Implementing New Practice: The Roles of Translation, Progression and Reflection

Abstract

The aim of this article is to assess the contribution provided by the instrumental theory of translation when conceptualizing micro processes of change. A core assumption of this framework is that the translation of management ideas is characterized by regularities, or translation rules, and that performance of translation rules depends on translation competence. The assessment is based on an exploration of how the process of providing contents to a new model of manpower planning among doctors in a Norwegian health trust unfolded. Participant observation and documents represent the main sources of data. The analysis demonstrates that project methodology competence emerges as a key factor of influence on the performance of translation rules, leading to the interpretation that there is a ‘taken-for-grantedness’ in change implementation which suggests additional competences at play. We propose that the instrumental theory of translation would benefit from extending the framework for contextualizing the performance of translation rules.