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

Discussion
change. The program appeared to be driven on a vacuous path of
accumulating confusion and inactivity (Ericksen & Dyer, 2004). Due to the
lack of committed managers and other resources, the continued lack of a
shared vision and the program’s inability to establish a strong enough
position in the organization, Center’s program was prematurely terminated
and largely considered a failure.
In line with Ericksen and Dyer (2004), who proposed that a team may be
led to a vacuous path due to the lack of initial key resources in terms of a
clear task, ample time and adequate skills, unfavorable contextual
conditions may provide an explanation why Center’s program could not
establish a solid base for change. Following the idea of a vicious circle, the
lack of boundary activity in Center’s case can be interpreted as both a cause
and a symptom of the poor progress of program initiation. The findings
provide support for previous research on team development (Ancona &
Caldwell, 1992a; Ericksen & Dyer, 2004) by showing that during the early
program stage, it is not enough for the program’s key managers to
concentrate on problem solving and planning. The managers also need to
build a solid base for the program by involving different stakeholders
through a skillful use of boundary activities. Awareness of the program
must be built and the program must be legitimized, which builds shared
commitment to implement the program. Similarly, visible support from top
management and other central stakeholder groups must be ensured.
The other two cases, Bureau and Chain, provide examples of successful
program initiation and illustrate the related virtuous path (Ericksen & Dyer,
2004). Lending support for the proposition by Choi (2002), on the virtuous
path the internal and external activities of the program support each other
and play complementary roles in taking the program closer to its goals. The
two cases show how successful program initiation may originate at the top
management level, which instantly provides initial legitimacy, or
alternatively at the lower organizational levels, in which case the program
needs committed advocates whose early boundary activities engage the top
managers in the program.
In successful program initiation, the early mobilization of the program
focuses on establishing initial legitimacy for the program, creating a shared
intent, and ensuring the resources required for taking program planning
further. Informing activities are also needed to communicate the program
launch decision across the parent organization. Legitimating and
committing activities continue to engage the central stakeholder groups in
the program. Additionally, linking activities create purposeful connections
with the parent organization. When the program has established or ensured
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