Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to defining the concepts of boundary spanner, gatekeeper and knowledge broker. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature covering more than 100 sources. Findings – A review of past research leads to proposing a set of new definitions and also to the detection of six research avenues. Originality/value – The ability of organizations to recognize, source and integrate key information or knowledge is important for their strategy, innovation and performance over time. Three types of individuals have information gathering and knowledge dissemination roles at the frontier of organizations and groups: boundary spanners, gatekeepers and knowledge brokers. Although research on these individuals is well-developed, we found that in practice, the definitions of the concepts overlap and still need a clarification. So far, no systematic comparison of these roles has been undertaken.

Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) foster learning and knowledge sharing between employees. However, many virtual communities of practice fail due to the lack of engagement of collaborators. Employees often claim that they do not have time for such communities. This paper investigates determinants of engagement in virtual communities of practice. Based on a rare survey of members of VCoPs at Schneider Electric, a multinational company of 137 000 employees, this research highlights the relations between job engagement, the perceived value of virtual communities of practice by members, and engagement in VCoPs. As such, respondents report higher levels of engagement in virtual communities of practice as their engagement in their job increases. Further, the perceived value of VCoPs mediates partially the relation between job engagement and engagement in VCoPs. These results lead to solutions for managers to implement, to increase the engagement of collaborators in virtual communities of practice.

Cet article propose un cadre de référence avec des pistes d’action pour mettre en oeuvre les politiques de diversité des organisations. Un retour sur l’émergence et l’évolution du concept de diversité, aux Etats-Unis et en France, permet d’illustrer la contingence contextuelle de la notion, les tensions suscitées par son exportation, mais également les problématiques communes. A partir d’une analyse de la littérature sur les pratiques de diversité en France, nous proposons une typologie du management de la diversité en trois volets : (i) la lutte contre les discriminations, (ii) la valorisation des différences, et (iii) le renforcement du collectif sous une identité commune.

Diversity managers bear the responsibility of developing and implementing diversity policies. Despite advances in the legislation to fight discrimination, they often encounter resistance and need to generate change and to influence behaviors in the firm. Hence, they develop strategies to implement diversity within the organization. Based on the structuration approach developed by Giddens, and Barley and Tolbert, this research examines the discourse of diversity managers to generate change and institutionalize diversity. Based on a series of 37 in-depth interviews with diversity managers and experts in France, we identified eight scripts for diversity management in organizations. Whereas some scripts have the potential to generate change, others foster a “business as usual” vision of diversity and are in fact non-diversity scripts. This research sheds light on the role of discourse in promoting diversity in firms. To disrupt organizational practices, discourse needs to unveil hidden prejudice, and to be embedded in legislation, time, and space.