IDLab Seminar: How Industry-Specific Factors Shape the Performance of ICT Portfolios

On June 19, 2026, a research seminar was held at the International Laboratory of Intangible-driven Economy (IDLab), where Junior Research Fellow Egor Ivanov presented his study. The research explored how the joint implementation of BPM and CRM systems affects firm performance across various industries.

The empirical base of the study comprised 29,715 observations across seven industry groups over the period 2014–2024, sourced from the TAdviser and SPARK-Interfax databases. A two-stage research design was employed. In the first stage, association rule mining was used to identify patterns of joint ICT implementation, revealing a strong bidirectional association between Business Process Management (BPM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. In the second stage, Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was applied to estimate the impact of the ICT portfolio on labor productivity, accounting for industry-specific effects.

The analysis demonstrated that the isolated implementation of these systems does not yield a statistically significant increase in firm performance. On average, however, joint implementation had a negative effect, as coordination and integration costs outweighed technological synergies. Meanwhile, the decomposition of results by industry revealed substantial heterogeneity: the joint ICT portfolio was associated with positive productivity gains in wholesale and retail trade, as well as in transportation and storage, where operational processes are closely intertwined with customer demands. Conversely, in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, professional and technical activities, and information and communication, the effect was negative. 

The presentation concluded by emphasizing that the value of ICT portfolios depends critically on organizational integration and alignment with the industry context, rather than the mere fact of technology adoption.