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

Indicators of
readiness for
change
Descriptions Illustrative quotes
Resources (continued from the previous page)
Visible senior
management
support and
involvement
Receptive
environment
and prepared
recipients of
change
Autonomy
Legitimate
position in the
organization
Authority and
autonomy to
realize change
Overall
readiness
There was a general agreement about senior management
support to the program. This support had been acquired
with the help of a thorough current state analysis and
especially by the program owner’s active efforts during
program initiation.
Although Bureau was viewed as slow to change, the efforts
during the early program phase had made the environment
more receptive to change. There were still some doubts
about the attitudes of those recipients of the changes who
were not actively involved in the program.
The program had achieved a legitimate position, and its
scope had also been expanded from a pure IT program to a
wider change program. However, the program’s position in
relation to other projects and to the line organization was
not fully clear.
The original managers had utilized their formal position
and charisma to gain ground for the program. After they
left the program, the responsibility was given to project
teams who received high autonomy. The teams differed in
how they reacted: some appreciated the granted authority,
whereas others complained about a lack of guidance.
Readiness was purposefully and skillfully built during the
early phase and was at a quite high level, although some
problems had been encountered and delays caused when
the responsibility was given to project teams.
Project participant: “I believe that [the original program owner] has been in a central role, as well as [the
original program manager]. There has to be someone with the vision … It has required these people who see
the importance of it, who have an idea of what it will be and who take it forward.”
Project participant: “We have received top management support, from the very highest level, at least in the
sense that they know what we are doing and they have accepted the idea. This has also set expectations for
us to achieve something.”
Program manager: “To get the [organization committed] was a constantly improving process that started
from the negative side and ended up with “I guess we just have to do this”.”
Project manager: “Of course there are discussions and doubts, and sometimes even criticism. But it has
mainly been a question of marketing, and getting as many as possible involved in this from the local units,
and also getting enough people in the planning team.”
Support team manager: ”Let’s say that this was started as a project, but we don’t talk about a project
anymore, it has become a kind a of “program cloud” which pretty much equals our IT management.”
Project manager: “Also the relationship of [the program] with our other development programs and the
cross-functional collaboration in this matrix organization still require much development… So that we’ll
learn to operate in this matrix organization.”
Project manager of a project that was considered successful: “From the beginning we realized that if we do
[this project] with a low profile, we will get fewer comments from others. Thus we started to do this very
independently, keeping a low profile, and we don’t really report to anyone either. … It provides us with
freedom and enables fast operation.”
Key actor in a project that had suffered from delays: “The initial conditions for the project were very poor…
Especially when the tasks had been allocated to us and we started the iteration, and then some of the related
tasks were allocated to the line organization. At that point, leadership, concerning both this line activity and
the project work, was in my opinion quite vague.”
Middle manager of a central unit involved in the program: “[The program] is still making progress and we
haven’t encountered any major problems. And we haven’t encountered unforeseen, major resistance either
now that the program is ongoing, indicating that people have now accepted that a change is taking place. It
won’t be stopped anymore.”