External Communication and Project Performance: An Investigation into the Role of Gatekeepers

TLDR

Research indicates that certain boundary spanning individuals, labelled gatekeepers, can be an important linking mechanism between organizations and their external environments. The study investigates how gatekeepers affect information transfer in a single R&D setting by comparing project groups with and without them. The study compares the performance of project groups with and without gatekeepers to assess gatekeeper influence. Gatekeepers link only locally oriented projects, while universally oriented tasks are best linked by direct member communication; gatekeepers also facilitate local colleagues’ external communication, and the relative effectiveness of direct versus mediated contact depends on project nature.

Abstract

Research indicates that certain boundary spanning individuals, labelled gatekeepers, can be an important linking mechanism between organizations and their external environments. This study investigates the role of gatekeepers in the transfer of information in a single R&D setting by comparing directly the performance of project groups with and without gatekeepers. Results indicate that gatekeepers perform a linking role only for projects performing tasks that are locally oriented, while universally oriented tasks were most effectively linked to external areas by direct project member communication. Evidence also suggests that gatekeepers do more than mediate external information; they appear to facilitate the external communication of their more local project colleagues. Direct contact and contact mediated by gatekeepers, then, are two contrasting ways to link project groups with their external areas. The relative effectiveness of these linking mechanisms is contingent on the nature of the project's work.