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

Discussion
hand, in time orientation, in authority relations, in social relations and
perceptions of identity, and in knowledge. Together these aspects form a
boundary that separates the change program from its parent organization.
The empirical findings further indicate that change programs differ in
terms of the overall boundary strength. Although the analysis showed
evidence of a boundary between the change program and its parent
organization in all three investigated cases, the boundary appeared to be
strong in case Center, medium-strong in case Bureau and fairly weak in
case Chain. This finding will be discussed in more detail later in this
section.
By shedding light on a temporary organization’s boundaries and their
formation, the results of the current study extend the research on
organizational boundaries that has mainly focused on the boundaries of
permanent organizations (e.g. Leifer & Delbecq, 1978; Thompson, 1967) or
organizational units (e.g. Yan & Louis, 1999). Previous research has
acknowledged how temporary organizations differ from permanent
organizations in two distinct aspects: they have a clear beginning and an
ending (e.g. Dobers & Söderholm, 2009). The current study shows that
when a change program as a specific form of a temporary organization is
established, the program’s boundary also starts to emerge. The findings
suggest that the boundary may be built both deliberately and
unintentionally. The basic elements of the boundary are established as the
decision to launch a program is made and the set-up of the program
organization begins, as the program receives a task that sets it apart from
the rest of the organization. The program management approach also
brings some distinctive methods, structures and deadlines which
distinguish the emerging program from its environment. After the first
program participants have been appointed, the program team starts to
build its own identity, further separating the team from the other members
of the parent organization.
Whereas previous research has suggested that permanent organizations
define the boundaries of a project or a program by determining its authority
and responsibility (e.g. Andersen, 2006), the current study shows how the
advocates of a change program may actively participate in defining its
boundaries. The findings suggest that the definition of a program’s
boundaries is an ongoing process during program initiation, involving
constant discussions and negotiations between the program’s advocates
and those representing the permanent organization. The study illustrates
how the key program actors may deliberately build and shape the program’s
boundaries. Examples from case Bureau demonstrate how the program’s
managers may distinguish and isolate the program from the parent
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