Methods

The studies described in the chapter have a strategy that is qualitative, hermeneutic, and Grounded Theory (GT) influenced.

The qualitative aspect is manifested through the aim of understanding and interpreting the reality of the UDs (Patton, 1987). A typical feature of qualitative methods is triangulation (Yin, 1994). The methods used are in-depth interviews, studies of SP-UDAs, participant observation and theoretical studies. The hermeneutic approach is manifested through the explicit use of the researchers pre-knowledge of USD and of the respondents (Helenius, 1990). Interviews and contacts have been frequent. The researcher's knowledge of USD has resulted in long discussions of different ways to solve specific problems. This has resulted in an atmosphere where the researcher has gained access to the respondents' situation as UD, in a way that would have been impossible if, e.g., survey studies had been performed. This change of perspective is also typical of hermeneutic studies. In the empirical studies, the focus has alternated between product and process (SP-UDA and USD). Another change of focus also closely related to USD is the change of focus between the actual work and UDA-development. While the UD is focused on the tasks at hand, the observer has been focused on the developmental aspect. The research methods can be labeled as Grounded Theory (GT) influenced since the empirical research has preceded the theoretical studies (Patton, 1987). Another GT aspect is the aim of an unbiased data collection situation. The choice of both research questions and respondents has been a result of a specific intention, but the data collection has been performed with an awareness of the importance of initially not knowing what really happens when UDs perform USD. The data analysis has therefore been performed according to GT methods (data collection, open coding and selective coding). The coding activities have been aimed at finding a key variable. The variable found is "integration." The importance of this is discussed below.

Three empirical studies have been conducted between 1998 and 2000. Two studies have focused on UDs. Interviews have been conducted with three people in an industry, and three people in a public authority. In the third study, three IT specialists are interviewed about problems related to UDA. The UD-interviews have been open and focused on the systems made by the UDs. Questions have been asked about why the systems were developed, which alternatives and problems there were, how the systems had been developed, how they were used in the UDs work and how the UDs perceived the effects of USD. In depth interviews with each UD have been carried out between three and 10 times, depending on how many UDAs the UD had developed. The interviews have been taped and coded. The analysis has been performed according to GT. The studies are shortly described below.

The industry is a board mill with 750 employees. It can be characterized as a multi-goal, dynamic business, acting in a keen competitive market. The area of board production is technically and chemically advanced and the board machines are very complicated. The customer's quality demands are increasingly detailed and not easily achieved. The three UDs work as controller, production planner and production division manager. The controller is an experienced SP user and the other two are somewhat less experienced.

The 50 employees in the public authority work in building, traffic, environment and maps construction units. The persons interviewed were clerks in different departments. Activities in the authority are characterized by their public nature. This means that business should neither be profitable nor involve a loss. Other important goals are the municipality inhabitants' best interests should always be taken into consideration and activities should be carried out with openness. This demand for openness means the grounds on which decisions are taken should be both available and comprehensible. One of the clerks is a more experienced SP user than the other two.

The three IT-specialists include an IT-manager, a systems developer and a consultant systems developer. Findings show that the IT-specialists perceived problems related to the USD, such as lack of documentation, unstructured applications and limited data processing capabilities in SP. The solutions proposed to these problems included SP training, SP-version upgrading and more structured UDAs.