Who are boundary spanners and how can we support them in making knowledge more actionable in sustainability fields?

Goodrich, Kristen A.; Sjostrom, Kathryn Dana; Vaughan, Catherine; Nichols, Leah; Bednarek, Angela T.; Lemos, Maria Carmen

doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2020.01.001

Cited by 97 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…This commitment to bring the science of the Sargasso Sea to the table as the basis for all its work appears to meet the criteria for what has become known as "boundary spanning" (Goodrich et al, 2020) and has led commentators to suggest that the Commission can be seen as a boundary spanning organization (Mahon and Fanning, 2021). In 2017 it was suggested that ".…”

Section: A New Paradigm For High Seas Conservation?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sargasso Sea Commission: An Evolving New Paradigm for High Seas Ecosystem Governance?

Freestone

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The Sargasso Sea is to be found within the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. Its borders are the major ocean currents. These boundaries shift with these currents, but there is a core area that covers approximately 2 million square nautical miles situated around the Bermuda archipelago, the majority of which is beyond the national jurisdiction of any State. Ten governments have now signed the 2014 Hamilton Declaration on Collaboration for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea, which mandated the Government of Bermuda to appoint the members of the Sargasso Sea Commission—the first such body to take on a stewardship role for a high seas ecosystem. The Commission has committed to working with the existing international organizations with jurisdictional competences over a myriad of high seas activities. This paper will examine the work of the Commission and lessons learned over the past decade; it will discuss its possible role as a “boundary spanning” organization and look forward to its future in the light of recent grants from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Fonds Francais pour l’Environnement Mondial (FFEM).

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Section: A New Paradigm For High Seas Conservation?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sargasso Sea Commission: An Evolving New Paradigm for High Seas Ecosystem Governance?

Freestone

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Activities to span, draw or challenge boundaries in integrative processes, and their effects, identified in previous literature Spanning Developing more dense relationship and shared meanings Communication and relationship building by boundary spanners who identify needs and facilitate shared problems and solutions (Klerkx, Aarts, and Leeuwis 2010;Tushman and Scanlan 1981;Williams 2002, Goodrich et al 2020.…”

Section: Main Type Of Action Subtypementioning

confidence: 99%

Managing boundaries over time in integrative planning processes. A process analysis of boundary work in two cases of multifunctional land use

Broekhoven

Boons²

2021

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management

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“…They should be visionaries and frontrunners, openminded and able to look beyond their own domain or working area. Such individuals are essentially boundary spanners-individuals with specific relational skills and competences to bridge diverging perspectives as well as facilitate the dissemination and integration of new information and knowledge into an organization [10][11][12][13][14]. Being a boundary spanner also entails navigating power dynamics in managing complexity, understanding motives, roles and responsibilities in "the big picture", having insights into organizational strategies Sustainability 2021, 13, 8073 2 of 17 and visions, as well as knowing how and who to influence in order to obtain authority and legitimacy to drive change in an organizational context [10,11,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As more and more organizations recognize the importance of sustainability transitions, there will be a large demand for skilled individuals capable of engaging in such processes [11]. Whether they span internal or external boundaries of the organization, such individuals become critical change agents in organizations [16] and essential in preparing the organization for sustainability transitions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whether they span internal or external boundaries of the organization, such individuals become critical change agents in organizations [16] and essential in preparing the organization for sustainability transitions. As proposed by Smink, Negro [17] and Goodrich, Sjostrom [11], further research into boundary spanners' activities, skills, and training is warranted because it can increase organizations' capability to create and exploit transition opportunities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preparing an Organization for Sustainability Transitions—The Making of Boundary Spanners through Design Training

Yström

Agogué

Rampa³

2021

Sustainability

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Organizations today need to adapt their operations for a more sustainable future, and the transition management literature has highlighted the need for individuals who can collaborate with others to find new paths forward. Essentially, these individuals are boundary spanners with specific skills and competences to bridge diverging perspectives and facilitate knowledge dissemination and integration. Such individuals become critical change agents in organizations and essential in preparing the organization for sustainability transitions. The purpose of this study is to explore how organizations can enable and encourage individuals to take on this role and develop the skills and competences needed to become boundary spanners. Based on a case study set in a large Canadian energy corporation striving to shift towards more sustainable operations, our paper explores the emergence of boundary spanners, focusing on the effects of a design training program in supporting such roles in the organization. Our findings outline essential characteristics of boundary spanners; through illustrative career trajectories of four individuals participating in the training program, we show how the training program contributed to the emergence of boundary spanners.

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Who are boundary spanners and how can we support them in making knowledge more actionable in sustainability fields?

Cited by 97 publications

References 48 publications

The Sargasso Sea Commission: An Evolving New Paradigm for High Seas Ecosystem Governance?

The Sargasso Sea Commission: An Evolving New Paradigm for High Seas Ecosystem Governance?

Managing boundaries over time in integrative planning processes. A process analysis of boundary work in two cases of multifunctional land use

Preparing an Organization for Sustainability Transitions—The Making of Boundary Spanners through Design Training

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