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

Theoretical background
(Grabher, 2004; Miles, 1964; Turner & Müller, 2003). As Goodman and
Goodman (1976: 496) articulate, temporary organizations are "formed with
a sense of making a difference”.
In comparison with the traditional, task-oriented project management
approach, the temporary organization perspective emphasizes the
organizational and behavioral rather than the technical aspects of projects
(Andersen, 2006; 2008; Lundin & Söderholm, 1995; Vaagaasar &
Andersen, 2007). The perspective views projects as “organizations in
organizations” (Andersen, Dysvik, & Vaagaasar, 2009; Shenhar & Dvir,
1996), examining the project’s interaction with the wider organizational
context. The temporary organization perspective acknowledges that there
may be many ways to achieve the goals, and that project participants are in
an active role in making sense of the task at hand in complex social
interaction (Packendorff, 1995). Table 1 summarizes the main differences
between the traditional task-oriented perspective and the temporary
organization perspective to project management.
Table 1 Comparison of task-oriented and temporary organization perspectives on project
management
(modified from Packendorff (1995) and Andersen (2008))
Underlying
project metaphor
Aim of the
project
Role of project
management
Task or vehicle-oriented
perspective
Project as a vehicle or a tool
Accomplishment of the
externally given project task
within budget and schedule and
according to the predetermined
specifications
Planning, monitoring and
controlling the project according
to the predetermined
specifications
Scope of attention Project-centric; ideally projects
as detached from their
environment
Aim of research
on projects
Prescriptive, normative theory,
grounded in ideal models of
planning and control
Temporary organization
perspective
Project as a temporary
organization
Delivery of change for the
permanent organization(s)
through organized, collective
action
Managing the complex
interactions within a project, and
managing the project’s relations
with its environment
Projects as embedded in the
surrounding context
Descriptive theory, grounded in
empirical studies on human
interaction in projects
In this study, the temporary organization perspective to projects and
programs is adopted. Various factors support this choice. Firstly, the
perspective has been described as particularly suitable for examining
projects and programs that aim at organizational change (Andersen, 2006,
2008; Vaagaasar & Andersen, 2007). Secondly, the temporary organization
perspective directs attention to the emergence of an organization (Dobers &
Söderholm, 2009; Gareis, 2000). This dissertation specifically targets the
14