Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti

Research methodology and data
program core team members’ boundary activities, leaving the programrelated
actions of outsiders out of the analysis (except when these had
triggered core team members’ boundary activities). Other principles
concerned the focus, nature, timing, and target of the activities. Table 11
describes the principles that were used in determining whether the
identified activities were interpreted as boundary activities.
Table 11 Principles for identifying boundary activities during the analysis
Principle
Focus on the programparent
organization
boundary
Focus on human action
Program core team
member(s) as actor(s)
Target of the activity
within the parent
organization
Timing of the activity
Description
The activity must somehow address the boundary between the
program and its parent organization, either by defining,
crossing or blocking the boundary. The program’s internal
activities that do not address the boundary are not included in
the analysis.
The activity needs to directly refer to human action.
(Example: mentioning the existence of a formal integration
mechanism such as a reward system or a decision making
process is not interpreted as a boundary activity. However,
creating those mechanisms in the negotiations between the
parties or utilizing those mechanisms by communicating across
the boundary may be counted as a boundary activity, if other
conditions apply.)
The activity must be performed by a representative of the
program organization. Still, the activity may be triggered by
the actions of those representing the parent organization.
(Example: if a certain group in the parent organization is
actively lobbying against the program, this is not interpreted as
a boundary activity. However, the counteractions of the key
program actors, such as negotiations and communications
between that group and the program’s key actors may be
counted as boundary activities, if other conditions apply.)
The activity needs to be directed at those representing the
parent organization. Extra-organizational boundary activities
that cross the parent organization’s boundaries, such as
communication and cooperation with external consultants or
suppliers, are not included in the analysis, unless they
simultaneously concern those within the parent organization.
The activity must occur during program initiation. The
duration of the initiation stage was defined case-specifically
during the first phase of the analysis (see section 4.1 for these
definitions).
When going through the interview data, every time when an excerpt was
identified in the interview transcripts that fulfilled the defined criteria for a
boundary activity, the quotation was recorded as a boundary activity and it
was connected to the code representing the corresponding boundary
activity type. If a corresponding code did not yet exist, a new code was
created or an existing code was extended and relabeled to include the newly
identified activity type. It became apparent during the early days of the
analysis that many activities described by the informants were not related
to just one type of boundary activity, but simultaneously represented two
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