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  • 1. Order onlineBuy this publication >>
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Liminality at Work: Mobile Project Workers In-Between2014Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This doctoral thesis addresses how mobile project workers; technical consultants working in projects, experience and deal with project-based work. The thesis consists of a compilation of five papers and an extended summary. It is based on three qualitative studies including methods like interviews, diaries, and observations. The thesis adopts and develops the conceptual lens of liminality.

    The results of this thesis show that mobile project workers use four different practices to deal with liminality at work. Furthermore, the thesis develops the framework of “liminality competence,” indicating that some mobile project workers are better at utilizing their liminal positions than others. The thesis also studies how liminality competence is developed and how formal training programs influence the liminal position for mobile project workers.

    List of papers
    1. Moving in, moving on: liminality practices in project-based work
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>Moving in, moving on: liminality practices in project-based work
    2014 (English)In: Employee relations, ISSN 0142-5455, E-ISSN 1758-7069, Vol. 36, no 2, p. 182-197Article in journal (Refereed) Published
    Abstract [en]

    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the practices mobile project workers rely upon to deal with their liminal work situation, i.e. a work situation in which they are “in-between” and do not have a clear long-term belonging to any specific organisation or project.

    Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a qualitative approach and draws upon in-depth interviews with 24 engineers working for one of Scandinavia's leading technical consultancies. The aim of the qualitative data analysis was to identify a set of commonalities and differences in their experiences and ways of dealing with liminality.

    Findings – The data indicate that mobile project workers experience their liminality in two separate dimensions; one which is primarily technical and task related, and one that is predominantly group related and social. These types of liminality are dealt with either actively, to lower or handle the ambiguity in the situation, or passively when the individual waits for the situation to be dealt with by others. Based on these two dimensions and types, the paper identifies and discusses four kinds of liminality practices.

    Research limitations/implications – The paper demonstrates the importance of focusing on individuals in project-based work, and specifically how they deal with work in-between. The paper shows when and how individuals make use of different liminality practices in their work, and calls for further research on the different skill sets and competencies that are needed to deal with liminality.

    Originality/value – By identifying four liminality practices applied in situations signified by the experience of being in-between, this study offers an important contribution to the literature on flexible and mobile work conditions. Thus, the paper contributes to the knowledge of threshold-like employment positions that denotes the everyday work situation for an increasing number of individuals engaged in knowledge-intensive and project-based work.

    Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
    Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2014
    Keywords
    Employee attitudes, Employee involvement, Employee relations, Flexible labour, Labour mobility, Qualitative methods
    National Category
    Work Sciences
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-103345 (URN)10.1108/ER-11-2012-0081 (DOI)000346112000005 ()
    Available from: 2014-01-17 Created: 2014-01-17 Last updated: 2017-12-06Bibliographically approved
    2. Liminality competence: An interpretative study of mobile project workers’ conception of liminality at work
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>Liminality competence: An interpretative study of mobile project workers’ conception of liminality at work
    2015 (English)In: Management Learning, ISSN 1350-5076, E-ISSN 1461-7307, Vol. 46, no 3, p. 260-279Article in journal (Refereed) Published
    Abstract [en]

    This study focuses on individuals working under transient and mobile conditions and the specific competences that they develop to deal with such work conditions. The article examines a specific type of knowledge worker, namely, the mobile project worker who is employed by a technical consultancy but who performs work on various client projects together with members from client organizations. The overall aim of this article is to improve our understanding of the differences among people’s abilities to handle fluid and flexible work conditions. We elaborate on the notion of “liminality” to denote a particular element of flexible work conditions, which consists of continuous movement among assignments and of simultaneous engagement with several organizations. Based on qualitative and interpretative research involving a combination of interviews, diaries, and workshops, this article identifies three levels of specific “liminality competence” that mobile project workers develop to deal with liminality at work.

    Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
    Sage Publications, 2015
    Keywords
    Liminality competence, flexible work, project work, technical consultants, narrative diaries
    National Category
    Business Administration
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-105477 (URN)10.1177/1350507613516247 (DOI)000356423300002 ()
    Note

    Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsradet); Riksbankens Jubileumsfond; Handelsbankens forskningsstiftelser

    Available from: 2014-03-25 Created: 2014-03-25 Last updated: 2017-12-05
    3. The nature and development of liminality competence: Narratives from mobile project workers
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>The nature and development of liminality competence: Narratives from mobile project workers
    2014 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Purpose: This paper describes and analyzes the nature and development of liminality competence among mobile project workers. It draws on an interpretative approach documenting how mobile project workers develop their conceptions of work performed in liminal (in-between) positions. The overall aim is to extend the knowledge on how people in time-limited and ambiguous work positions develop competencies to address their specific work conditions.

    Design: This research relies on two in-depth narratives of mobile project workers drawn from a larger longitudinal study. The data include diaries and interviews. The study seeks to identify similarities and differences in the development of liminality competence over time.

    Findings: Three processes were identified as important in developing higher liminality competence: (1) understanding the value of in-betweenness, (2) understanding the role of the liminar as different and (3) translating liminal experience through reflexivity. The paper generally demonstrates the importance of context and critical events in progressing through these three processes.

    Practical implications: The paper demonstrates the need for employers to support individuals in passing through the three identified processes and to support thoughtful mobility across different project settings.

    Originality/value: In the dual ambition of offering insights based on interpretative research on competence and putting greater emphasis on people working in in-between positions, this study enhances the understanding of how individuals develop their conceptions of work in general and their conceptions of liminality at work in particular.

    Keywords
    Liminality, liminality competence, competence development, consultant, engineer, project work
    National Category
    Business Administration
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-105478 (URN)
    Conference
    EURAM 2012. 12th Conference on Social Innovation for Competitiveness Organisational Performance and Human Excellence, 6th-8th June, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
    Available from: 2014-03-25 Created: 2014-03-25 Last updated: 2014-03-25Bibliographically approved
    4. Enhancing liminality through formal training: creating alterities through rites of passage
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>Enhancing liminality through formal training: creating alterities through rites of passage
    2014 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Liminality is gaining a greater importance in contemporary organizations. Workers’ organizational membership is often ambiguous and their assignments are often temporary and boundary-crossing. The aim of this study is to investigate how an introductory development program (IDP) for newlyhired consultants addresses the liminal positions of mobile project workers, and whether IDP can aid the participants in dealing with positions of liminality at work. The findings suggest that, unlike “traditional” organizational introduction programs, the studied IDP does not emphasize socialization of the participants into such that they identify with the company; instead, their alterity is emphasized – thereby enhancing the workers’ liminal position. Moreover, the study shows how distancing techniques used to reflect on liminality at work can broaden the liminars’ scope of action.

    Keywords
    Liminality, development program, rite of passage, consultants, project work, alterity
    National Category
    Business Administration
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-105479 (URN)
    Conference
    IRNOP XI. The Project Research Conference, June 16-18, Oslo, Norway
    Available from: 2014-03-25 Created: 2014-03-25 Last updated: 2014-03-25Bibliographically approved
    5. The concept of liminality in management and organizational studies: Past accomplishments and future challenges
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>The concept of liminality in management and organizational studies: Past accomplishments and future challenges
    2013 (English)Conference paper, Published paper (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This paper presents a systematic literature review of studies of liminality in management and organization studies. The attempts by studies in this field to develop knowledge on contemporary organizations and organizing, as well as the effects it has on the people who dwell in them, has led to the emergence of new or renewed conceptualizations and constructs. One such concept is that of liminality. The present paper provides a foundation for future explorations by untangling different applications of liminality in management and organization research. The paper also provides suggestions for future research inquiries that rely on the liminality metaphor.

    Series
    Nordic Academy of Management, ISSN 2298-3112
    Keywords
    Liminality, systematic literature review, rites of passage, contingent work
    National Category
    Business Administration
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-105480 (URN)
    Conference
    Nordic Academy of Management (NFF), Reykjavik, Island, August 21-23, 2013
    Available from: 2014-03-25 Created: 2014-03-25 Last updated: 2014-03-25Bibliographically approved
    Download full text (pdf)
    Liminality at Work: Mobile Project Wo rkers In-Between
    Download (pdf)
    omslag
  • 2.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    The concept of liminality in management and organizational studies: Past accomplishments and future challenges2013Conference paper (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This paper presents a systematic literature review of studies of liminality in management and organization studies. The attempts by studies in this field to develop knowledge on contemporary organizations and organizing, as well as the effects it has on the people who dwell in them, has led to the emergence of new or renewed conceptualizations and constructs. One such concept is that of liminality. The present paper provides a foundation for future explorations by untangling different applications of liminality in management and organization research. The paper also provides suggestions for future research inquiries that rely on the liminality metaphor.

  • 3.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Work Liminality and Liminality Competence: a study of mobile project workers2012Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This thesis is about people engaged in project-based work, a work context that is becoming increasingly common since more and more firms are relying on project-based forms of organization. More specifically, the thesis deals with a specific condition arising in projectbased work, namely that of ‘work liminality’. The thesis aims at enhancing the understanding of work liminality and of individuals who hold liminal positions. More specifically it aims to investigate how liminality could be understood in the context of project-based work, what practices project workers rely on to deal with work liminality. The thesis also deals with how project workers perceive their work and what competencies they have in relation to their perceptions.

    The concept of liminality stems from anthropology, in which it denotes a transition phase from one social position to another, e.g. the transition from being a boy to becoming a man. The notion of liminality has been brought into organization studies to depict a position of ambiguous belonging and temporality. It has been used to describe the position for e.g. contingent workers, who simultaneously work and affiliate with different firms and work in temporary assignments. This thesis, however, focuses on liminality in project-based work, and it introduces the notion of ‘work liminality’ to describe a specific work situation with inherent organizational ambiguity and transiency. Project workers hold a liminal position since they simultaneously belong to a line division and one or several projects, and moreover, projects are time-limited, and can be viewed as a transition for the individual, who continuously moves from one project to the next. In that respect, project-based work constitutes a particularly interesting empirical context for the study of work liminality, and compared to other liminality situations, this context has received relatively little scholarly attention in previous research.

    The study presented in this thesis focuses on a particular kind of mobile project worker, namely technical consultants. These are workers who move from project to project, often across client organizations, on a continuous basis. They thus work under liminal conditions, both in terms of having several organizational belongings, and in terms of continuously switching assignments. The thesis is based on altogether 37 interviews, 13 narrative weekly diaries written under a period of three months and a number of workshops and both formal and informal meetings, mainly with technical consultants but also with managers at one of Scandinavia’s leading technical consultancy firms (which is anonymous in the thesis).

    Based on how liminality has been used in previous organization studies it is rather unclear what it implies, the more objective liminal position and how this is perceived by individuals who hold it, is not clearly separated in these studies. This thesis therefore suggests the analytical distinction between on the one hand ‘work liminality’, as a work situation in which the individual holds a position that is  characterized by organizational ambiguity and transiency, and on the other hand how work liminality is experienced by people who engage in it. Results from this study indicate that mobile project workers experience work liminality largely in two types of situations, one primarily technical and the other foremost social. Moreover it indicates that individuals approach these situations, here denoted as social and technical liminality, either actively or passively. This leads to the proposition that the mobile project workers rely on predominantly four different ‘liminality practices’ to deal with social and technical liminality, namely ‘reputation reliance’, ‘role carving’, ‘relaxation’ and ‘redefinition’. Furthermore, an interpretative approach is used to study mobile project workers’ ‘liminality competence’. The empirical investigation shows three different conceptions of work held by the mobile project workers: ‘work as assignment handling’, ‘work as a learning platform’ and ‘work as knowledge transfer’, which are linked to three levels of liminality competence, respectively. Liminality competence concerns how the mobile project workers deal with working in a position of work liminality, while liminality practices rather concerns how the mobile project workers deal with specific situations that arises due to work liminality.

    List of papers
    1. Liminality Practices in Project-Based Work: A Study of Mobile Engineers
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>Liminality Practices in Project-Based Work: A Study of Mobile Engineers
    (English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Project-based work is, to an increasing extent, carried out in ‘knowledge collectivities’ – groups of diversely skilled individuals with limited common experience from previous collaborations. A special case of such work involves technical consultants who travel across project teams and client organizations, recurrently entering and leaving project teams. To advance our understanding of project-based work, this paper suggests that the work of these ‘mobile engineers’ could be viewed as a condition of liminality. Based on an in-depth study comprising 20 engineers and four managers employed at one of Sweden’s leading technical consultancies, we identify two different types of liminality: social liminality and technical liminality. In addition, we discern four situations with special reference to liminality and, based on a thematic content analysis, elicit four liminality practices that workers participating in our study rely upon to handle their liminal situation.

    Keywords
    Project-based organization, collectivity, liminality, interviews, engineers
    National Category
    Business Administration
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-73973 (URN)
    Available from: 2012-01-18 Created: 2012-01-18 Last updated: 2015-09-22Bibliographically approved
    2. Dealing with Work Liminality, Developing Liminality Competence: An Interpretative Study of Mobile Project Workers in Advanced Engineering
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>Dealing with Work Liminality, Developing Liminality Competence: An Interpretative Study of Mobile Project Workers in Advanced Engineering
    (English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This research focuses on individuals who are highly affected by the ongoing ‘flexibilization’ of work, namely mobile project workers. These workers are temporarily hired to take part in high-tech projects together with both employees in the client’s organizations and other technical consultants. Since they are affected by both structural and manpower-related flexibilization, their situation can be denoted as one of liminality; characterized by temporality, ambiguity and unclear loyalties. This interpretative study, based on diary entries and interviews, takes on a holistic view on how mobile project workers perceive their work and it furthermore identifies specific competencies they develop to deal with work liminality. The study suggests there are three primary liminality conceptions that mobile project workers hold and that the three conceptions exhibit varying degrees of liminality competence.

    Keywords
    Liminality, Project members, Competence, Technical consultants, Engineers, Mobility
    National Category
    Business Administration
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-73974 (URN)
    Available from: 2012-01-18 Created: 2012-01-18 Last updated: 2012-01-18Bibliographically approved
    3. Work Liminality in Project-Based Work: Liminality Competence and Liminality Practices
    Open this publication in new window or tab >>Work Liminality in Project-Based Work: Liminality Competence and Liminality Practices
    2012 (English)Conference paper, Published paper (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This is an exploratory paper focusing on people who are engaged in work characterized by ‘work liminality’. Work liminality denotes certain types of work in which organizational ambiguity is significant and which is performed in loosely-knit teams. Building on prior research, such situations call for individual to hold liminality competence. However, so far, research has only marginally addressed the nature and development of such competence. This paper seeks to fill this void by studying in further depth individuals who hold high liminality competence. Based on a qualitative study of two mobile project workers, the findings indicate that high liminality competence to a great extent is associated with reflexivity and more specifically the ability to reflect over current conditions and ones role in them. The paper furthermore offers ideas for future research.

    Series
    Nordic Academy of Management, ISSN 2298-3112
    Keywords
    Work liminality, Project worker, Liminality competence
    National Category
    Business Administration
    Identifiers
    urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-73975 (URN)
    Conference
    Nordic Academy of Management (NFF), Reykjavik, Island, August 21-23, 2013
    Available from: 2012-01-18 Created: 2012-01-18 Last updated: 2014-03-25Bibliographically approved
    Download (pdf)
    omslag
  • 4.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Work Liminality in Project-Based Work: Liminality Competence and Liminality Practices2012Conference paper (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This is an exploratory paper focusing on people who are engaged in work characterized by ‘work liminality’. Work liminality denotes certain types of work in which organizational ambiguity is significant and which is performed in loosely-knit teams. Building on prior research, such situations call for individual to hold liminality competence. However, so far, research has only marginally addressed the nature and development of such competence. This paper seeks to fill this void by studying in further depth individuals who hold high liminality competence. Based on a qualitative study of two mobile project workers, the findings indicate that high liminality competence to a great extent is associated with reflexivity and more specifically the ability to reflect over current conditions and ones role in them. The paper furthermore offers ideas for future research.

  • 5.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Bredin, Karin
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo Norway.
    Understanding the challenges of HRM in project-based organisations: A study of 'Liminality Problems' and Coping Strategies in advanced engineering.2009Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 6.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Johansson, Jenny
    Tid att Vara Lean?: En fallstudie av införandet av Lean i Vara kommun2008Report (Other academic)
    Abstract [sv]

    I denna fallstudie av Vara kommun har vårt intresse riktat sig mot införandet av Lean i kommunen. Arbetet med Lean inleddes 2004 och har hittills haft fokus på äldreomsorgen. Till grund för den insamlade empirin ligger 8 enskilda intervjuer med projektledare och resultatenhetschefer samt två fokusgrupper med medarbetare. Vårt syfte med denna studie har varit att studera införandet av Vara Lean och dess inverkan på såväl resultatenhetschefer som medarbetare inom äldreomsorgen i Vara kommun, samt att undersöka förutsättningarna för ett fortsatt arbete med utveckling genom Vara Lean.

    Resultatet visar att Vara Lean är ett tanke- och arbetssätt för att försöka finna ständiga förbättringar inom verksamheterna i Vara kommun. Medelst Vara Lean och dess verktyg, värdeflödeskartläggning och 5S, skall medarbetarna jobba effektivare genom att skapa standardiserade arbetssätt. När Lean först infördes i Vara kommun var många skeptiska då de trodde att detta var ett sätt att skära ner på personalstyrkan, men syftet med Vara Lean är att frigöra tid som skall användas för brukarna.

    Medarbetare och chefer beskriver flera positiva effekter av Vara Lean, så som en tydligare ansvarsfördelning samt tydliga rutiner och standards. Vara Lean beskrivs också som stärkande för medarbetarna, då detta är verktyg som ger dem möjlighet att arbeta med utveckling av verksamhetsnära frågor. En av de viktigaste faktorerna i Vara Lean, enligt medarbetarna, är att det avsätts tid att arbeta med utveckling och uppföljning. Chefen står till stor del utanför utvecklingsarbetet genom Vara Lean, vilket uppges vara positivt då det lättar deras arbetsbörda.

    Chefer och medarbetare nämner förutsättningar för att Vara Lean skall vara ett fungerande tanke- och arbetssätt i nuläget, men också vad som måste ske för att kunna bedriva ett fortsatt arbete med Lean inom äldreomsorgen i Vara kommun. Erfarenheter av värdeflödeskartläggningar ser såväl medarbetare som chefer ger en ökad förståelse och insikt i Vara Lean. Stöttningen från projektledare och Lean-handledare ses dessutom som essentiellt för en lyckad kartläggning. Chefen ger förutsättningar för ett lyckat arbete med Vara Lean genom såväl sin attityd som genom att ge tid och stöttning till medarbetarna i utvecklingsarbetet. Värdeflödeskartläggningarna innebär dock en kostnad för enheterna och förhoppningar finns om att en kort-version kan tas fram.

    Download full text (pdf)
    Tid att Vara Lean?: En fallstudie av införandet av Lean i Vara kommun
  • 7.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences.
    Pantic-Dragisic, Svjetlana
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Enhancing liminality through formal training: creating alterities through rites of passage2014Conference paper (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Liminality is gaining a greater importance in contemporary organizations. Workers’ organizational membership is often ambiguous and their assignments are often temporary and boundary-crossing. The aim of this study is to investigate how an introductory development program (IDP) for newlyhired consultants addresses the liminal positions of mobile project workers, and whether IDP can aid the participants in dealing with positions of liminality at work. The findings suggest that, unlike “traditional” organizational introduction programs, the studied IDP does not emphasize socialization of the participants into such that they identify with the company; instead, their alterity is emphasized – thereby enhancing the workers’ liminal position. Moreover, the study shows how distancing techniques used to reflect on liminality at work can broaden the liminars’ scope of action.

  • 8.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Dealing with Work Liminality, Developing Liminality Competence: An Interpretative Study of Mobile Project Workers in Advanced EngineeringManuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    This research focuses on individuals who are highly affected by the ongoing ‘flexibilization’ of work, namely mobile project workers. These workers are temporarily hired to take part in high-tech projects together with both employees in the client’s organizations and other technical consultants. Since they are affected by both structural and manpower-related flexibilization, their situation can be denoted as one of liminality; characterized by temporality, ambiguity and unclear loyalties. This interpretative study, based on diary entries and interviews, takes on a holistic view on how mobile project workers perceive their work and it furthermore identifies specific competencies they develop to deal with work liminality. The study suggests there are three primary liminality conceptions that mobile project workers hold and that the three conceptions exhibit varying degrees of liminality competence.

  • 9.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway.
    Ingenjörer i gränslandet: ingenjörskunnande, kompetenta teknikkonsulter och liminalitetskompetens2012In: Management of Innovation and Technology, ISSN 2001-208X, no 2, p. 5-7Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
    Abstract [sv]

    Vad krävs för att lyckas som teknikkonsult? Vilken typ av kunskap krävs? Vad skiljer de bra teknikkonsulterna från de mindre bra? Det är några av frågorna som diskuteras i denna artikel.

  • 10.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    BI Norwegian Business School, Norway.
    Liminality competence: An interpretative study of mobile project workers’ conception of liminality at work2015In: Management Learning, ISSN 1350-5076, E-ISSN 1461-7307, Vol. 46, no 3, p. 260-279Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This study focuses on individuals working under transient and mobile conditions and the specific competences that they develop to deal with such work conditions. The article examines a specific type of knowledge worker, namely, the mobile project worker who is employed by a technical consultancy but who performs work on various client projects together with members from client organizations. The overall aim of this article is to improve our understanding of the differences among people’s abilities to handle fluid and flexible work conditions. We elaborate on the notion of “liminality” to denote a particular element of flexible work conditions, which consists of continuous movement among assignments and of simultaneous engagement with several organizations. Based on qualitative and interpretative research involving a combination of interviews, diaries, and workshops, this article identifies three levels of specific “liminality competence” that mobile project workers develop to deal with liminality at work.

  • 11.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway.
    Moving in, moving on: liminality practices in project-based work2014In: Employee relations, ISSN 0142-5455, E-ISSN 1758-7069, Vol. 36, no 2, p. 182-197Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the practices mobile project workers rely upon to deal with their liminal work situation, i.e. a work situation in which they are “in-between” and do not have a clear long-term belonging to any specific organisation or project.

    Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a qualitative approach and draws upon in-depth interviews with 24 engineers working for one of Scandinavia's leading technical consultancies. The aim of the qualitative data analysis was to identify a set of commonalities and differences in their experiences and ways of dealing with liminality.

    Findings – The data indicate that mobile project workers experience their liminality in two separate dimensions; one which is primarily technical and task related, and one that is predominantly group related and social. These types of liminality are dealt with either actively, to lower or handle the ambiguity in the situation, or passively when the individual waits for the situation to be dealt with by others. Based on these two dimensions and types, the paper identifies and discusses four kinds of liminality practices.

    Research limitations/implications – The paper demonstrates the importance of focusing on individuals in project-based work, and specifically how they deal with work in-between. The paper shows when and how individuals make use of different liminality practices in their work, and calls for further research on the different skill sets and competencies that are needed to deal with liminality.

    Originality/value – By identifying four liminality practices applied in situations signified by the experience of being in-between, this study offers an important contribution to the literature on flexible and mobile work conditions. Thus, the paper contributes to the knowledge of threshold-like employment positions that denotes the everyday work situation for an increasing number of individuals engaged in knowledge-intensive and project-based work.

  • 12.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway.
    Styrning i gränslandet: teknikkonsulter och konflikterande styrningslogiker2012In: Styrning: med projekt och kunskap i fokus / [ed] J. Söderlund & F. Tell, Lund: Studentlitteratur, 2012, p. 291-311Chapter in book (Other academic)
  • 13.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    BI Norwegian Business School, Norway.
    The nature and development of liminality competence: Narratives from mobile project workers2014Conference paper (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Purpose: This paper describes and analyzes the nature and development of liminality competence among mobile project workers. It draws on an interpretative approach documenting how mobile project workers develop their conceptions of work performed in liminal (in-between) positions. The overall aim is to extend the knowledge on how people in time-limited and ambiguous work positions develop competencies to address their specific work conditions.

    Design: This research relies on two in-depth narratives of mobile project workers drawn from a larger longitudinal study. The data include diaries and interviews. The study seeks to identify similarities and differences in the development of liminality competence over time.

    Findings: Three processes were identified as important in developing higher liminality competence: (1) understanding the value of in-betweenness, (2) understanding the role of the liminar as different and (3) translating liminal experience through reflexivity. The paper generally demonstrates the importance of context and critical events in progressing through these three processes.

    Practical implications: The paper demonstrates the need for employers to support individuals in passing through the three identified processes and to support thoughtful mobility across different project settings.

    Originality/value: In the dual ambition of offering insights based on interpretative research on competence and putting greater emphasis on people working in in-between positions, this study enhances the understanding of how individuals develop their conceptions of work in general and their conceptions of liminality at work in particular.

  • 14.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo Norway.
    Bredin, Karin
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Where to next? Human Resource Management in Project-based Firms.2010Conference paper (Other academic)
  • 15.
    Pantic-Dragisic, Svjetlana
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Creating the mobile engineer: a study of a training program for engineering consultants2018In: European Journal of Training and Development, ISSN 2046-9012, E-ISSN 2046-9020, European Journal of Training and Development, ISSN 2046-9012, Vol. 42, no 7/8, p. 381-399Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Purpose

    The purpose of this paper is to explore how a technical consulting firm approaches the development of engineering consultants, to prepare them to deal with their liminal, i.e. mobile and transient work situation. More specifically, this paper addresses how a training program, designed for newly graduated engineers, can increase the consultants’ liminality competence.

    Design/methodology/approach

    This paper reports on a qualitative case study of an introductory development program in a Scandinavian technical consulting firm. The study is based on observations of training sessions and meetings, and interviews with developers, leaders and participants of the program.

    Findings

    This study identifies three processes, which develop the engineering consultants’ ability to master their mobile and transient work situation: identifying the core of an assignment, embracing “in-betweenness” and broadening the scope of action.

    Originality/value

    This paper enhances the understanding of formal training in the context of technical consulting and adds to the knowledge of how engineering consultants can master their liminal work positions; in particular, the study identifies how liminality competence can be elevated through formal training.

  • 16.
    Pantic-Dragisic, Svjetlana
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Training for knowledge transfer: A study of formal training for mobile engineersManuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Purpose The aim of this article is to explore how engineering consultants develop the ability to effectively transfer knowledge through a formal training program for newly graduated engineers

    Design/methodology/approach This article reports on a qualitative case study of an introductory development program in a Scandinavian technical consulting firm. The study is based on 14 observations in training sessions and meetings, and 18 interviews with participants, trainers and developers of the program.

    Findings This study identifies a process, comprised of three consecutive stages, which develops the engineering consultants’ ability to effectively transfer knowledge by enabling them to master their mobile and transient work situation: (i) identifying the core of an assignment, (ii) broadening the scope of action, and (iii) becoming more self-confident in the role of consultant.

    Originality/value This article adds to the knowledge transfer literature by taking an individual level perspective and identifying how formal training in the context of technical consulting affects the engineering consultants’ ability to transfer knowledge.

  • 17.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Bredin, Karin
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Liminality Practices in Project-Based Work: A Study of Mobile EngineersManuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
    Abstract [en]

    Project-based work is, to an increasing extent, carried out in ‘knowledge collectivities’ – groups of diversely skilled individuals with limited common experience from previous collaborations. A special case of such work involves technical consultants who travel across project teams and client organizations, recurrently entering and leaving project teams. To advance our understanding of project-based work, this paper suggests that the work of these ‘mobile engineers’ could be viewed as a condition of liminality. Based on an in-depth study comprising 20 engineers and four managers employed at one of Sweden’s leading technical consultancies, we identify two different types of liminality: social liminality and technical liminality. In addition, we discern four situations with special reference to liminality and, based on a thematic content analysis, elicit four liminality practices that workers participating in our study rely upon to handle their liminal situation.

  • 18.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo Norway .
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Bredin, Karin
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Organization of Human Resources in a Project-based Economy: Organizational Institutions, Firm Archetypes and Knowledge Collectivities2010Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 19.
    Söderlund, Jonas
    et al.
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. BI Norwegian School of Management, Oslo Norway .
    Bredin, Karin
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Borg, Elisabeth
    Linköping University, Department of Management and Engineering, Business Administration. Linköping University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
    Managing and organizing human resources in a project-based economy: The role of technical consultancy2011Conference paper (Refereed)
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