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control the whole organization because in all some kind of matrix organization. But I think it gives better results regarding processes.” (A2:115) After approximately seven years, A-Suppliers completed the journey of setting up an entire process department or, as one might also name it, an entire standardization department. The history began with the first contact with CMM in 1999, the set-up of a pilot project, later in 2002 the creation of a process group which in 2006 was expanded to serve the needs not only for CMMI but for all the different standards in the company. At A-Suppliers, metastructuring is now accomplished against the software engineers by an organizational entity the process group in order to reduce the multiplicity and plurality of standards. Nevertheless, the process of metastructuring itself is not fully separated from the software engineers. As mentioned in the interviews, A-Suppliers set up an integrated and participative environment where structuring in respect of the different standards is executed by different roles, both in the process group as well as in the software development department. Whereas a process coach is working in the process group, the process representative is based directly in the operational department, both act as standard-use mediators (compare Table 2 for a summary of their tasks). With this, they still leave a significant part of the responsibility over standard structuring to the operational departments themselves. As shown in the interviews, A- Suppliers has an integrated and participative approach towards standardization, avoiding the full separation of process design and use. In order to explain the different tasks of each role in the structuring process of A-Suppliers and to abstract the metastructuring activities related to Orlikowski (1995), it is possible to distinguish three different structuring processes in the case study. First, the process group takes each external standard, interprets and uses it as input for the development of the corporate standard script (cf. Figure 2: C). This is mainly the task of the process coaches. Little involvement of the process representatives is needed. A feedback step in direction of the creators of the standards (e.g. external boards) itself was not mentioned explicitly which calls for further investigation on the design mode of the external standards. Still, for the mentioned ISO standards including the highly relevant A-Spice, it can be assumed that A-Suppliers Full paper GEY & FRIED EGOS conference 2012, Sub-theme 15 14
influences the design of the standard itself by participating in the technical committees of the ISO. For CMMI instead, influence on the design process is reduced to feedback via CMMI change requests (SEI 2010). The design itself is dominated by the US army and a few American companies. Second, as another input to their metastructuring activity they have to consider corporate standards (cf. Figure 2: B). It could be quality directives towards process, products or even corporate identity. It was mentioned that the corporate standards of course change the design of the standard script but the process itself was not described explicitly. Regardless, A- Suppliers has full control over design and usage of their own corporate standards. Taking into account the interviewees description of the approach towards standardization and process as an integrated and participative one, we can assume that this part of the metastructuring is a full and open structuring process. Again, this task is rather accomplished by the process coaches of the process group although the nature of an internal standard allows a broader participation of the process representatives in the structuring of these standards. Third, as result of the metastructuring, the standard script is created by the process group in close collaboration with the process representatives in the operational departments. At this stage, tasks are separated. The process representatives are responsible for defining the processes in the standard script, for the training on these processes and also for the feedback on and improvement of the process. While the process coach is defining the broader process framework for the whole organization and further consults the process representatives in their tasks. The standard script is then used by the software engineers (cf. Figure 2: A). Different feedback loops were reported, either by using the process tool or via the process representatives. Creation and use of the standard script can thus be regarded as a vital structuring process. Full paper GEY & FRIED EGOS conference 2012, Sub-theme 15 15
Page 1 and 2: EGOS Conference 2012 Submission to
Page 3 and 4: attention to the phenomenon of stan
Page 5 and 6: 3. Research design We use a qualita
Page 7 and 8: well as emotional conditions of our
Page 9 and 10: “There have been some people assi
Page 11 and 12: “[...] this is a documentation of
Page 13: As a matter of fact, this continuou
Page 17 and 18: The case organization A-Suppliers d
Page 19 and 20: While looking at the standard media
Page 21 and 22: understanding of metastructuring. E
Page 23: Orlikowski, W. (1996). Improvising

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