Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti
Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti
Boundary activities and readiness for ... - Projekti-Instituutti
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
CASE CHAIN<br />
<strong>Boundary</strong><br />
aspect<br />
Overall view in case Chain Indicators Illustrative quotes<br />
Task The task boundary was somewhat clear<br />
in a sense that program work was<br />
clearly differentiated from but <strong>for</strong> most<br />
people still closely related to the daily<br />
tasks in the line organization. Many<br />
were accustomed to project work <strong>and</strong><br />
viewed program work as similar but<br />
still somewhat different due to the lack<br />
of a clear plan <strong>and</strong> an overall picture of<br />
the end state.<br />
Authority Although program-related decisions<br />
were largely made in the line<br />
organization’s decision-making <strong>for</strong>ums,<br />
the program was led by the line<br />
organization’s top managers <strong>and</strong> in that<br />
sense there were no visible authority<br />
boundaries. Authority stemmed largely<br />
from the managers’ <strong>for</strong>mal positions in<br />
the line organization. The program’s<br />
decision-making <strong>for</strong>ums <strong>and</strong> processes<br />
were considered to work well, although<br />
sometimes there was confusion about<br />
the decision-making responsibilities.<br />
Physical <strong>and</strong><br />
spatial<br />
Physical <strong>and</strong> spatial boundaries were<br />
visible, as early program <strong>activities</strong> took<br />
place mainly at Chain’s headquarters,<br />
whereas the program was supposed to<br />
significantly affect the personnel in<br />
local units.<br />
Many program participants worked with the same or<br />
similar topics in their daily work as in the program.<br />
Program work was seen somewhat different from<br />
daily work that involved routine tasks.<br />
Although Chain’s experts were accustomed to<br />
projects, they were not used to large change programs<br />
<strong>and</strong> to the program mode of working.<br />
Top line managers were also responsible <strong>for</strong> the<br />
corresponding areas of the change program,<br />
providing a close linkage between the program <strong>and</strong><br />
the parent organization.<br />
Program-related decisions were made by the line<br />
organization's decision makers. Some complained<br />
that line management was slow to make decisions,<br />
which was claimed to delay the program.<br />
There was some confusion about the decision-making<br />
responsibilities between the program <strong>and</strong> the line<br />
organization. When the program proceeded, the<br />
program’s decision-making processes were<br />
recognized as working well <strong>and</strong> there appeared a<br />
tendency to bring issues outside the program’s scope<br />
to the program steering group <strong>for</strong> decisions.<br />
The program coordinator did not initially possess<br />
much authority, but as the program progressed he<br />
gained authority by proving his capabilities <strong>and</strong> was<br />
officially nominated as the program manager.<br />
While a majority of the early program <strong>activities</strong> took<br />
place at the headquarters, there was significant<br />
distance between the local unit personnel <strong>and</strong> the<br />
program, especially concerning the most remote<br />
locations in Chain’s network.<br />
Sub-program manager: "[A part of the program] is naturally on the<br />
responsibility of the person who is generally responsible <strong>for</strong> [the<br />
corresponding area]. … This is on [N.N.’s] responsibility, as he is the one who<br />
generally takes care of these issues.”<br />
Sub-program manager <strong>and</strong> steering group member: “Since this is a huge<br />
change, it is very different from our daily work, which is about setting prices,<br />
contacting customers <strong>and</strong> so on.”<br />
Development area director <strong>and</strong> steering group member: “I have never been<br />
involved with such a massive ef<strong>for</strong>t, we have never had programs of this size<br />
be<strong>for</strong>e.”<br />
Sub-program manager <strong>and</strong> steering group member: ”In my own [development<br />
area], I also genuinely have the business responsibility <strong>for</strong> this entity, so one<br />
could say that I have a deeper interest to take care of all these entities <strong>and</strong> to<br />
make sure that each reach their results.”<br />
Steering group member: “If the business would make bolder decisions …, we<br />
would make faster progress with [these projects]. Sometimes [the top<br />
management] seems to have a strong mindset, but sometimes something else is<br />
going on, <strong>and</strong> the struggle with this is slowing us down.”<br />
Program coordinator (future program manager): “I myself [as program<br />
coordinator] have to sometimes quite strongly remind [the steering group] that<br />
we cannot mix line management … with the management of this program, they<br />
are two different things. Although the same people sit in this steering group,<br />
this is not the right <strong>for</strong>um <strong>for</strong> such business decisions.”<br />
Support team manager <strong>and</strong> steering group member: “[The program manager]<br />
has carried his role very well, he coordinates things <strong>and</strong> spots issues, is a<br />
member in many steering groups <strong>and</strong> involved in many other things … He has<br />
a strong coordinating role, <strong>and</strong> to call him a coordinator is actually an<br />
underrating, he rather is … a program manager.”<br />
Communications expert: ”This is, as I said, a challenge, as we live here in the<br />
ivory tower [in the headquarters], <strong>and</strong> we cannot see the [daily operations at<br />
the periphery].”