Understanding brokers, intermediaries, and boundary spanners: a multi-sectoral review of strategies, skills, and outcomes

Abstract

Background: Brokers, intermediaries, and boundary spanners (BIBS) bridge research and policy or practice, and can elevate the role of evidence in decision making. However, there is limited integration of the literature across different sectors to understand the strategies that BIBS use, the skills needed to carry out these strategies, and the expected outcomes of these strategies.Aims and objectives: In this review, we characterise the strategies, skills, and outcomes of BIBS across the literature in education, environmental, health and other relevant sectors.Methods: We included 185 conceptual and review papers written in English that included descriptions or conceptualisations of BIBS in the context of knowledge transfer or research use in the education, environmental, health, or other relevant sectors (for example, social services, international development). For each included paper, we extracted and coded information on sector, BIBS strategies, skills, and outcomes.Findings: Our review revealed five strategies used by BIBS that were emphasised in the literature. Specifically, 79.5% of papers mentioned facilitating relationships, 75.7% mentioned disseminating evidence, 56.8% mentioned finding alignment, 48.6% mentioned capacity building, and 37.3% mentioned advising decisions as strategies used by BIBS. Additionally, papers described skills and expected outcomes that were common across these strategies as well as those that were unique to specific strategies.Discussion and conclusions: We discuss implications of these findings for understanding how BIBS interface with knowledge users and producers as well as directions for future research on BIBS and the professionalisation of BIBS roles.<br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>The literature describes five key strategies used by brokers, intermediaries, and boundary spanners.</li><br /><li>Facilitating relationships and disseminating evidence are the most common strategies described.</li><br /><li>Common skills include clear communication and expertise in research, policy, and change processes.</li><br /><li>Common outcomes include increased research uptake, awareness of user needs, and knowledge exchange.</li></ul>

Learning at the Boundaries of Research and Practice: A Framework for Understanding Research–Practice Partnerships

“…In an RPP, this might entail a researcher going to a community center to meet with families or a district leader preparing for a presentation at an academic conference (Wentworth et al, 2021). Individuals who move across boundaries and facilitate connections between groups are called boundary spanners or brokers (Neal et al, 2021;Weber & Yanovitzky, 2021). Within a partnership, certain individuals may emerge or be formally designated for the role (Levina & Vaast, 2005).…”

Using Leadership Coaching to Strengthen the Developmental Opportunity of the Clinical Experience for Aspiring Principals: The Importance of Brokering and Third-Party Influence

“…To explore how university-based leadership coaches worked to promote the developmental opportunity of the clinical experience, we initially draw attention to the multi-faceted nature of the PPP learning-oriented social system, which includes two distinct and largely disconnected contexts-the academic and clinical settings. This attention led us to consider brokerage and brokering theory (Neal et al, 2021;Rodway et al, 2021;Stovel & Shaw, 2012) as conceptual tools. The introduction of a leadership coach as a support to the clinical experience also invites attention to the social network that is created by the aspirant, mentor principal, and coach.…”

“…Brokerage is a relevant conceptual tool for considering bridges between settings, groups, or individuals that have weak connections or where disconnection exists. The literature on brokerage (Neal et al, 2021;Rodway et al, 2021;Stovel & Shaw, 2012) refers to such disconnections as "holes" (Burt, 2000(Burt, , 2001(Burt, , 2007Quintane & Carnabuci, 2016), and draws attention to individuals who occupy a bridging or boundary spanning position in these types of circumstances (Honig, 2006;Wegemer & Renick, 2021). Additionally, brokers are conceptualized as individuals who engage in behaviors to link disconnected individuals, groups, or organizations (Scott, 2000).…”

Transforming place-based management within watersheds in Fiji: the Watershed Interventions for Systems Health project

“…This type of cross-sector coordination and collaboration can improve efficiency of resource allocation and minimize implementation of actions that too narrowly focus on single-sector strategic objectives at the expense of overall systems health [34,75]. Such brokering, intermediary and boundary spanning roles are increasingly recognized as essential components of successful interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration [76].…”