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Redefining the Boundary Spanning-Environment Relationship
Abstract
A review of previous studies on the relationship between boundary spanning activity and environment indicates that the full effects of environment have not been investigated due to the restricted representation of environmental effects. In addition, we argue that the boundary spanning-environment relationship may be moderated by function, hierarchical level, perceived influence, size, and industry. Accordingly, an enlarged model of the boundary spanning-environment relationship is tested in both the high-technology electronics industry and the wood products industry. Results indicate that boundary spanning activity is related to environment, but this relationship appears to vary along dimensions of environment as well as by industry. In addition, size, perceived influence, and function are found to moderate the boundary spanning-environment relationship. Implications for further studies include a reconceptualization of the boundary spanning-environment relationship based on the findings.
... Furthermore, boundary spanners' ability to bridge boundaries by using power bases is highly context-specific. The importance of particular power bases varies by context (Schwab et al., 1985;Williams, 2002) and their effect increases with the uniqueness and importance of the skill for the organization (Barner-Rasmussen et al., 2014). In addition, in a specific field, boundary spanning activities are shaped by the power position of the organization's targeted actor, defined by access to information, hierarchical field position or predictability (Marrone, 2010;Schwab et al., 1985). ...
... The importance of particular power bases varies by context (Schwab et al., 1985;Williams, 2002) and their effect increases with the uniqueness and importance of the skill for the organization (Barner-Rasmussen et al., 2014). In addition, in a specific field, boundary spanning activities are shaped by the power position of the organization's targeted actor, defined by access to information, hierarchical field position or predictability (Marrone, 2010;Schwab et al., 1985). Organizations may also diminish the boundary spanner's power of influence through the job rotation or routinization of boundary spanning activities to ensure their compliance with the organization's values and goals (Aldrich & Herker, 1977;Russ et al., 1998). ...
... Friedman & Podolny, 1992), and some have emphasized that the power bases of the targeted actors also shape boundary spanning processes (e.g. Marrone, 2010;Schwab et al., 1985). However, even in those cases where the use of power bases has been studied as a common endeavour, the seemingly 'receiving' end of boundary spanning activities has been left under-explored (for exceptions, see Hislop et al., 2000). ...
This meta‐analytic review of power‐sensitive boundary spanning research provides strong evidence that power enables, broadens and limits boundary spanning practices and outcomes. Boundary spanners use power bases to drive innovation and empower others to maintain cross‐cultural collaboration, while altering unequal power relations that hinder learning and knowledge‐sharing in organizations. The review further points to avenues for future research on power in boundary spanning processes: future boundary spanning studies would profit from strengthening a relational, social‐constructivist understanding of power bases. This encompasses accounting for the power bases of all actors involved, expanding the notion of power bases to demographic diversity of gender, race or class, or showing how the relative importance of power bases is constructed within fields. Boundary spanning research would also benefit from expanding postcolonial and poststructuralist perspectives, which provide tools to detect subtle workings of power in boundary spanning processes. This may alter theoretical and practical implications, for example when boundary objects associated with transparency and freedom may be presented as limiting boundary spanners’ field of action.
... Tushman andScanlan (1981a, 1981b) found formal status is not significant to serve as a boundary spanner; though they shared it helps. Schwab, Ungson, and Brown (1985) supported that the hierarchical level of the individual does not influence their boundary spanning role. This surprised these authors since higher level individuals are most likely to interact with the external environment. ...
... Much of the empirical research examines boundary spanners in professional positions such as engineers (R. Katz & Tushman, 1983), technology professionals (Schwab et al., 1985), research and development staff (Tushman, 1977;Tushman & Scanlan, 1981a), and social service professionals (Williams, 2002). Williams (2002) stated the strategic level spanners are "acutely aware of the need to cross the boundary between strategy and implementation, to ensure that policy intentions are translated into problem solving on the ground" (p. ...
... Researchers have examined boundary spanners in fields diverse fields such as interorganizational collaborations (Noble & Jones, 2006), professional positions (Schwab et al., 1985;Tushman, 1977), business (Marchington & Vincent, 2004;Marchington et al., 2005), and the public sector (Miller, 2008;Noble & Jones, 2006). But scholars have also examined boundary spanners within educational institutions and educational administration and delivery such as faculty and staff involved with community engagement (Weerts & Sandmann, 2010), K-12 school-community partnerships (Miller, 2008), community health (Waring, Currie, Crompton, & Bishop, 2013;Williams, 2011), and in industry-university partnerships (Tarant, 2004). ...
The public sector's use of networked governance reflects a similar orientation of U.S. higher education institutions to engaged scholarship and community-university partnerships. These and other forms of adult education now have greater reliance on networked governance methods for their delivery and administration. Individuals at the nexus of networked governance and community engagement often take on boundary spanning roles for their organizations. This study examined the behaviors of boundary spanners currently involved in the partnership of U.S. higher education institutions and the U.S. military to support military family services through educational programming in a networked governance model. A research team created a selected response instrument for use with multiple audiences and contexts based on a qualitative study of higher education community engagement boundary spanning individuals. This study found that work/organizational characteristics were significant predictors of boundary-spanning behaviors while personal characteristics were not as influential as thought. Boundary-spanning behavior can be encouraged by the organization in a variety of ways. Communications remain an important influence on boundary spanning behaviors. The study reconceptualizes a prior qualitative study through exploratory factor analysis. The reconceptualization found that the data mirrors the original, qualitative study on which the quantitative instrument was based. The selected response instrument has applicability to other contexts where individuals cross boundaries in order to complete work in a community. Several individual, organizational, and societal implications and opportunities for replication and expanded research in the realm of boundary spanning are discussed.
... The boundary spanning approach to information exchange and management views communication among people who do not work together on an everyday basis as spanning the boundaries between communities of practice -groups of people engaged in a joint enterprise and characterized by a shared repertoire of concepts, stories and tools (Wenger, 1998). Boundary spanning is essential for information diffusion, and should be viewed as a key organizational competence (Carlile, 2002;Grant, 1996;Schwab et al., 1985). ...
... Most often, however, boundary spanning process is conceptualized through analysis of boundary spanners' behavior (e.g., Ancona & Cadwell, 1992) and adoption and use of boundary objects. Boundary spanners are people who play an important role in diffusion of ideas within the organization (e.g., Schwab et al., 1985), or "serve as …facilitators in information transmittal between an organization and its environment" (Pawlowski & Robey, 2004, p.648). Boundary objects (BOs) are artifacts, abstract or concrete, that are used on both sides of a spanned boundary to establish shared language and syntax, foster learning about differences and dependencies across boundaries, and facilitate the process of knowledge transfer (Carlile, 2002). ...
... Representation of complex and volatile information on the boundary is essential for knowledge intensive processes such as new product development. It is of little value, however, in stable industries with simple and routine processes (Schwab et al., 1985;Tiwana, 2004). Therefore, the boundary complexity level should be taken into account when defining the approach to boundary spanning, along with boundary spanning intensity and quality. ...
... The boundary spanning approach to information exchange and management views communication among people who do not work together on an everyday basis as spanning the boundaries between communities of practice -groups of people engaged in a joint enterprise and characterized by a shared repertoire of concepts, stories and tools (Wenger, 1998). Boundary spanning is essential for information diffusion, and should be viewed as a key organizational competence (Carlile, 2002;Grant, 1996;Schwab et al., 1985). ...
... Most often, however, boundary spanning process is conceptualized through analysis of boundary spanners' behavior (e.g., Ancona & Cadwell, 1992) and adoption and use of boundary objects. Boundary spanners are people who play an important role in diffusion of ideas within the organization (e.g., Schwab et al., 1985), or "serve as …facilitators in information transmittal between an organization and its environment" (Pawlowski & Robey, 2004, p.648). Boundary objects (BOs) are artifacts, abstract or concrete, that are used on both sides of a spanned boundary to establish shared language and syntax, foster learning about differences and dependencies across boundaries, and facilitate the process of knowledge transfer (Carlile, 2002). ...
... Representation of complex and volatile information on the boundary is essential for knowledge intensive processes such as new product development. It is of little value, however, in stable industries with simple and routine processes (Schwab et al., 1985;Tiwana, 2004). Therefore, the boundary complexity level should be taken into account when defining the approach to boundary spanning, along with boundary spanning intensity and quality. ...
... It is furthermore assumed that school middle managers of this segment perform an important multi-facetted role as boundary spanners (Schwab, Ungson, & Brown, 1985), translators and brokers (J. S. Brown & Duguid, 1998) of conflicting views and interests. ...
... However, most of the reviewed literature on boundary spanning portrays individual agents as boundary spanners. Specifically, the reviewed literature has highlighted the important role boundary spanners play in the internal diffusion of information, knowledge and ideas across organizational boundaries 30 (Schwab et al., 1985). But boundary spanning also encompasses externally oriented activities, such as scanning, mapping and constructing a picture of the environments, including predicting future trouble spots or potential allies (Daft & Weick, 1984). ...
... When an organizational system depends heavily on its technical environments, boundary spanning performed by individuals is a key function for survival, or at least effective adaptive behavior (Schwab et al., 1985). In a market driven environment, individual boundary spanners are important agents through their horizontal relationships with their customers and business allies. ...
... This study evaluates the impacts of perceived environmental uncertainty and intra-individual goal conflict experienced by SOBs' branch managers on the boundary spanning activities and resource orchestration which they do to improve the performance of their branch offices. Several previous studies on this topic have found a link between perceived environmental uncertainty and boundary spanning activities (Leifer and Huber 1977;Leifer and Delbecq 1978;Schwab et al. 1985;At-Twaijri and Montanari, 1987); between perceived environmental uncertainty and resource orchestration (Ahuja and Chan 2017; Badrinarayanan et al. 2018;Choi et al. 2020;Chen and Tian 2022;Temouri et al. 2022); and between resource orchestration and perceived organizational performance (Wales et al. 2013;Miao et al. 2017;Tuo-Chen and Qiao 2017;Peat and Permann-Graham 2020;Kristoffersen et al. 2021). Furthermore, previous studies only examine the indirect impacts of intra-individual goal conflict on boundary spanning activities (Schotter and Beamish 2011), indirect impacts of intraindividual goal conflict on resource orchestration (Omotosho and Anyigba 2019), and indirect impacts of boundary spanning activities on resource orchestration (Merindol and Versailles 2018). ...
... This study confirms that perceived environmental uncertainty (PEUN) has a positive and significant influence on both boundary spanning activities (BSAC) and resource orchestration (ROCR) performed by respondents; the higher the PEUN, the higher both the BSAC and the ROCR. This supports the findings of previous studies from Schwab et al. (1985), Leifer and Delbecq (1978), Leifer and Huber (1977), and At-Twaijri and Montanari (1987), that PEUN has impact on BSAC. The result of this study also supports previous studies from Ahuja and Chan (2017), Badrinarayanan et al. (2018), Choi et al. (2020, Chen and Tian (2022), and Temouri et al. (2022) that PEUN has impact on ROCR. ...
State-owned enterprises have responsibilities to conduct head office’s strategies to make profits, to execute public programs and obligations, to maintain their viabilities, to serve customers, and to manage employees. Those prompt their branch managers not only to explore their environment but also to face a goal conflict situation. This study is to investigate the effects of branch managers’ boundary spanning activities and resource orchestration on the performance of branch offices in the dynamics of environmental uncertainty and goal conflict. This study employs structural equation modeling on one of the most prominent state-owned banks in Indonesia, with 201 branch offices as the unit of analysis, and 186 branch managers as respondents. The results of this study show that boundary spanning activities have a positive and significant relationship with resource orchestration. Meanwhile, both boundary spanning activities and resource orchestration are to influence the performance of branch offices. However, the influence varies widely, depending on environmental uncertainty and goal conflict experienced by branch managers. Furthermore, this study delves into an interesting phenomenon, that goal conflict situation, instead of reducing boundary spanning activities, it increases them but has no impact on resource orchestration. This closely relates to the culture of Indonesia as a nation with high power distance, low individualism, low masculinity, and low indulgence which represent preferences to prioritize workplace harmony, obey supervisors, and be loyal to the workplace.
... Expectations from opposing groups, including standards on how to act, values to express and interests to represent, can lead to conflict for the boundary spanner (Friedman & Podolny, 1992). In a study of boundary spanning in the electronics and wood products industries, Schwab, Ungson and Brown (1985) found that if the interaction with an unpredictable group suddenly became critical to the organization, then the organization would become overly dependent on the boundary spanner who interacts with the uncertain group. This can lead to stress for the person in the boundary-spanning role. ...
... Jemison concluded that, "Boundary spanning units are important in strategic decision making because of their ability to recognize and deal with trends or changes in the environment" (Jemison, 1984, p. 131). Boundary spanners did not have to have high positions within the organizational hierarchy to achieve power (Schwab, Ungson, & Brown, 1985). A reason for this is that most decision makers in organizations have an interest in boundary-spanning activities and may be responsible for boundary spanning as well. ...
... Unlike other theoretical lenses, the boundary spanning conceptual approach allows for comparing or juxtaposing internal and external communication patterns despite their contextual differences. Prior boundary spanning studies focus on communication among organizational subunits (Carlile, 2002;Schwab, Ungson & Brown, 1985), among organizations (Ancona & Caldwell, 1988;Levina, 2005), and among subunits of different organizations (Levina & Vaast, 2005). This flexibility makes the boundary spanning approach a natural selection for my research which is concerned with bridging the patterns of intra-and inter-organizational communication. ...
... The boundary spanning approach to information exchange views communication of people who do not work together on everyday basis as spanning a boundary between communities of practice -groups of people engaged in a joint enterprise and characterized by a shared repertoire of concepts, stories and tools (Wenger, 1998). Specialization creates natural boundaries among such groups; however, spanning these boundaries is essential for information diffusion within an organization, and should be viewed as a key organizational competence (Carlile, 2002;Grant, 1996;Schwab et al., 1985). The success of boundary spanning practices and tools is not inherent in their characteristics but rather in the context when boundary spanning occurs (Levina & Vaast, 2005). ...
... This strategy may be effective because external environmental uncertainty requires that firms respond quickly to unanticipated changes to survive (Lawrence & Lorsch, 1967), especially in situations where traditional bureaucratic controls are inefficient (Ouchi, 1980). Another approach to managing external environmental uncertainty is to increase the interdependence between functions and employees, so the organization can more easily detect and respond to changes in the environment (Maier et al., 1997;Schwab et al., 1985). In both approachesdecentralization of decision-making and increasing interdependency between functions-cooperation among organizational members is critical. ...
... Single Business Concentration (concentration strategy) is a grand strategy in which a firm directs its resources to the profitable growth of a single product, in a single market, with a single dominant technology. 99 It involves focusing on doing better what a company is already doing well. It is realized by using existing strengths in new and productive ways, but without taking the risk of great shifts in direction. ...
... Several factors have been identified as structural conditions that impinge on the ability of those who engage in cross-unit activities. For example, different roles have been identified (Adams 1976;Aldrich and Herker 1976) and much research has been taken up with the means of overcoming the negative influence of role conflicts on the willingness to become and the success of boundary spanners, either designated or in practice (Schwab et al. 1985;Singh & Rhoad 1996;Stamper & Johlke 2003;Montgomery & Oliver 2007). Another structural characteristic that is often debated in the literature is the extent to which boundary spanning is most successfully carried out by those who are formally appointed to document contradictory evidence on how well formal horizontal linking mechanisms work toward overcoming communication barriers. ...
Organization and management scholars have long advocated that efficient use of information is critical for firms to compete successfully in the modern marketplace. This study examines whether the use of managerial cross-unit involvement in an organization enhances managers' propensity to use useful information provided by a functionally related unit in the organization. Senior line managers in a major global bank participated in our study in which they provided information related to their information processing and assessments of the usefulness of corporate audit information. We analyse the effect of line managers' prior involvement with Corporate Audit using Throughput Modeling. This model allows us to understand how line managers' cross-unit involvement influenced the way they process information received from Corporate Audit. Our results show that managers' cross-unit involvement positively influences their assessment of information from Corporate Audit in a way that influences their propensity to use information from that unit. The results indicate that cross-unit involvement is more than an effective means of transmitting information - it can also be used as a means of building boundary-spanning capabilities in managers.
... The boundary spanning theoretical approach allows for comparing or juxtaposing internal and external communication patterns despite contextual differences. Previous studies applied this theoretical perspective to boundaries between organizations (Ancona and Caldwell, 1988;Levina, 2005), organizational subunits (Carlile, 2002;Schwab, Ungson and Brown, 1985), subunits of different organizations (Levina and Vaast, 2005), and a mix of them (Pawlowski and Robey, 2004). This flexibility makes the boundary spanning approach a natural selection for a study considering different types of boundaries simultaneously. ...
... Lastly, salespeople are in a position where they can source relevant information from colleagues who work in relatively isolated departments inside their own organization as well as from external customers. The latter help salespersons imagine the market, conceptualize customer problems that are at the basis of new products, and then market better these new products (Schwab et al., 1985;Achrol and Kotler 1999;Vargo and Lusch 2004). Effectively transferring information from the external environment, such as customers, to internal parties of the firm (e.g. ...
Managers increasingly realize the importance of involving the sales force in new product development. However, despite recent progress, research on the specific role of the sales force in product innovation related activities remains scarce. In particular, the importance of a salespersons’ internal knowledge brokering has been neglected. This study develops and empirically validates the concept of internal knowledge brokering behavior and its effect on selling new products and developing new business, and explores whether a salesperson’s internal brokering qualities are determined by biological traits. The findings reveal that salespeople with the DRD2 A1 gene variant engage at significant lower levels of internal knowledge brokering behavior than salespeople without this gene variant, and as a result are less likely to engage effectively in new product selling. The DRD4 gene variant had no effect on internal knowledge brokering. Management and future research implications are discussed.
... Environment offers possibilities for organizations in the form of resources and markets (e.g., Hodge, Anthony, & Gales, 2003). However, due to its unstable and unpredictable characteristics, it also poses potential threats to the organization's future prosperity and survival (e.g., Schwab, Ungson, & Brown, 1985;Drucker, 1958). Therefore, organization faces many issues related to the environment and the organization itself that influence the compatibility between the environment and the strategy the organization has selected (Zajac, Kraatz, & Bresser, 2000). ...
... Structural control is grounded in control theory (Eisenhardt, 1985;Ouchi, 1979) and helps ensure proper execution of Six Sigma. On the other hand, structural exploration emphasizes boundary-spanning roles (At-Twaijri and Montanari, 1987;Jemison, 1984;Schwab et al., 1985) and communication (Hill and Levenhagen, 1995;Marschan-Piekkari et al., 1999). ...
Six Sigma has been gaining momentum in industry; however, academics have conducted little research on this emerging phenomenon. Understanding Six Sigma first requires providing a conceptual definition and identifying an underlying theory. In this paper we use the grounded theory approach and the scant literature available to propose an initial definition and theory of Six Sigma. Our research argues that although the tools and techniques in Six Sigma are strikingly similar to prior approaches to quality management, it provides an organizational structure not previously seen. This emergent structure for quality management helps organizations more rigorously control process improvement activities, while at the same time creating a context that enables problem exploration between disparate organizational members. Although Six Sigma provides benefits over prior approaches to quality management, it also creates new challenges for researchers and practitioners.
... Several factors have been identified as structural conditions that impinge on the ability of those who engage in cross-unit activities. For example, different roles have been identified (Adams 1976;Aldrich and Herker 1976) and much research has been taken up with the means of overcoming the negative influence of role conflicts on the willingness to become and the success of boundary spanners, either designated or in practice (Schwab et al. 1985;Singh & Rhoad 1996;Stamper & Johlke 2003;Montgomery & Oliver 2007). Another structural characteristic that is often debated in the literature is the extent to which boundary spanning is most successfully carried out by those who are formally appointed to document contradictory evidence on how well formal horizontal linking mechanisms work toward overcoming communication barriers. ...
... To do so the managers and decision-makers require detailed, timely information that allows them to coordinate the flow of activities, at all levels in organization, with an understanding of process dynamics and their relationship to organizational performance. As environmental uncertainty increases, interdependency becomes more important due to increased need for coordination for internal resolutions and the need to link the organization with the key elements in the task environment to detect, bring, and send information about changes in the environment (Maier et al. 1997;Schwab et al. 1985). ...
This theoretical paper focuses on the issue of implementing democratic principles in modern day organizations facing turbulent and changing environments around them. The paper captures the notion of participatory style of management through the construct of organizational democracy. It traces the origin of this construct from theories and philosophies of political democracy. The paper also briefly describes the notion of economic democracy and why it failed to succeed in the face of partial success of political democracy. The underlying question which the paper raises is the role of organization structure and strategic leadership style in the successful implementation of democratic principles in organizations in the face of a turbulent and dynamic environment. The paper also attempts to raise some thought-provoking questions for future research.
... This individual is variously referred to as a cultural liaison (Krishna The concept of boundary spanning has appeared in the management literature for at least 30 years. It can refer to activities across organizational boundaries (Tushman and Scanlan, 1981) or intra-organizational activities, i.e. interactions between sub-units and groups (Schwab et al., 1985;Carlile, 2002). For example, ''informational boundary spanning'' is said to be performed by those well connected externally and internally (Tushman and Scanlan 1981). ...
In achieving success in global sourcing arrangements, the role of a cultural liaison, boundary spanner or transnational intermediary is frequently highlighted as being critical. In this paper, we argue that concepts like "boundary spanning" have been limited in theorizing the complexities of cross-cultural collaborations in offshore outsourcing processes. This paper presents an alternative framework of "creolization" that combines and further extends theoretical understandings of these processes. We investigated 13 companies through 26 in-depth, semi-structured interviews in Xi'an Software Park, an emerging Chinese software and services outsourcing hub. A grounded analysis of the data revealed four conceptual groupings for the practices undertaken at these companies, labeled as boundary spanning, mixed identity, network expansion and cultural hybridity. We posit that the process of creolization supports these practices and furthermore provides a unique basis for strategies positioning cross-cultural work from a supplier's perspective.
... Boundary spanners are members of an organization who coordinate the work among interdependent organizational units and monitor the activities in the external environment (Lawrence and Lorsch, 1976;Schwab et al., 1985;Carlile, 2004). Boundary spanners disseminate information inside and between organizations and act as liaison officers across organizational boundaries. ...
This study applies the concept of organizational boundary to examine how outsourcing and the management of external and internal boundaries of the information technology (IT) function impact IT alignment. The article argues that by decreasing the governance costs for the less strategic IT transactions, IT outsourcing enables the IT function, and IT management particularly, to focus more on aligning the IT activities and plans with business strategies and priorities, and thereby improve IT alignment. This article also suggests that organizations may improve IT alignment by effectively transmitting knowledge and supporting collaboration between IT and business functions through boundary spanning activities and with boundary objects. The concept of organizational boundaries and boundary management has not been explicitly addressed by the existing research on IT alignment. This study also contributes to the IT outsourcing literature by linking outsourcing to improved IT alignment.
IntroductionOne of the principal goals of any health care system is to improve health through the provision of clinical and public health services. Decentralization as a reform measure aims to improve inputs, management processes and health outcomes, and has political, administrative and financial connotations. It is argued that the robustness of a health system in achieving desirable outcomes is contingent upon the width and depth of ‘decision space’ at the local level. Studies have used different approaches to examine one or more facets of decentralization and its effect on health system functioning; however, lack of consensus on an acceptable framework is a critical gap in determining its quantum and quality. Theorists have resorted to concepts of ‘trust’, ‘convenience’ and ‘mutual benefits’ to explain, define and measure components of governance in health. In the emerging ‘continuum of health services’ model, the challenge lies in identifying variables of performance (fiscal allocation, autonomy at local level, perception of key stakeholders, service delivery outputs, etc.) through the prism of decentralization in the first place, and in establishing directed relationships among them. Methods
This focused review paper conducted extensive web-based literature search, using PubMed and Google Scholar search engines. After screening of key words and study objectives, we retrieved 180 articles for next round of screening. One hundred and four full articles (three working papers and 101 published papers) were reviewed in totality. We attempted to summarize existing literature on decentralization and health systems performance, explain key concepts and essential variables, and develop a framework for further scientific scrutiny. Themes are presented in three separate segments of dimensions, difficulties and derivatives. ResultsEvaluation of local decision making and its effect on health system performance has been studied in a compartmentalized manner. There is sparse evidence about innovations attributable to decentralization. We observed that in India, there is very scant evaluative study on the subject. We didn’t come across a single study examining the perception and experiences of local decision makers about the opportunities and challenges they faced. The existing body of evidences may be inadequate to feed into sound policy making. The principles of management hinge on measurement of inputs, processes and outputs. In the conceptual framework we propose three levels of functions (health systems functions, management functions and measurement functions) being intricately related to inputs, processes and outputs. Each level of function encompasses essential elements derived from the synthesis of information gathered through literature review and non-participant observation. We observed that it is difficult to quantify characteristics of governance at institutional, system and individual levels except through proxy means. Conclusion
There is an urgent need to sensitize governments and academia about how best more objective evaluation of ‘shared governance’ can be undertaken to benefit policy making. The future direction of enquiry should focus on context-specific evidence of its effect on the entire spectrum of health system, with special emphasis on efficiency, community participation, human resource management and quality of services.
We describe changes in the design of job-based alcoholism programs between 1972 and 1980, and discuss the influences of professional organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous, the National Council on Alcoholism, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the Association of Labor-Management Administrators and Consultants on Alcoholism on program models. Interorganizational relations and program evolution are analyzed using a social movements perspective. Job-based programs enjoyed rapid growth, acceptance and institutionalization in the seventies. However, changes in organizational goals, practitioner orientations, and workplace strategies indicate that the modern antialcoholism movement's goals were displaced by those promoting job-based programs during this period. © 1995, Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. All rights reserved.
Without the development and reflection of communication capabilities, students leave academic institutions illprepared to understand how "their implicit assumptions, beliefs, attitudes, preferences, and organizational interests influence their thinking, decisions and actions." This article recommends the use of action learning coupled with a pragma-dialectical approach to debate in order to expand students' boundary spanning communications and to develop necessary competencies to address real problems and issues. Building upon Revans' (1998) sketches of action learning and Mumford's alternative conceptualization, students: (a) regard the parameters of learning as continuous, (b) understand the urgency with which taken-for-granted communication practices are addressed through reflection, and (c) accept the transformation that occurs when individual and group communications are enhanced.
Bu makalede sosyal bilimlerde sıkça konu edilen “sınır kapsamı” rolü ele alınmıştır. Yabancı kaynaklarda sınır kapsamı rolü hakkında çalışmalar olduğu halde ülkemizde konunun nadir bir şekilde dikkate alındığı ve sadece bir ders konusu olarak kısaca anlatıldığı görülmüştür. Bu makale ile sınır kapsamı rolü hakkında daha detaylı bilgi verilmesi amaçlanmaktadır.
The underlying theoretical argument in this article views municipal school superintendents in the Nordic context as middle managers in organizational theory terminology. Empirical support for this discussion emerges from national data collected among Norwegian school superintendents in 2009. Findings show that the actual work and leadership functions of Norwegian school superintendents match theoretical properties of middle managers fairly well. Findings also suggest school superintendents actively mediate tensions embedded in the current Norwegian educational policy stream. Specifically, central aims derived from accountability discourse are filtered out and translated into traditional school-development and pedagogical-leadership discourse at the local managerial level.
In achieving success in global sourcing arrangements, the role of a cultural liaison, boundary spanner or transnational intermediary is frequently highlighted as being critical. This paper critiques, builds upon and synthesizes relevant streams of ideas in relation to boundary-spanning and cross-cultural management across a number of disciplines, and constructs a multi-layered creolization framework, encompassing processes at the individual, intra- and inter-organizational and inter-national levels which, we argue, are entangled and interrelated. Viewed as a vital and innovative phenomenon, creolization embodies the interactive, contentious and creative processes of network expansion, mutual sensemaking, cultural hybridity and identity multiplicity. Qualitative empirical data from the software and services outsourcing industry in Northwest China is used to demonstrate the complexity of cross-cultural practices in offshore collaborations and illustrate creolization processes. Potentials for theoretical development are outlined and implications for cross-cultural practices are discussed.
In this study of the business communication that connects an organization with others in its environment, we link boundary spanning with network theory and propose the concept of an extended network of communication. This extended net work is the structure of business communication which flows in work-related ties that organization members maintain both within the organization and across its boundary. We study the relationship between boundary-spanning communication and individual influence in a network with 108 organizational members. We find that boundary spanning correlates with influence, regardless of hierarchical level. There is also a curvilinear relationship between boundary-spanning communication and individual influence. Thus, managers need to balance their communication within and across the organizational boundary.
This research report compares three differing explanations of the dynamic interre lationships between internal and external innovation-related communication in a new organizational form. In the functional specialization explanation, individuals are said to focus on the mix of internal and/or external communication dictated by their formal positions. The communication stars explanation suggests that indi viduals maintain similar levels of communication in both networks. The cyclical model posits a more dynamic pattern that shifts back and forth between internal and external communication, depending on the consequences of their prior commu nication behavior. The new organizational form examined for three years was the Cancer Information Service, a geographically dispersed federal government health information program. Our results indicated that there was a lagged effect for the communication stars explanation.
This paper develops and tests a theoretical model of the relationships among environmental interdependence, environmental uncertainty, and boundary-spanning activities. Drawing from the strategic choice literature, a decision variable labeled influence on organizational decision was incorporated as a moderator. Results supported the environmental interdependence-environmental uncertainty-boundary-spanning activities relationships, but the individual influence variable failed to emerge as a moderator.
This study applies the boundary spanning theoretical perspective to a client behavior during outsourced IS development projects. Previous research shows the importance of internal communication in an organization when it adopts an integrated IS. It also points to the importance of managing communication with outsourcing vendor. The proposed research makes a unique contribution to the literature by investigating the connection between these two types of communication. The two main questions of the study are how a boundary spanning culture in an organization affects internal and external boundary spanning during an outsourced project, and if a client’s boundary spanning contributes to success of the outsourced project by improving the quality of relationship. Survey based data collection contributes to the methodology of boundary spanning research, which was previously based exclusively on qualitative analysis. Uncovering the implications of client boundary spanning capabilities for outsourcing relationship management will be of significant value for practitioners.
Value-based management focuses the efforts of individuals and managers on the creation of value. Starts with an analysis of the literature on general management and materials management and then extends that analysis to the concept of the value system. Identifies particular management variables which are key to efforts in creating value, e.g. organization structure and hierarchy, centralization, information systems, external relationships, job responsibilities and formalization, performance measurement system, and education and training. Groups these into two broad areas: organization design; and human resource management practices. Collectively these variables form the framework for value-based management. Describes the nature of these variables in both a traditional, function-based organization and the more contemporary value-based organization. Applies the value-based framework to procurement, identifying those actions needed by managers in the transition of the efforts of procurement individuals towards the creation of value.
The concept of value management is becoming quite prevalent in industry. Despite this popularity, there is little evidence of the development of accompanying theory in the literature. Without theory development, it is difficult to identify specific hypotheses and propositions which can be tested, resulting in research that lacks focus and is perhaps irrelevant. This paper begins the development of a theory of value management. It uses the literature base and practices of industry to articulate and describe a conceptual system underlying value management. Based on the framework, implications are presented for practice and research.
Managing a complex, boundary-spanning function to maximize its
contribution to the firm can be a challenging task. This research is
concerned with providing management with increased understanding of the
effects of different ways of managing a function, especially a
significant boundary-spanning operation. Conducted in the context of a
procurement function, through a laboratory experiment, explores the
impact of performance measures, interaction with other internal
organizations and access to information about external events on an
individual's decision making and “comfort level”. Results indicate that
the performance measurement system determines an individual's
decision-making performance. The broader, more effectiveness-oriented
measures also tend to make the individuals more confident and satisfied
with their operating environment and decisions. The availability of
interaction with other internal organizations and the access to
information about external events impact on an individual's decisions
but have relatively little effect on his/her comfort level.
Self-assessment is increasingly prevalent in many organizations. Although managers perceive self-assessment as internally driven, the well-known link between organizational activities and the external environment suggests that outside forces play a significant role. This investigation explores the external motivators of self-assessment through a field study of 14 organizations. Five factors were found to link the conduct of self-assessment to the external environment: availability of an externally developed or sponsored model, presence of a boundary spanning individual, affiliation with professional and trade associations, pressure from powerful external entities, and potential for external reward or recognition. These findings suggest that self-assessment is driven significantly by forces external to the organization. How these external factors combine to form the context of self-assessment may affect the outcomes of the project.
As the marketplace becomes more competitive, the concept of “value” is receiving increased attention. Firms are attempting to increase the value of their products and services and reduce the nonvalue-added activities, both in terms of number and cost. One function that has a tremendous impact on these efforts is purchasing. Purchasing, being a boundary spanning function, has the opportunity to increase value through two major linkages: internal interactions and external involvement.
Value-based purchasing focuses the decisions of purchasing professionals on the creation of value rather than on the traditional objectives of cost savings and efficiency. To develop and maintain this focus, the function's internal operating environment must support and enhance these efforts. Organizational variables like the performance measurement system, the extent of functional interaction, and access to external information affect value-based purchasing. This article, through empirical data from 21 firms in diverse industries, examines the readiness of the current organizational environment, in terms of these three critical variables, for successful implementation of value-based purchasing. Based on the findings, recommendations for managers are provided.
Extant research has identified a broad set of antecedents of innovativeness, with the assumption that maximizing as many of
them as possible leads to sustained innovativeness. However, companies usually face resource constraints and therefore must
strive to identify and combine the most important drivers of superior innovativeness effectively. This research addresses
this practical challenge by identifying typical patterns of innovation orientation and their associated performance outcomes.
Drawing on configuration and boundary theory, the authors develop a framework and hypotheses, then use data from marketing
managers, R&D managers, and customers to identify four patterns: integrated innovators, internally driven preservers, proactive
customer-oriented innovators, and top-down innovators. The empirical results reveal performance differences across these patterns.
An integrated approach leads to the highest innovativeness scores, but proactive customer-oriented innovators and top-down
innovators enjoy the greatest financial success.
KeywordsInnovation orientation–Taxonomy–New product program innovativeness–Configuration theory–Boundary theory
This interpretive case study examines knowledge brokering as an aspect of the work of information technology professionals. The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand knowledge brokering from the perspective of IT professionals as they reflect upon their work practice. As knowledge brokers, IT professionals see themselves as facilitating the flow of knowledge about both IT and business practices across the boundaries that separate work units within organizations. A qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with 23 IT professionals and business users in a large manufacturing and distribution company is summarized in a conceptual framework showing the conditions, practices, and consequences of knowledge brokering by IT professionals. The framework suggests that brokering practices are conditioned by structural conditions, including decentralization and a federated IT management organization, and by technical conditions, specifically shared IT systems that serve as boundary objects. Brokering practices include gaining permission to cross organizational boundaries, surfacing and challenging assumptions made by IT users, translation and interpretation, and relinquishing ownership of knowledge. Consequences of brokering are the transfer of both business and IT knowledge across units in the organization.
oday, more than ever before, organizations are faced with the task of processing volumes of information under more uncertain and more competitive environments. This study investigates the impact of envi- ronmental uncertainty and task characteristics on user satisfaction with data by using IS and organizational theories. Responses were matched from 77 CEOs and 166 senior managers, who were end users of IS. The partial least squares technique indicated that environmental uncertainty has a positive impact on task character- istics. Task characteristics have a direct and mediating impact on user satisfaction with data. Our findings also demonstrated that user satisfaction with data could be better understood by overlapping IS and organizational theories, rather than by treating the subject matter in disjoint fields. The paper concludes with discussions and implications for researchers and practitioners.
This paper differs from previous examinations of organizational learning in that it is broader in scope and more evaluative of the literatures. Four constructs related to organizational learning (knowledge acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation, and organizational memory) are articulated, and the literatures related to each are described and critiqued.
The literature on knowledge acquisition is voluminous and multi-faceted, and so the knowledge acquisition construct is portrayed here as consisting of five subconstructs or subprocesses: (1) drawing on knowledge available at the organization's birth, (2) learning from experience, (3) learning by observing other organizations, (4) grafting on to itself components that possess knowledge needed but not possessed by the organization, and (5) noticing or searching for information about the organization's environment and performance. Examination of the related literatures indicates that much has been learned about learning from experience, but also that there is a lack of cumulative work and a lack of integration of work from different research groups. Similarly, much has been learned about organizational search, but there is a lack of conceptual work, and there is a lack of both cumulative work and syntheses with which to create a more mature literature. Congenital learning, vicarious learning, and grafting are information acquisition subprocesses about which relatively little has been learned.
The literature concerning information distribution is rich and mature, but an aspect of information distribution that is central to an organization's benefitting from its learning, namely how units that possess information and units that need this information can find each other quickly and with a high likelihood, is unexplored. Information interpretation, as an organizational process, rather than an individual process, requires empirical work for further advancement. Organizational memory is much in need of systematic investigation, particularly by those whose special concerns are improving organizational learning and decision making.
Keywords: Boundary Role, Boundary Spanners, Empirical Study, Boundary Spanning, Individual, Technology Champion, Inter-organizational Relationships. Thesis (Ph. D.)--North Carolina State University. Includes bibliographical references (p. 160-168). Includes vita.
Twenty-two decision groups in three manufacturing and three research and development organizations are studied to identify the characteristics of the environment that contribute to decision unit members experiencing uncertainty in decision making. Two dimensions of the environment are identified. The simple-complex dimension is defined as the number of factors taken into consideration in decision making. The static-dynamic dimension is viewed as the degree to which these factors in the decision unit's environment remain basically the same over time or are in a continual process of change. Results indicate that individuals in decision units with dynamic-complex environments experience the greatest amount of uncertainty in decision making. The data also indicate that the static-dynamic dimension of the environment is a more important contributor to uncertainty than the simple-complex dimension.
Boundary-spanning activity is conceived of as an intervening variable between organization structure and perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU). This is due primarily because, since boundary spanners operate at the skin of the organization, their functions are to interpret environmental conditions and relay that information to organization decision makers. Three hypotheses examining relations between PEU, organization structure, and boundary-spanning activity were investigated. In a field study comprising 12 work units (182 people) working in a health and welfare organization, positive relations were found between all three variables. Partial relations indicated that PEU does not influence the relationship of boundary spanning to structure but structure reduces the relationship of PEU to boundary spanning to zero, and boundary spanning reduces the relationship between structure and PEU to zero. Thus, not only is the notion of boundary spanning as an intervening variable supported, but results suggest that causality in the relationship between structure and PEU may be from structure to PEU rather than current contingency notions of PEU affecting structure.
This paper presents a level-specific analysis of the dispersion of influence in administrative bureaucracies of 44 Belgian cities. A distinction was drawn between process and structure, and the effect of various structural and process constraints on the influence of middle and lower echelons was examined. It was found that the effects of process and structure on influence in decision making were not consistent across organizational levels.
Aspects of organizational context that have been held to be relevant to organizational structure were examined. Seven primary concepts of organizational context, viz.: origin and history, ownership and control, size, charter, technology, location and dependence on other organizations, were analyzed and operationally defined scales constructed. These were used as independent variables in a multivariate regression analysis to predict three underlying dimensions of organization structure previously established. The size of the correlations obtained on a sample of 46 organizations in the English Midlands (0.75 with structuring of activities using size and technology as predictors; 0.75 with concentration of authority using dependence and location as predictors; 0.57 with line control of workflow, using the operating variability scale of charter as a predictor) indicates that these aspects of context are salient for structure. The framework of contextual and structural variables is seen as making possible processual studies on a much more rigorous comparative basis than before.
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Studied the effects of environmental uncertainty on different types of decision-making structures in 22 decision units in 3 manufacturing and 3 research-and-development organizations. Evaluations were made with Likert-type scales. Results indicate the existence of differences in decision-unit organization for making routine and nonroutine decisions under differing conditions of perceived uncertainty and perceived environmental influence in decision-making. There was a high correlation of the differences between the decision unit's routine and nonroutine decision profiles and the decision unit's effectiveness. As perceived uncertainty increased and perceived influence over the environment decreased, there were high correlations between the 2 profile difference measures and the dimensions of decision unit effectiveness. This confirms contingency theories of organization, indicating that different types of organizational structures are appropriate for different types of situations. Results also show that the same decision unit implemented different organizational structures, and that these differences in structure were, particularly under conditions of high uncertainty, related to the decision unit's effectiveness. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)