Governance and Ethical Oversight of Agentic Artificial Intelligence in Business Process Management: Balancing Human-autonomy, Organizational Accountability and Algorithmic Transparency

This work dwells on Governance and ethical oversight of agentic artificial intelligence in business process management: balancing human-autonomy, organizational accountability and algorithmic transparency with particular reference to four specific objectives: To determine the relationship between human autonomy and ethical decision-making effectiveness in AI-supported BPM, to examine the role of organizational accountability in mitigating governance risks associated with agentic AI, to assess how algorithmic transparency influences trust, ethical compliance, and stakeholder confidence in business operations, to determine an empirically validated governance framework that balances autonomy, accountability, and transparency in AI-driven BPM. The population of the study comprised 325 managers of medium to large organizations employing agentic or semi-autonomous AI systems within their BPM operations. A mixed method approach was utilized, that is, both quantitative and qualitative data were used. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 29 and Smart PLS 4.0. Descriptive statistics were computed to profile respondents, while Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) tested the hypothesized relationships among governance, autonomy, accountability, and transparency variables while the qualitative data were analysed through thematic analysis using NVivo 14. Results revealed human autonomy positively influences responsible AI governance, organizational accountability exerts the strongest predictive influence on governance effectiveness, and algorithmic transparency significantly enhances trust and ethical compliance. These findings advance the argument that agentic AI governance is not purely a technological problem but an organizational capability, dependent on leadership vision, institutional ethics, and transparent process design. The integration of these dimensions strengthens both ethical resilience and competitive advantage in digital transformation contexts. We recommend that organizations need to establish permanent AI Governance Boards comprising legal, ethical, and technical experts. These boards must oversee AI deployment, set ethical guidelines, and monitor compliance. This institutionalization ensures that decision-making autonomy is balanced by structured accountability mechanisms.