TABLE 2
FROM:
A genealogical study of boundary-spanning IS design
Susan Gasson
BACK TO ARTICLETable 2. Significant translations of the design process at NTEL
| Episode | Inscription/boundary object | Translation of interests | Boundary object role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Selection of problem boundary as coincident with current functional boundary | ISM: Attach global network of senior and middle managers by defining clear scope of impact | Map: Define boundary of collaborative scope |
| 0 | Selection of broad membership for design team | ISM: Achieving cross-departmental representation, by attaching global network to project team | Membership: Achieve boundary-spanning ownership of ideas |
| 1 | Memo: statement of design objectives | ISM: Alignment of interest in political visibility and appearance of control with interest of senior management in achieving a set of 'quick wins' | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 1 | Six-stage process model | ISM: Formalize design deliverables | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 1 | Defining design goal as designing an electronic document library | ISM: Associate business process goals with IT system goals | Repository: Permit differences in unit of analysis used by different groups |
| 1 | Defining design philosophy | ISM vs PIM: Definition of design as 'starting with a blank sheet of paper' vs definition of design as problem investigation | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 1 | Presentation to Managing Director | BPM and ISM: Formalize the designed work-process, in order to make it easier to control | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 2 | Defining design goal as providing Virtual Team support was therefore | BPM: Fulfill the need for management control of human resource allocation and reporting | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 2 | Avoiding 'the specter of organization' | ISM: Definition of design scope, by excluding political & structural design issues from discussion | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 2 | Standardizing design representations to use process flowcharts | ISM: Formalize the local work-process, to establish a common vision and to make it easy to translate to computer system design | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 3 | Defining coexistent implicit and explicit system boundaries | Team: Resolve conflicts between legitimate design scope and required scope of inquiry | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 3 | Redefinition of Marketing processes via document definition | Team: Gain access to knowledge that lies outside the legitimate scope, while retaining global network support | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 3 | Defining design goal as big arrow-little arrow process design | ISM: Align the local network (design team) around a unifying concept | Map: Define boundary of collaborative scope |
| 4 | Specification of two systems: explicit and implicit processes | Team: Proceed with inquiry while appearing to proceed with design closure (attach global network) | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 4 | Defining design goal as gathering business intelligence | ISM: Align the local network (design team) around a unifying concept | Map: Define boundary of collaborative scope |
| 4 | Refusal to accept legitimacy of emergent design scope | MD: Attach global network support by mobilizing significance of original design scope specification | Map: Define boundary of collaborative scope |
| 4 | Redefinition of documents produced as output by Marketing | Team: Achieve Marketing business process changes without actually needing to redefine processes | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 4 | IT system definition | ISM and IS Dept.: Determine formal information processing needs without interference from local network | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 5 | Adoption of written process specifications | ISM: Formalize the local work-process, to establish a common vision and to make it easy to translate to computer system design | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 5 | Defining design goal as getting the design into 'business as usual' | ISM: align the local network (design team) around a unifying concept and reattach the global network by promise of design closure | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 5 | Managing Director agrees that stage 1 process will become 'business as usual' | Team: Attach global network of support to indirect control of Marketing processes, by redefining document-outputs | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 5 | Pilot study | Team: Reattach global network by maintaining external visibility | Model: Provide an abstraction that works for all knowledge domains |
| 5 | Defining processes based on current work procedures | BPM: Attach local network to status quo, rather than submit to change | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |
| 6 | Presentation of design achievements to Managing Director & senior mgt | Team: Attach global network by making achievements visible | Membership: Achieve boundary-spanning ownership of ideas |
| 6 | Defining design benefits in terms of quantifiable efficiency gains | Team: Attach global network by aligning interests with production of 'quick wins' | Membership: Achieve boundary-spanning ownership of ideas |
| 6 | Defining design goal as 'train the troops' | Team: Attach wider global network through education | Membership: Achieve boundary-spanning ownership of ideas |
| 7 | Division of labor to complete design | Team: Attach global network through alignment of interests with senior management need for closure | Membership: Achieve boundary-spanning ownership of ideas |
| 7 | Defining work procedures for 'a secondary system delivery rollout' | Team & ISM: Align local network interests in radical change with global network reorganization needs. Raise IS function visibility of more radical work-process changes | Standardized forms and procedures: Enforce common work practices across boundaries |