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

Discussion
internal validity, especially regarding the proposed associations between
the constructs of boundary activities and readiness for change program
implementation, as well as the proposed effects of the identified contextual
factors. While the longitudinal approach has supported the identification of
cause and effect (Meyer, 2001), further research is required to validate the
proposed associations.
External validity refers to the degree the findings and conclusions of the
study can be transferred or have applicability in other contexts. In
qualitative research, the method of such generalization is analytical or
theoretical instead of statistical (Dubois & Gadde, 2002; Yin, 1994).
Although the basic assumption behind the current study is that change
programs are highly contextual, the results are still believed to have
relevance in other contexts. In the present study, the use of three cases
instead of just a single case study is assumed to strengthen external validity
(Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 1994). The main findings of the study are expected
to apply to other similar organizations facing similar challenges to mobilize
change programs. The extent to which similar observations apply to
organizations that are more mature in terms of mobilizing change programs
requires more investigation.
The abductive case study approach, where existing, previously reported
concepts have been adopted and accommodated in the study, and where
support for the empirical findings has been actively sought from previous
studies, may improve the generalizability of the results. To support the
assessment of generalizability, considerable emphasis has been put to
describing the sampling criteria, each selected case and its context in detail
throughout the research process, within the limits set by the anonymity of
the cases. Still, in line with Meyer (2001), it is largely left to the reader to
judge the applicability of the research in other contexts.
Reliability means that if the study was replicated in the same (or similar)
context, its findings would be repeated. To improve reliability in the present
study, the research approach, including case selection, data collection, and
analysis methodology, has been made transparent to the reader by detailed
description (Yin, 1994). Although the anonymity of the studied cases may
limit the reader’s ability to assess the findings, the confidential nature of the
research has enabled the informants to engage in more open discussion of
the challenges related to change initiation, presumably improving the
reliability of the findings. The abductive approach of the current study may
pose challenges for its replicability, since the research framework has
evolved during the research process in the interplay between empirical
findings and existing theories. Although all the intermediary results and
conclusions are not presented to the reader, the interview outlines utilized
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