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

Theoretical background
2. Theoretical background
In this chapter, the theoretical basis of the research is introduced. In
section 2.1, the special nature of temporary organizations is discussed and
programs as a specific form of temporary organizations are examined. In
line with the focus of the study, special emphasis is given to the early
program stage. In section 2.2, literature on large-scale organizational
change is reviewed and the concept of readiness for change program
implementation is developed. In the following two sections, the attention is
turned to the contextual interplay of temporary organizations. Section 2.3
examines the contextuality of change programs and provides an
introduction to the organizational integration of temporary organizations.
The concepts of organizational boundaries and boundary activities are
elaborated in detail in section 2.4. Finally, a summary of the literature
review is provided in section 2.5, where a preliminary framework is
introduced and the more detailed research questions are presented.
2.1 Programs as temporary organizations
In this dissertation, change programs are viewed as temporary
organizations. This section introduces this perspective to projects and
programs. After that, the concepts of programs and program management
are examined, and the current knowledge on how the early program stages
are managed is reviewed.
2.1.1 Introduction to the temporary organization perspective
Projects and programs have become common features of organizational life.
Literature on project management often points out that projects have been
implemented for thousands of years, examples including the construction
of pyramids and religious monuments, and the great journeys of
exploration. However, as an academic discipline and as a profession,
project management is a relatively young field (Kwak & Anbari, 2009;
Shenhar, 2001). Modern project management emerged between the 1930s
and 1950s as a response to the defense and process engineering industries’
need to plan, control and manage large and complex series of activities, i.e.
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