Using Boundary Objects to Facilitate Culture Change and Integrate … · 2018. 12. 7. · Gluesing / Using Boundary Objects to Facilitate Culture Change 33 Introduction As business

UsingBoundaryObjectstoFacilitateCultureChangeandIntegrateaGlobalTopManagementTeam

JuliaC.GluesingAbstract

Asbusinessanthropologists,weareoftencalledupontoworkonorganizationalchangeinitiativesasmembersofachangeteam.Thisarticleisthestoryofoneorganizationalchangeinitiativeinvolvingaglobaltopmanagementteaminahealthcaredivisionofalargemultinationalfirmandtheresearchthatwasusedasthebasisforimplementingchangeinthetopmanagementteamandsubsequentlyinthedivisionasawhole.Specifically,thearticlefocusesonhowthechangeteam,ofwhichIwasapart,communicatedtheresearchresultstothetopmanagementteamandtoemployeesofthecompanybypresentingtheresultsinamapthatbecameaboundaryobject,thatfacilitatingtranslationacrossdiversegroups,jointsensemaking,andlocalactioninthechangeprocess.

Keywords

Organizationalchange,boundaryobjects,changeimplementation,researchprocess

Page1of19JBA7(1):32-50Spring2018©TheAuthor(s)2018ISSN2245-4217

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Gluesing/UsingBoundaryObjectstoFacilitateCultureChange

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Introduction

Asbusinessanthropologists,weareoftencalledupontoworkonorganizationalchangeinitiativesasmembersofachangeteam.Inthesechangeteams,itiscommonforustoassumetheroleof“cultureexpert”.Thisrolecanentailprovidingculturegeneralorculturespecificknowledgeaboutorganizational,occupational,andnationalorsocietalculture,oritcanmeaninvestigatingaspecificcultureorculturesinvolvedinachangeefforttohelpwiththedesign,implementation,andongoingevaluationofthechangeeffort.Intheseinvestigations,researchisgenerallyconductedinitiallytoassessthechangecontext.Anthropologistswhodoethnographicworkaspartoftheresearcheffortcanworkaloneorwithotherteammembersfromdifferentdisciplines.Howevertheresearchisconducted,therecomesapointatwhichtheresearchresultsmustbecommunicatedandusedtofacilitatethechangeeffortand,hopefully,tohelpensureasuccessfulchangeprocessandoutcome.

Thisarticleisaboutoneorganizationalchangeinitiativeinvolvingaglobaltopmanagementteaminahealthcaredivisionofalargemultinationalfirmandtheresearchthatwasusedasthebasisforimplementingchangeinthetopmanagementteamandsubsequentlyinthecompanyasawhole.Specifically,thearticlefocusesonhowthechangeteam,ofwhichIwasapart,communicatedtheresearchresultstothetopmanagementteamandtotheemployeesofthecompanybypresentingtheresultsasaboundaryobjectthatfacilitatedtranslationacrossdiversegroupsandsensemakinginthechangeprocess.

Beforebeginningthestoryoftheorganizationalchangeinitiative,Iprovideabriefdefinitionofboundaryobjectsandanintroductiontotheiruseastoolsfortranslationandtheachievementofsharedmeaningandunderstanding.Thestoryitselfstartswithadescriptionofthesituationatthehealthcaredivisionwhentheresearchbegan,includinghowthechangeteamwasformed,followedbyanoutlineoftheresearchprocesstodesignthechangesolution.Thestorycontinueswithhowthechangeteamdevelopedaresearchresultsmapthatultimatelybecameaboundaryobjecthelpingtocreateandreinforceorganizationalchangenotonlyinthetopmanagementteambutalsoultimatelyinthecompanyasawhole.

Boundaryobjectsastranslationandsensemakingtools

Thetheoryofboundaryobjectshasbeenpartoftheanthropologicaltradition,especiallyinpracticinganthropology,sinceStarrandGriesemer(1989)introducedthenotionoftheboundaryobjectonthebasisofanethnographicstudytheyconductedin1989ofscienceteamsandhowtheycoordinatedtheirscientificwork(TrompetteandVinck2009).Boundaryobjectsemergeasvariousheterogeneousactorsbelongingto

JournalofBusinessAnthropology,7(1),Spring2018

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differentsocialworldsarecalledupontocooperateandtocoordinatetheirwork.Boundaryobjectshelppeoplewithdiverseperspectivescreatecommonunderstandingandmeaningwithoutlosingthediversityoftheirdifferentsocialworldsandtheknowledgethatcomeswiththem:

Thesolutionsinventedbyactorsincontextwouldseemtobeoftwotypes:thestandardisationofmethodsandthedevelopmentofboundaryobjects.Andthisconcernsabstractorconcreteobjects,whosestructureissufficientlycommontoseveralsocialworldstoensureminimumidentityintermsoftheintersectionwhilstbeingsufficientlyflexibletoadapttothespecificneedsandconstraintsofeachoftheseworlds.Theseboundaryobjectsaresupposedtomaximiseboththeautonomyofthesesocialworldsandcommunicationbetweenthem.Thenotionisthereforecloselylinkedtoissuesofsharedmeaningandinterpretation.Itsupposestheexistenceofaminimalstructureofknowledgewhichisrecognisedbythemembersofthedifferentsocialworlds,whichcantakeverydiverseforms:themalleableobjectwhichcanbeshapedbyeachandeveryone;thelibraryobjectfromwhicheachindividualcantakewhatheorsheneeds;theobjectwhichcanbeeithersimplified(abstraction),allowingustoignoreit.

(TrompetteandVinck2009:5)

Whileboundaryobjectshavedifferentmeaningsinthedifferentworldsofheterogeneousactors,differentgroupscanrecognizethosemeaningsbecausetheyarestillsufficientlystructuredaroundacommongoal,e.g.toimprovethefunctioningofaglobalteamortoachieveasharedbusinessobjective.Thenotionofboundaryobjectsisusedtodescribehowpeoplemaintaintheirdifferencesandtheircooperationandhowtheycoordinateinspaceandtime.Thuspeoplefromdifferentsocialworldsareabletonegotiatedifferencesandestablishagreementontheirrespectivepointsofview.

Researchersandpractitionersinterestedinorganizationsandorganizationtheoryhaveusedthetheoryofboundaryobjectstoexamineoraddressquestionsofdesign,organizationallearningandknowledgemanagement,andofparticularinteresttothisstudy,organizationalchange.Bergman,Lyytinen,etal.(Bergman,etal.2007)focusedonwaysofworkingusingadesignecologyapproach,examiningtask,organizationalandpoliticalcontextsurroundingdesign.Theytheorizedabouthowdesignproductscanbecomeboundaryobjectsthatbridgefunctionalknowledgeandstakeholderpowergapsacrossdifferentsocialgroups.Theyidentifiedfourfeaturesofdesignboundaryobjectsthatareessential:thecapabilitytocreatesharedrepresentation,totransformdesignknowledge,tomovepeopletotakeactionandtolegitimizedesignknowledge,allfeaturesthathelpalign,integrate,andtransformdiversetechnicalanddomainknowledgeacrossdifferentworkgroupsand


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coordinateactionamongstakeholderswhooftenhavepowergapsinorganizationalpower.Cacciatore(2008)investigatedhowboundaryobjectscanrepresentknowledgedomainsandfacilitatethetransferoflearningacrossprojects.Similarly,Carlile(2002)exploredhowboundaryobjectscanbeameansofrepresenting,learningabout,andtransformingknowledgetointegrateitacrossfunctionalboundariesinproductdevelopment,takingaverypragmaticapproachwithofaviewof“knowledgeinpractice”.LevinaandVaast(2005;2006)studiedinformationsystemsandtheirartifactsasboundaryobjectsandhowboundaryspanningemergesasacompetenceamongsomepeoplewhoareabletocreateanewjointfieldofpracticethataccommodateslocalsettingsanddiverseinterests.TheydrawonBourdieu’spracticetheoryarguingthattheproductionofpracticesofteninvolvestheirembodimentinobjects.Boundaryobjectsprovideanopportunitytodevelopnewsharedconceptionsofactivityandnewwaysofbehavingandareattheheartoforganizationaltransformation(MacphersonandJones2008).

InthecaseIdescribeinthisarticle,therewasnooriginalintentiontocreateaboundaryobjecttofacilitatechangeintheglobaltopmanagement.However,aftertheresearchwasconducted,newconceptionsoftheglobalteamemergedamongitsmembersaroundthe“situationalmap”thatourresearchteamcreatedtocommunicateresults.Thepracticeofmakingsenseofthedatawehadgatheredinourresearchembeddedourknowledgeofwhatwethoughtasconsultantswouldhelptheglobalteam.Weaimedtohelptheteamtransformitselffromacollectionofindividualsworkingonvariousaspectsofanorganizationalgoaltoateamwithmemberswhohadcommonknowledgeandunderstandingoftheircurrentsituationandwhocoulddeveloptogethertheirsharedtransformationalgoalandnewpracticesovertimetoachieveit.Thenextsectionofthisarticledetailsthesituationfacedbytheglobalteambeforethemembersbegantheirtransformationalwork.

TheSituation

AlargeGermancompany,hereaftercalledTheCompany,decideditwantedtogetintotheemergingmarketforhomehealthcarebasedondigitaltechnologies.TheCompanyalreadyhadadivisioninanotherpartofEuropethatwasintheemergencyresponseendofthebusiness.Thatdivisioncreatedhometechnologies,forexample,thatenabledtheelderlyorhomeboundchronicallyilltocallanemergencyteamforhelpjustbypushingabutton.ThecompanyacquiredtwocompetingcompaniesintheUnitedStatesthatwerebasedonbothcoastsandthathadcomplementarytechnologiesusinginternet-basedcommunicationtosharepatients’vitalsignsandhealthstatuswithphysiciansandothercareproviders,andsetupanofficeinLondonthatwasresponsibleprimarilyformarketingthecompany’sproducts.Amarketingofficewas


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alsoestablishedinGermany.ThewestcoastofficebecamethecompanyheadquartersledbyaGermanCEOandateamofexpertswhowereresponsiblefordevelopingtheprimaryhomehealthdevicethatwouldincorporatethebestofthemergedorganization’stechnologiesusingsound,clinicallybasedpatienthealthdata.

TheCEOwasanMDwhohadpracticedinahospitalsettingdoingbothclinicalworkandresearch.Heleftthispracticetoassumearoleasaconsultantinthehealthcareareaforalargeglobalfirm.Hehadaverysuccessful10-yearcareerasahealthcareconsultantandwantedtotryhishandatrunningacompany.Hedidnothaveabusinessbackground,otherthanwhathehadpickedupinhisconsultingrole,buthehadconfidenceinhisabilitytolead,especiallyinthehealthcareindustrywherehehadconsiderableexpertiseandhadadvisedothercompaniesabouthowtobecomeprofitableordevelopanorganizationalstructureandprocessesthatwouldcontributetotheirsuccess.

WhentheopportunitytojoinTheCompanyarose,hetookit.Whenhewasofficiallyonboard,helobbiedforthemergingoftheemergencyresponsebusinesswiththenewlyformedHealthcareDivision,andwithreluctance,TheCompanyagreedtohisproposalbecausetheyhadconfidenceinhisexpertise.OverhisfirstfewmonthsasCEO,hecreatedamanagementteamofabout18topexpertsinsales,technologydevelopment,clinicalresearch,manufacturing,andfinance,andappointedoneofhisformerassociatesfromtheconsultingfirmashischiefofstaffandoperationsofficer.TheteamincludedpeoplewhohadbeenleadersintheacquiredcompaniesthathadbeenmergedtoformthenewHealthcareDivisionandbroughtinothersfromtheoutside.MostofthecompaniesemployeesinproductdevelopmentwerebasedonthewestcoastwherethenewDivision’sprimarytechnologyofferinghadbeendevelopedandwouldcontinuetobebased.Thetechnologyhadbeencreatedwithventurecapitalmoneyandhadbeenquitesuccessfulingettinglargelong-termcontracts,soTheCompanythoughtithadthebestpotentialtoleadtheDivision’sgrowth.

However,afteronly18monthsofoperation,theCEOrealizedthathistopmanagementteamwasfloundering.TheCompanycalledintoquestiontheDivision’sdirectionbecauseitwasnotproducingtheprojectedorexpectedresultsinthemarketplace.TheCEOwashearingrumorsaboutemployeedissatisfaction,too,andhadahumanresourcessurveyconductedtogetfeedbackfromemployeesaroundtheglobe.HewassurprisedtolearnthatpeopledidnothaveconfidenceintheDivision’sleadership.Moralewaslow.TheCEOwasawareofdiscontentamongtheexpertsonhisleadershipteamaswell.Inparticular,therewastensionbetweenthetechnologylead,whowasaleadinnovatorofthetechnologyofferinginthePaloAltocompanybeforeitwasacquired,andtheclinicallead,whowasanMDconsultantbasedinanothercountry.Theriftcascadedthroughouttherestoftheorganizationandledtoan“us


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versusthem”mentalitybetweenthetechnologygroupandtheclinicalgroupintheDivision.ThesalespeoplearoundinEuropeandtheU.S.werenotcooperatingwellwitheachothereither.TheCEOalsoknewthatmanyontheleadershipteamwerequestioningtheroleofhisChiefofStaffaswellastheroleoftheU.S.marketinglead,aGermanexecutivewhowasbroughtintoleadtheU.S.saleseffort.TheCEOdecidedthatachangeatthetopwasnecessarytotransformboththedirectionthebusinesswasheadedaswellastheoverallcultureofthecompanytobecomemorepositive,cooperative,andsynergistic.

TheCEOhiredatrainingandconsultingfirmthatTheCompanyhasemployedsuccessfullyinthepasttohelpinsimilarsituations.Theconsultingfirmcreatedathree-personteam,ofwhichIwasapart,toworkwiththeCEOonthecreationofachangeplan,beginningwiththeglobaltopmanagementteam.

Developingthechangesolution

Thechangesolutionprocesswasco-designedbytheCEOandourconsultingteamusingtwoapproachesasaguide:transformationalleadership(BassandRiggio2006;Bass1999)andglobalteamingprocessprinciples(Gluesing1998;Gluesing,etal.2003;GluesingandGibson2004).Inanassessmentaboutsixmonthspriortoourconsultingengagement,ahumanresourcesconsultingandassessmentfirmconductedasurveywithalltheemployeesintheHealthcareDivisiontoassessmoraleandtheperceptionsemployeeshadoftheeffectivenessoftheirleaders.Theresultswerenotencouraging.Employeesbelievedtheleadershipteamdidnotprovideadequatedirectionorinspireemployeestocontribute.TheythoughttheDivision’smissionwasunclearandthattheleadershipteammemberswereofteninconflictwithoneanother.Therefore,whentheDivisionhiredourconsultinggrouptohelpimprovetheperformanceoftheleadershipteam,theyaskedthatoneofourteammembersbeanexpertintransformationleadership.Transformationalleadersinspireemployeestolookbeyondtheirownself-interestforthegoodofthecompanyandachievetheseresultsbyprovidingvisionandasenseofmissionthatinstillprideandgainsrespectandtrust.Basedonthefindingsofaseriesofsurveysandonclinicalandcaseevidence,Bass(1999)hasdeterminedthattransformationalleadersaregoodatcommunicationtheirexpectations,andtheyusesymbolstofocusemployeeseffortsandcommunicatetheirdesires.Theyalsopromotecarefulproblemsolvingthroughrationalconsiderationandtreatemployeesasindividuals,coachingandadvisingemployeestousetheirintelligence

Theresultsofthehumanresourcesassessmentalsoindicatedthattheleadershipteamhadalackofalignment,causingemployeesconfusion.Employeesalsodidnotbelievethetopmanagementteam


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memberswereavailabletothemtoadvisewhentheyencounteredconflictingdirectivescomingfromdifferentleaders.Toaddresstheseissues,ourconsultingteamdrewonresearchaboutdesigningandformingglobalteamsforeffectiveness.GluesingandGibson(2004)

Determinedinareviewofresearchonglobalteamingprocessesthatnomatterwhatthetypeofglobalteamanorganizationcreates,thecomplexitytheteamfacesinmeetingitsobjectivecanbecharacterizedalongfivedifferentdimensions:task,context,people,timeandtechnology.Theydiscussthesefivedimensionsandhowtheyinteractwithoneanothertocontributetocomplexityinglobalteamsandprovideaseriesofsuggestedactionsfordesigningglobalteamstohelpmanagecomplexity.OurconsultingteamdrewonthesesuggestionsinworkingwiththeDivisiontodesignachangesolutionforthetopmanagementteam.

Thechangeprocesswastobeimplementedinathree-phaseprocess:Phase1:Anassessmentofthecurrentsituation,Phase2:Aleadershipworkshoptodevelopanactionplanbasedontheassessmentresults,andPhase3:Ongoingcoachingoftheleadershipteamintheimplementationoftheactionplan.

ThePhase1assessmentinvolvedmultiplemethods,bothqualitativeandquantitative.Inotherwords,itwasamixedmethods,ethnographicapproachtogetasbroadandholisticapictureaspossibleoftheHealthcareDivision’scurrentsituationinordertomakeinformedrecommendationstotheleadershipteamabouthowtoproceedwithaculturalchangeplan.Webeganbyexaminingcompanydocumentsthatdescribedtheexpertiseoftheleadershipteamandtheirbackgrounds,presentationsgivenbytheCEOat“allhandsmeetings”,andotherdocumentsthatmightoffercluesaboutvaryingculturesormanagementapproachesthatwerebeingmergedtogethertocreatetheDivision.Wealsocreatedanethnographichistoryalongatimelinetoportraymajoreventsthatmighthavehadaninfluenceonthecurrentstate.

Next,webeganaseriesofinformalconversationswiththeCEOandhisChiefofStaff,andtheyintroducedustotheentireleadershipteam.Theintroductionstookplaceinface-to-faceandvirtualmeetings,becausetheleadershipteamofeighteenpeoplewasgloballydispersedinvariousEuropeanlocations,theU.S.,Canada,andSouthAmerica,meetingonlyonceaquarterinface-to-facesessions.Ourresearchteamsatinonweeklymeetingsoverathree-monthperiod.IwasusuallyinthemeetingsonthewestcoastwiththeCEOandtheleadersbasedattheheadquartersoffice,andmycolleaguesparticipatedvirtually.OneofmyresearchcolleaguesandIalsoparticipatedintheleadershipmeetingsfromGermany.WebExwasthecommunicationtechnologypreferredbytheleadershipteam,butcollaborationwaslimitedtoaudioanddocumentsharing;therewasnovideoconferencing.Welearnedquitealotabout


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theteamdynamicsbywatchingandlisteningtotheirinteractions,payingattentionespeciallytothedecision-makingprocessbecausecomplaintsaboutthelackofdecision-makingorleadershipdirectionwereprevalentintheemployeesurveyfeedbackandintheconversationswiththemembersoftheleadershipteam.Wetranscribedourfieldnotesofthemeetingssothatwecouldshareandanalyzethem.

Whilewewereproceedingwiththedocumentanalysisandtheongoingobservations,weconductedabout30interviewswithalleighteenoftheleadershipteammembersandmanyoftheirdirectreportstogetabetterideaofpeople’sperceptionsofthechallengesfacingtheleadershipteamandtolearntheirideasaboutwhatneededtobedonetoturnthingsaround.TheinterviewswereconductedintheU.S.andinEuropeandalmostallofthemwereface-to-face.WeinterviewedoneteammemberviaSkypeandtwoviaphone.Eachinterviewlastedaboutanhourandhalf.Wehadtheinterviewstranscribedforanalysis.

Inadditiontotheobservationsandtheinterviews,weconductedanonlineglobalteamingsurveytoassesspeople’sunderstandingoftheleadershipteam’smissionandobjectives,theteam’scommunicationprocesses,includingtheuseoftechnology,thecharacteristicsofthemembersandnatureoftherelationshipsamongtheteammembers,andthecharacteristicsoftheteam’sworkingcontextsorworklocations.Thesurveyincludedbothclosedandopen-endedquestionsandwasadministeredcompany-widewitharesponserateof72%.

TheResearchresults“Map”becomesaboundaryobject

Ourconsultingteamgatheredallthedocuments,interviewtranscripts,observationnotes,andsurveydatatogetherinaqualitativedataanalysissoftwarepackage.Itooktheleadontheanalysis,butallthreeofusontheteamworkedtogetheroveraperiodofthreedaystomakesenseoftheresultsandtocompileourresearchreportforpresentationtotheleadershipteamandconcludeourPhaseIassessment,whichhadtakenapproximatelyfourmonths.Itwasduringthissensemakingprocessthatthethreeofuscreatedanetworkmapofourresearchresults.WefollowedaGroundedTheory(StrausandCorbin1990)approach,workinginductivelyinanalyzingthedata,examiningconditions,actionstrategies,andconsequences.Ihadbegunthemapandpresentedittomyothertworesearchteammembers.Thentogether,basedonthecodedinterviewdata,documentanalysis,andnotesfromourobservations,asystemsviewofthecurrentstateoftheDivisionemerged.Wehadourboundaryobject,andthefirstnotionofhowwemightusethismapnotonlytocommunicateourresearchresultstothetopmanagementteambutalsohowthemapmightserveasasensemakingdevicefortheteaminourPhase2Workshop.Atthestartofourresearchprocessandevenintheanalysisandinterpretationofthedata,wedidnotsetoutintentionallyto


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createthemap.ItbeganasaroughstartingpointformetotransferwhatIhadlearnedinanalyzingthedatatomyothertwoteammembers.Asweworkedtogether,werealizedhowusefulthemapwastooursensemakingandespeciallyasanemergingembodimentofourinterpretationsanddevelopmentofsharedunderstandingacrossourdisciplinaryboundaries.

EtienneWenger(2000)inhisworkoncommunitiesofpracticespecifiesthatthenotionofboundaryobjectcanbebrokendownintofourdimensions:

1. Abstraction:itfacilitatesdialoguebetweenworlds

2. Multi-tasking:severalactivitiesorpracticesarepossible

3. Modularity:differentpartsoftheobjectcanserveasabasisfordialoguebetweenactors

4. Standardizationoftheinformationcontainedintheobject:renderingtheinformationinterpretable.

ThemapoftheHealthcareDivision’scurrentstatewasaboundaryobjectasdefinedbyWenger.Itwasanabstractionoftherelationshipswefoundinanalyzingthedataandcouldhelpusfacilitateaworkshopthatwouldspanthesocialworldsofthetopmanagementteammembers,asithaddoneforourconsultingteam.StarrandGreisemer(1989)calledthistypeofmapanidealtypethatdoesnotspecificallydescribethedetailsofanyonelocalityorthing,butonethatisabstractedfromalldomainsandthatworksforeveryonebecausetheycantranslateitintorelevantpracticesintheirownsocialworlds.Wecouldenvisionusingthemapindifferentways,breakingitintothreemodulesthatcouldserveasthestartingpointfordifferentgroupsinourplannedworkshop.TheinformationcontainedinthemapwasstandardizedandreflectedthesharedterminologyandlanguagewehadheardourintervieweesuseastheydescribedtheirexperiencesattheDivisionandwiththetopmanagementteam.Itbelieveditwouldbeeasyforeveryoneinvolvedtointerprettheinformationcontainedinthemapanduseitindeterminingtheactionsneededtochangethewaythetopmanagementteamhadbeenworking.

Figure1isthefullmap1thatourconsultingteampresentedtothetopmanagementteaminourPhase2Workshop,designedtocommunicatetheresearchresultsandworktogetherwiththemembersoftheteamtodevelopanactionplantoimprovetheirperformanceandthatoftheHealthcareDivisionasawhole.WeusedaPowerPointversionofthemapattheCEO’ssuggestionandtoconformtothestandardizedformatfortheirquarterlymeetings,whilepreservingthenatureofour

1ThemapexcludesanyinformationthatcouldidentifytheDivisionoritsemployeestopreserveconfidentiality.


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ethnographicapproachandgroundedtheorymethodology.

MapofTheHealthcareDivision’sSituation

Figure1:TheMapoftheHealthcareDivision’sSituationdepictstheresultsoftheresearchconductedinPhaseIofthechangeprocessandbecameaboundaryobjectforsharedsensemakinganddevelopingactionsforchangetoimproveperformance.

ThemapprovidesanoverviewoftheDivision’ssituationfromanecologicalperspectiveshowinghowtheconditionsofcomplexityinthehealthcaretechnologyindustrycontextwereenactedbythetopmanagementteam,andhowtheiractionstocopewiththeirsituationcreatedalackofalignmentamongthetopmanagementteammemberswhichthenledtolowemployeemoraleandahostofundesirableconsequences.Themapdepictsthreedistinctmodules:1)thecomplexityofthehealthcaretechnologyindustry;2)thestrategiesundertakenbytheglobaltopmanagementteamtocopewiththiscomplexity;3)andtheconsequencesofthesestrategiesforthetopmanagementteamandtheorganizationasawhole.Atthebottomrightofthemapisalegendthatexplainsthecolor-codingofthearrowsdepictingconditions,actionstrategies,andconsequences.Ourconsultingteampresentedaninterpretationofthemaptothetopmanagementteam:

1) Complexity–Diverseregulationsandoperatingmodelsfordeliveryofservices,particularlythoseinvolvingcommunicationtechnologiesthatfacilitatedinteractionbetweenprovidersandpatients,characterizedthehealthcaremarketplaceinwhichtheDivisionwasembedded.TheDivisionwasdeveloping


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healthcarecommunicationtechnologiesinmultiplecountries,eachwithitsownuniquerequirements.Inaddition,thecompanyservedadiversebaseofcustomers,rangingfromgovernmentalagenciestocliniciansinprivatepractice.TheDivision’sprogressiveapproachandSiliconValley-likepreferenceforrapidinnovationandfewruleswereoftenatoddswiththeexpectationsandnormsofTheCompany,whichwaswellestablishedwithstandardizedprocessandprocedureseveryonewasrequiredtofollow.TheCompanycreatedHealthcareDivisionthroughaseriesofmergersandacquisitionsofexistingsmallercompanies,someofthempreviouscompetitors,andeachofthemwithcompanyculturesthatwereverydifferent.ThediversewaysofworkinginsidetheDivisionandnormsforinteractingwiththemarketplacecontributedtothecomplexity.Therewasalsoagreatdealofmarketplaceuncertaintyandvolatilitybecausethehealthcarecommunicationtechnologyindustrywasrelativelynewandthereweremanyentrantsintheindustrywithnodominantproductdesign.Becauseofthisuncertaintyandcontinualflux,thetopmanagementteamhaddifficultyunderstandingthemarket,whichledtoalackofbusinesssuccess.Therewasconflictintheteambetweenshort-andlong-termgoalsandaresultinglackofproductmanagement,whichinturnledtoproductproblemsandanultimatelackofconfidenceinthebusiness.

2) GlobalTopManagementTeamStrategies–Toaddressthecomplexityinthemarketplace,theglobaltopmanagementteam,underthedirectionoftheCEO,engagedinseveralactionstrategies,mostofwhichhadproventobeineffective.WhentheCEOcameonboardherecruitedagroupofexpertsfromdifferentdisciplinesandregionsoftheworldtoformhisglobaltopmanagementteam.Theyrepresentedfinance,informationtechnology,clinicalmedicine,marketing,andoperationsinmultiplecountries.Eachteammemberhadsubstantialexperienceandastrong,positivereputationinhisorherrespectivefieldsofexpertise.TheCEO,becausethecompanywasfairlynew,adoptedahands-onmanagementstyleandmicromanagedthetopmanagementteam.Healsorequiredhisteammemberstododetailedanalysispriortomakinganydecisions.Theteamwaslarge,18people,becausetheCEOfeltheneededtohavealltheexpertiseontheteamtostayontopofthevolatilemarketplace.AllmembersoftheglobalteamstronglybelievedinthehealthcarevisionandmissionoftheDivision,whichwasadrivingforcebehindtheirdesiretofindabetterwaytoworktogetherasateamandimprovetheperformanceoftheDivision.


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3) LackofAlignment/Fragmentation–WhilethestrategiesadoptedbythetopmanagementteamtoachievesuccessinthemarketplacemadesensetotheCEOandhisteammembers,theyhadunanticipatednegativeconsequences.Therewasagreatdealofculturaldiversityamongtheteammembers,bothnationalandoccupational,andbecauseofthevolatilityandresultantuncertaintyinthemarketplace,theteammemberswereconstantlytravelingandhadnotimetoengageinanyteambuildingtodevelopalignmentandsharedunderstandingoftheDivision’svisionandmission.Thefrequenttravelsalsomeantthemanagersoftenwereunavailabletoemployeesfordirectionandproblemsolving.Theexpertiseamongtheteammembersascompetentandskilledindividualswasinvaluableinbuildingthequalityproducts,butitalsocamewithadownside.Theteammembersallhadstrongpersonalitiesandafocusontheirownpersonalsuccesstomaintaintheirreputations.Thelargesizeoftheteamalsoledtotheformationofsubgroupsintheteamandfunctionalsilos.Consequently,therewasunresolvedconflictamongthetopmanagementteammembers,alackofdecision-making,frequentmiscommunicationandmisunderstanding,unclearrolesandresponsibilities,alackoftransparencyandunclearprocessesforemployeestofollow.Amongemployeesmoralewasunderstandablylow.Theyhadalackoftrustinmanagementandlackofengagementintheirwork.Employeeturnoverwashigh.Employeeshadahighworkloadandwereoftenover-committedonprojects,butatthesametimetherewasalackoffocusandlackofexecutionandimplementationduetotheunclearprocessesandpoorandoftenconflictingdirectionfortheirmanagers.

ItisnotdifficulttounderstandwhytheDivisionbelievedtheywereintroubleandthatthetopmanagementteamneededtochangeiftheyweretoachievesuccessinthemarketplace.Thereweremanyquestionsandcommentsaboutthemap.ThemoststrikingamongthemwasacommentfromthedirectorofengineeringwhoexclaimedthatitwasthefirsttimehehadafullpictureofwhatwasgoingonintheDivisionandwhy.Otherteammembersagreed,sayingtheyallknewabouttheirownpieceoftheDivisionbutdidnothavethissystem’sviewandunderstandingoftheconnectionsbetweentheiractionsandtheconsequencesforboththeglobaltopmanagementteamandtheDivision.Inalltheteam’svirtualwork,intheirregularWebExmeetings,andquarterlyface-to-facemeetings,theyhadbeensofocusedonlocationreports,onsolvingimmediateproblemsrelatedtoonegrouporanother,miredindetailsandfacedwithdeadlines,thattheyhadneverputallthepiecestogethertoformanoverallpictureoftheorganization’ssituation.Unexpectedly,noonequestionedthevalidityofwhattheyhadheard.My


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beliefisthattheyallcouldseethemselvesinthemapandwhereabletolearnhowtheyallfitintotothebigpictureWesupportedourpresentationofthemapwithquotesfromtheinterviewsanddatafromthesurvey,too,whichhelpedreinforcethecredibilityofthemap.Followingthepresentationoftheseresearchresults,thenextstepwastofacilitatesensemakingamongthetopmanagementteammemberstocreatesharedunderstandingoftheirsituationthatwouldmovethemtoaction.

Facilitatingsensemaking

ThePhase1Workshoptookplaceovertwoandhalfdays,withall18ofthetopmanagementteammemberspresentattheregularquarterlyoffsitemeetinglocationinPaloAlto,California.Theworkshopwasonepartoftheiroffsitemeeting.Afterourthree-personteamintroducedthemapinaPowerPointpresentationwithanopenquestionandanswersession,wedividedthetopmanagementteamintofourworkinggroupsandchargedthemwithmakingsenseofthemapthemselvesanddevelopingactionstoaddresstheissuesastheysawthem.

Weusedthemapasaboundaryobjecttofacilitatediscussionandsensemakingamongtheworkinggroups,givingeachofthematwo-footbyfour-footlaminatedposterofthemapthattheyplacedonaneaselandcouldexaminecloselyandevenwritenotesonastheydiscussedwhattheyhadlearned.Thegroupworkwaslively,andourresearchteammovedfromgrouptogroup,answeringquestionsofclarificationabouttheresultsandtheprocess,butalsopushingthegroupstocomeupwithwhatthemapmeanttothem.Themapasboundaryobjectproducedafluidityintheexchangeofinterpretationsandmeaningscharacteristicofthediversewaysofknowingthatwerepartofthemanagementteammembersexperiences;itprovidedopportunitiestouseinclusivepracticestofacilitatedeliberation(Feldman,etal.2006).

Attheendofthefirstday,eachgroupreportedontheirprogressandthewholetopteammanagementteamdiscussedwhattheyheardandlearnedfromeachreport.Ourresearchteamtooknotesandworkedintothenighttomergeandorganizethegroups’workintoaconsolidatedinterpretationofthemap.

Achievingsharedunderstandingandgainingcommitment

ThesecondworkshopdaybeganagainwithaPowerPointpresentation,thistimewiththegroups’consolidatedinterpretationofthemap.Nothinginthemaphadchanged.Thegroupshadsimplyprovideddetailandagreementaboutwhattheyhadunderstoodthemaptomeanforthemintheirwork.Followingthepresentation,ourresearchteamprovidedacopyoftheconsolidatedinterpretationtoeachmemberofthe


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topmanagementteam.Asawhole,wespentthefirstcoupleofhourscomingtosharedunderstandingandagreementabouttheinterpretationandprioritizingtheissuestobeaddressed.Thenwemovedontodevelopingspecificactions,thistimebreakingupthewholeteamintogroupsbasedonamatchingofteammembers’expertiseandinterestwiththeissues.Bytheendoftheday,eachteammemberhadtakenownershipofspecificactionsandcommittedtodeliveringbythenextface-to-facemeetingofthetopmanagementteam.

ItwasdifficultfortheteammemberstoaccepttheirpersonalresponsibilityforthesituationinwhichtheDivisionfounditself.However,themapmadeiteasiertoseethattheproblemsweresystemicandnotthefaultofanyoneofthemindividually.Theywereabletocometotermswithwhattheyneededtodotoremedythesituation,andtheworkshopitselfwasateambuildingexercise.Theteammembershadachancetovoicetheirownperspectives,basedontheirownsocialworldsandrespectivewaysofknowing,andtobeheardbytheothers.Thedeliberationsandemergingagreementsaboutthesituationproducedrenewedcommitmentbytheteammemberstoworkingtogether.Infact,ontheconcludinghalf-dayoftheworkshop,theenergywashighandtheentireleadershipteamsignedadocumentofcommitmenttotherecommendationstheyhadagreeduponasagroupandmadeavideoofthemselvesallpronouncingindividuallyandasawholeteam“Iwillchange,”and“Wewillchange”.ThisvideowaspostedontheDivision’sinternalwebsiteforallemployeestosee.

Reinforcingchange

Itwasimportantaspartofthechangeprocesstotakeadvantageofthemomentumachievedintheworkshopandextendittoachievethegoalsthetopmanagementteamhadsetoutforthemselves.Wecontinuedourworkwiththeteamoverthenextninemonthstoreinforcethechangeprocessbyworkingtohelptheleadershipteammembersbecometruechangeagentsandbyrefiningtheirskillstoleadchange.However,asanoutsideconsultingteam,wedidnothaveultimatecontroloverthechangeprocess.

Developingchangeagents

Followingtheworkshop,weworkedwiththeCEOandvariousmembersofthetopmanagementteamtopreparethemforwhatwouldberequiredofthemwhencommunicatingtotheDivision’semployees.TheythentraveledtotheDivision’sdifferentlocationswiththelaminatedmapsandtheiractionplanstoexplaintotherestoftheorganizationwhattheyunderstoodtobethecurrentsituationandwhattheyweregoingtodoaboutittobringaboutpositivechange.Theysolicitedadditionalinput


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fromemployeesateachlocation.Feedbackfromtheleadershipteamwasencouraging.WelearnedthatthemapscontinuedtoserveasboundaryobjectstoachievesharedunderstandingoftheDivision’ssituation.Employeesfelttheirconcernshadbeenheardandthatsomethingwasgoingtochangeforthebetterinthetopmanagementteam

Refiningskillstoleadchange

Inadditiontothetravelingpresentations,theCEOproceededwithPhase2ofthechangeprocess,the360leadershipassessmentsandtheindividualcoachingformembersoftheleadershipteamintransformationalleadership.Ourconsultingteamadministeredleadershipassessmentswitheveryoneontheleadershipteamandscheduledone-hourindividualcoachingsessionsbasedontheresults.Theleadershipassessmentsweremetpositively,buttheyultimatelydidnothaveasmuchimpactaswethoughttheywouldbecausetheleadershipteamchangeddramaticallyinthenextfewmonths.

Phase3ofourchangeprocessturnedouttobenottheongoingcoachingweanticipatedbutanotherworkshop,thistimeinEurope,todiscusstheprogressoftheactionstheteamhaddecidedtoimplementearlierandtomakesomeannouncementsaboutchangesintheleadershipteam.Ourconsultingteamwasaskedonceagaintofacilitatethisprocess.

Oneoftherecommendationsourconsultingteamhadmade(wekeptourownrecommendationstojustfourorfivebecausewewantedtheteamtodeveloptheirownandtakeresponsibilityforthem)wastolimitthesizeofthetopmanagementteamtoacoreoffivepeopletoreducethecomplexityoftheirteamwork.Theteamdecidedtotakeusuponthisrecommendation,andseveralpeopleontheteamwouldnolongerbepartofthetopmanagementteamgoingforward.All,eventhosewhowerenotgoingtobepartofthecoreteam,acceptedthisannouncementeagerlyjusttobedonewiththecontentionandthedifficultiesofworkingtomanagethecomplexitiesofbothalargeglobalteamandanuncertainmarketplace.

Thislastworkshop,ninemonthsafterthestartofourculturechangeprojectbegantheendofourengagementwiththeDivision.TherewereafewmoreinformalchatswiththeCEOandsomeofthemembersoftheteam,buttheleadershipteamwasontheirowninimplementingchangeaftertheworkshop.ItisdifficulttoassesshowwellthechangeprocesshasgonesinceourconsultingteamdisengagedandtheBoardofDirectorsandTheCompanytookmanyofthesubsequentactions,outofourpurvieworinfluence.However,wedoknowthattheCEO,hisChiefofStaff,andtheengineeringtechnologyleadarenolongerwiththeDivision.TheCompanyhadchallengedtheDivisionatthetimewebeganourengagementtoproduceresultsorbedisbanded.SincetheDivisionisstill


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inbusiness,somethingmusthavegonerightforthem.Itisdifficulttoknowwhathasledtotheturnaround,butIsuspectthatremovingtheCEOwhohadatendencytomicromanage,theeliminationofthecontentiousrelationshipbetweentheengineeringleadandtheclinicallead,andthecreationofamuchsmallerandmanageableleadershipteamwhocouldtakedecisionsmuchmorerapidlyandclearlyinthefaceoffluxinthemarketplace,havecontributedtotheDivision’scontinuation.

Concludingthoughts

Whilethemapasaboundaryobjectoriginatedasaco-creationamongthethreeofusinthemulti-disciplinaryconsultingteamasawaytocommonlyunderstandourresearchresultsandpresentthem,italsoservedthesamekindofsensemakingfunctionamongthediversesocialworldsandlocalitiesthatcomprisedtheDivisionthroughaprocessofdiscoveryandanalysisduringtheworkshop.Itwasarisktointroduceourmapofthecurrentsituationasboundaryobject,becauseitwascreatedbyoutsideconsultantsandnotarrivedatbythemembersofthetopmanagementteam.Itcouldhaveeasilybeenrejected.Itismybeliefthatbecausewetookanethnographicapproachinconductingtheresearchandcreatedanemicrepresentationinthemapitselfusingthelanguageofthecommunity,theteammembersfelttheyalsoparticipatedintheco-creationoftheboundaryobject.Duringthetwo-dayworkshoptheywereeffectivelyabletoseeaunifyingpictureoftheirorganizationthatalsodepictedtheirdiverseperspectivesabouttheirdifficultsituation.Theymadethemaptheirown.Themembersbelongingtodifferentsocialworldswereablethentousethispicturetocreateasetofactionstailoredtotheirdifferentlocationsbutconsistentwithasharedunderstandingofthesituationandacommongoalthattheythemselveshadarriveatandthatcutacrossorganizationalboundaries.Whatoriginatedasarepresentationofresearchresultsbecameaboundaryobjectforthetopmanagementteamandalsofortheorganizationastheteammemberstookthemaptotheirownlocalities.Itwasastandardizedwayofachievingacommonpictureoftheorganization’ssituationandcreatinglocalizedactionstoimproveit.

Whatcouldweasaconsultingteamhavedonedifferentlytofurthertheimplementationofchange?Notmuch,inmyopinion.Becausewewereoutsideconsultants,wecouldnottakeownershipofthechangeeffort.Wecouldonlyprovideinsightandfacilitation.Theengagementandtheownershiphadtocomefromthepeopleinthetopmanagementteam.Theydidtakeownershipoftheassessmentresultsandplansomeactionstoalterthecurrentsituationtomoveittowardthetypeofcompanyandculturetheydesired.FluctuationsoutsidetheDivision,includingimperativespresentedbyTheCompanyasparent,tooktheteamindifferentdirectionsbeyondourcontrol,andeventhatofthetop


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managementteam.TheCEO,althoughhewasahealthcareexpert,wasprobablythewrongpersonforthejob.HeandTheCompanyeventuallyrecognizedthat,andhelefttheDivision.Changedidhappen,andsomeofthemajorrecommendationswehadmadedidgetimplemented,primarilythereductioninsizeoftheleadershipteam.Thereisonlysomuchoutsideconsultantscandotocreatechange.Theymustworkthroughthemembersoftheorganization,andtherearealwaysmanyfactorsoutsidethecontrolofeveryoneinvolvedinachangeprocess.Perhapsweneedtoconsiderwhatsuccessmeansandhowitshouldbejudgedinvaryingsituations.Fullimplementationofachangeplanisnotnecessarilythebestmeasureofsuccess.

Iconsiderthechangeprocessitselftobeasuccess,asfaraswecouldtakeit,particularlyinourdiscoveryanduseofthesituationmapasaboundaryobject.Itworkedwellforusasourconsultingteammadesenseoftheresearchresults.Ourconsultingteamworkedwelltogetherandhadverypositiverelationshipswitheveryoneonthetopmanagementteamusingaco-creationapproach.Theworkshopsthemselves,andthemapasboundaryobject,helpedtheleadershipteamdevelopedasharedunderstandingofthecurrentsituationandframeofreferenceforcreatingactionstochangeitandaccountabilityfortheseactions.Servingasfacilitatorsmorethanasconsultantswiththeanswerscontributedtothecooperativerelationshipwesharedwithourclient.TheassessmentprocessandtheworkshopswerealldevelopedcollaborativelywiththeCEOandvaryingmembersoftheleadershipteam,particularlytheChiefofStaff.Beinghonestaboutwhatwelearnedintheassessmentwascritical,aswastheCEO’sandtheleadershipteam’sacceptanceoftheresults.Withoutthat,wecouldnothavemovedforwardwithanyofactions.Theteam’scommitmenttotheirmissionwasalsoanimportantaspectofchangeimplementation.TheteammemberstrulybelievedinwhattheyweredoingandwerecommittedtomakingtheDivisionwork.Engagementlikethisiskeytosuccessfullyimplementingchange.

ThereareonlytwoalternativeapproachesthatIbelievewemighthaveemployedinourownconsultingeffort.First,itwouldhavebeenhelpfultolearnmoreaboutTheCompany’sview.Allourinformationwassecondhand,filteredthroughtheCEOandothersontheteam,particularlytheengineeringlead.Second,theteambadlyneededsometraininginglobalteamingprocesses.Theycouldhaveusedapermanentfacilitator.TheChiefofStaffhadassumedthisrole,buthewasnotparticularlygoodatit.Wemighthavepushedmoreforthistraininginhindsight.Nonetheless,theleadershipteamwasindeedtoolarge,creatingunnecessarycomplexity.Ifwecouldhavestayedonasconsultantsfollowingthereductioninteamsize,itwouldhavebeenworthwhiletodosomeglobalteamtrainingandfacilitation,especiallyaroundstrategiesformanagingcomplexity.


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JuliaGluesingisabusinessandorganizationalanthropologistwithmorethan40yearsofexperienceinindustryandacademiaasaconsultant,researcherandtraineringlobalbusinessdevelopmentfocusingongloballeadershipdevelopment,managingglobalteams,managingchange,innovatingacrossculturesandcross-culturalcommunicationandtraining.Juliaisapart-timefacultymemberintheIndustrialandSystemsEngineeringDepartmentatWayneStateUniversitywheresheteachesthemanagementoftechnologychangeandservesasaleadershipprojectadvisorintheEngineeringManagementMastersProgram.Shealsoteachescoursesinqualitativemethods,globalleadership,andglobalperspectivesintheGlobalExecutiveTrackPh.D.Program,forwhichshewasafounderandco-director.Juliahasextensiveresearchexpertiseastheprincipalorco-principalinvestigatoronfiveNationalScienceFoundationgrants.Shecanbereachedatj.gluesing@wayne.edu.

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Using Boundary Objects to Facilitate Culture Change and Integrate … · 2018. 12. 7. · Gluesing / Using Boundary Objects to Facilitate Culture Change 33 Introduction As business