Flexible and responsive cross-organisational interoperability

Inter-organisational cooperation holds a huge potential for exploiting opportunities of dynamical, globalised markets – especially for SMEs. Furthermore, today’s ICT potentially allows for quick exchange of information and for coordinating activities. However, state of the art software architectures and technologies also hamper cross-organisational interoperability. A technologically determined need for extremely detailed modelling of business processes is a significant obstacle for establishing coordinated processes, a pre-requirement for scheduling and control in organisational networks. An approach that achieves the exploitation of technological potentials for efficient and effective crossorganisational processes without hampering flexibility is still to be developed. It requires both, a simpler modelling and with it an easier adaptability of ICT on the one hand and a better integration of human factors on the other hand. This paper reflects on existing ICT technologies for cooperation, collaboration and coordination and identifies gaps and further research opportunities.