Translating and transcribing in development projects - from vague problems to clear cut solutions through project organising

Abstract

Organisations, as well as society in general, are organised along functional perspectives. Each function that serves members of a society has traditionally been taken care of by one state agency in each functional field. In the past, state agencies have improved sectors such as the social, educational and environmental fields of the industrialised society. Due to their initial success, these organisations have grown larger and have become permanent actors to serve society. However, over time new problems arise that cannot be dealt with by means of permanent organisations. Instead, projects and project-like organisations are created to deal with issues where permanent organisations tend to be less appropriate.

On a societal level, the creating of environmental projects to deal with diffuse pollution problems is one example. On a company level, the organising of organisational development projects to deal with problems in the current organisational structure is another example. Our reasoning is that such problems and previously unorganised solutions need temporary projects to ensure successful implementation and real change. It is simply not possible to cover all present and future problems by means of permanent and administrative organisations.

This paper takes the discussion further by examining the crucial organisational problems that projects of this type have to deal with. They are created with little or no support from traditional organisations, they have ambiguous goals, and are vulnerable. The implications of this paper are the following: from a practical perspective, we show how environmental and organisational renewal projects can be successfully organised as development projects instead of traditional projects. From a theoretical perspective, we argue it is fruitful to concentrate on certain aspects of project organising. By doing so, and by referring to the Scandinavian adapted institutionalism and translation sociology, this paper discusses the delimitation and formation of project organising by introducing the concepts of translation and transcription as vital components in the process of shaping and re-shaping this type of projects.