Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti
Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti
Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti
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Results<br />
planning. In<strong>for</strong>mation seeking <strong>activities</strong> include, <strong>for</strong> instance, organizing<br />
workshops <strong>and</strong> meetings with representatives of the parent organization,<br />
<strong>and</strong> requesting in<strong>for</strong>mation through questionnaire surveys or by personal<br />
contact. The next two quotes illustrate these <strong>activities</strong>:<br />
Q23 (Bureau, project participant): ”There were different kinds of instructions<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong>ms <strong>for</strong> data gathering that we filled out [in different units] <strong>and</strong> then we<br />
gathered up to analyze them.”<br />
Q24 (Chain, sub-program manager): ”The managers <strong>and</strong> superiors of local units<br />
have been involved in the planning phase of these projects… We need their local<br />
expertise, so even though they are not official members of the project groups, we<br />
have different kinds of workshops with them.”<br />
Resource seeking <strong>activities</strong> are about looking <strong>for</strong> personnel resources <strong>for</strong><br />
the program work. They may aim at finding new participants to the<br />
program, <strong>for</strong> example, by selecting new project managers, or they may refer<br />
to utilizing the line organization’s resources in the program work in other<br />
ways. For instance, experts from the parent organization’s support<br />
functions, such as Human Resources or Communications, may be invited to<br />
support the program work upon need. The following quotes illustrate<br />
resource seeking <strong>activities</strong>:<br />
Q25 (Chain, communications expert): ”We realized that this will require a lot of<br />
resources from the Communications department. We concluded that a full-time<br />
PR specialist is required <strong>and</strong> I was able to convince one person to take over this<br />
task.”<br />
Q26 (Bureau, program manager): “We have utilized the secretary services of the<br />
line organization, as well as other support services.”<br />
The next set of boundary <strong>activities</strong> is directed outwards from the program<br />
(Category III in Figure 12). In<strong>for</strong>ming <strong>activities</strong> are about in<strong>for</strong>ming others<br />
in the parent organization about the program’s existence, the rationale<br />
behind it, the goals <strong>and</strong> practices of program work, <strong>and</strong> the early results<br />
<strong>and</strong> effects of the program. This communication may be <strong>for</strong>mal or in<strong>for</strong>mal<br />
<strong>and</strong> it can be directed at any group or individual within the parent<br />
organization. Examples of in<strong>for</strong>ming <strong>activities</strong> are given below:<br />
Q27 (Center, program manager): ”We have had these discussions with the CEO<br />
<strong>and</strong> the vice president, but we don’t have any official, regular reporting<br />
systems.”<br />
Q28 (Chain, sub-program manager): ”In the beginning, we in<strong>for</strong>med people<br />
about the existence <strong>and</strong> participants of this [project], we had discussions, we<br />
prepared some communication material, <strong>and</strong> we also held a briefing session.”<br />
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