Organising for infrastructure development programmes: Governing internal logic multiplicity across organisational spaces

Abstract

Programme organisations operate in complex environments under the influence of multiple institutional logics. Previous studies have focused on how these kinds of organisations respond to external demands by implementing appropriate governance structures. This, however, produces an understanding of programme organisations as being unitary and working to integrate programme activities and practices under one dominant internal institutional logic. In this paper, we study the consequences of internal logic multiplicity for the governance of programme organisations. Drawing on data from a major Danish construction programme we show how, in order to achieve its mission, the programme organisation incorporates three distinct logics into its daily activities and practices. The findings illustrate how a compartmentalised structural approach is applied to differentiate and independently deal with the three logics in structurally distinct organisational spaces. To avoid fragmentation and ensure coordination, governance mechanisms are put in place that coordinate activities and practices across the organisational spaces whilst maintaining their compartmentalisation. The paper thus contributes to the literature on programme management with insights on how the institutional context influences programme structures and operations, and how governance mechanisms are implemented to manage activities and practices across organisational spaces guided by different logics.