Translation and Transcription in Development Projects- From Vague Problems to Clear-Cut solutions Through Project Organizing

Abstract

Occasionally, problems in society arise that do not fit into traditional structures of public organizations. Such problems become especially problematic if there is no adequate capacity to deal with them. At such situations, development projects may enable exploration of new ways of organizing activities. We use illustrations of development projects in public management in Sweden to discuss a fundamental organizing problem of projects: how project delimitation and formation takes place. This paper shows that the specific slice from organizational reality embodied in the interfaces between projects is of particular theoretical interest when observing this type of project organizing. Also, it shows how new issues are dealt with through the organizing of temporary activities. We offer a theoretical discussion of translation and transcription in development projects, not only since they are important to the formulation of the project goals, above all, since they are crucial links in a chain of sequential projects that are organized as responses to the new situation.