{"title":"Tensions in Digital Transformation: How Prototype Work Links the Temporary and the Permanent","authors":"Yunchen Sun, Fredrik Tell","doi":"10.1177/87569728241278661","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Digital transformation projects often fail due to tensions that emerge between temporary project teams set to design digital transformation and the permanent organization where digital transformation is to be executed. As a potential organizational response to such tensions, we introduce the notion of prototype work; in other words, the actions and interactions facilitated by making prototypes. Through a real-time longitudinal study of a digital transformation project in a Swedish manufacturing firm we specify prototype work, addressing strategic tensions, temporal tensions, and cross-functional tensions at different loci of temporary–permanent interfaces and, in turn, how both temporary and permanent organizations are transitioned.","PeriodicalId":47967,"journal":{"name":"Project Management Journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Project Management Journal","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/87569728241278661","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Digital transformation projects often fail due to tensions that emerge between temporary project teams set to design digital transformation and the permanent organization where digital transformation is to be executed. As a potential organizational response to such tensions, we introduce the notion of prototype work; in other words, the actions and interactions facilitated by making prototypes. Through a real-time longitudinal study of a digital transformation project in a Swedish manufacturing firm we specify prototype work, addressing strategic tensions, temporal tensions, and cross-functional tensions at different loci of temporary–permanent interfaces and, in turn, how both temporary and permanent organizations are transitioned.
期刊介绍:
Project Management Journal (PMJ) is the academic and research journal of the Project Management Institute and features state-of-the-art research, techniques, theories, and applications in project management.
Projects represent a growing population of human activity in large, small, private, and public organizations. Projects are used to execute and sustain today's organizational activities. They play a fundamental role as the engine of tomorrow's innovation, value creation, and strategic change. However, projects often fail to deliver their promise.
PMJ addresses these multiple challenges and opportunities by encouraging the development and application of novel theories, concepts, frameworks, research methods, and designs. PMJ embraces contributions both from within and beyond project management to augment and transform theory and practice.