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

Research methodology and data
Table 8 Summary of the cases
Description of
the parent
organization
Goal of the
change
program
Planned
program
duration
Number of
program
participants
Case Center Case Bureau Case Chain
Central agency of a
network of public
organizations operating
in multiple service
businesses
Organized into ten units
and several subsidiaries
Transforming the
service system regarding
Center and its member
organizations, including
service products,
delivery systems and
structures
About three years
(The program was
terminated early, after
two years of initiation
and planning activities)
Around 40 people
participated in initiation
and planning activities
Large public sector
organization
Organized into three
main branches and
supportive functions,
and into tens of regional
units across Finland
Rationalizing IT
management by
renewing the system
architecture, network
infrastructure,
organization, and
management system
About eight years
(Initiation and planning
took almost three years,
and implementation was
intended to take four
years)
Around 200 participants
during initiation and
planning and over 500
participants during
implementation
Large company that
provides services for
consumers and business
customers
Organized into three
main divisions, with
regional units across
Finland and operations
in several other
countries
Transforming the
company’s central
service process,
including the related
infrastructure
About five years
(Initiation and planning
took about two years,
and implementation was
intended to take 2–3
years)
Around 150–200
participants involved
during initiation, and the
number was expected to
grow during
implementation
3.4 Data gathering
While case studies may be either qualitative or quantitative, the current
study relies on qualitative data, which is particularly appropriate for
examining complex change processes (Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007).
Semi-structured interviews provide the main method of data gathering,
complemented with secondary material. Interviews have been described as
an efficient way to gather rich, empirical data on episodic phenomena
(Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007). Even though direct observation of program
initiation activities might have resulted in a more in-depth picture,
observation-based methods were not employed due to limited resources
and the long duration of program initiation and planning (several years in
all case programs). Also the question of accessibility spoke for the (largely
retrospective) interview methodology, since organizations in the early
phase of change may be reluctant to let outsiders in, and in the very early
phases it may not be clear whether a change initiative will actually result in
a change program.
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