The Competent Boundary Spanner

TLDR

Inter‑organizational frameworks dominate the resolution of complex societal problems, yet the discourse focuses on institutions while overlooking the pivotal role of individual boundary‑spanning actors. This paper seeks to redress that imbalance by examining the skills, competencies, and behaviors of boundary spanners. The authors conduct a critical literature review and supplement it with empirical research involving surveys and in‑depth interviews of specific boundary‑spanner groups. The discussion links the literature and empirical results, highlighting implications and proposing future research directions.

Abstract

Inter‐organizational frameworks of intervention dominate the resolution of complex societal problems facing the UK and many other countries. Strategic alliances, joint working arrangements, networks, partnerships and many other forms of collaboration across sectoral and organizational boundaries currently proliferate across the policy landscape. However, the discourse is positioned at an institutional and organizational level, and comparatively little attention is accorded to the pivotal role of individual actors in the management of inter‐organizational relationships. This paper attempts to redress this balance by focusing on the skills, competencies and behaviour of boundary spanners. A critical review of the relevant literature, both from an institutional and relational perspective, is undertaken. This is complemented by some new empirical research that involves an engagement with groups of particular types of boundary spanner using a combination of surveys and in‐depth interviews. Finally, a discussion makes connections between the existing literature and the research findings and offers suggestions for future areas of enquiry.