking skills development in higher education.