Boundary Spanning

Boundary spanning is a communication activity by which individuals connect an organization to its environment. This construct has enjoyed a long history of exploration from various theoretical and methodological approaches. Historically, researchers utilized network analysis and quantitative measures to examine boundary spanning. This research focused on the network position of an individual, and characterized boundary spanners as experts who collected information from the external environment and disseminated this information internally. Since the 1970s there has been an increase in the creation and participation in new interorganizational relationships (IORs) including boundary organizations , which serve as contemporary spaces for boundary spanners to connect organizations to the environment and collectively solve complex problems. Current research in organizational communication utilizes qualitative and dialogic approaches to extend what is known about boundary spanning. This research develops the roles boundary spanners play and the different discourses that sustain these interorganizational spaces as interorganizational collaboration (IOC).