Boundary Spanners

Boundary spanners are professionals who work across departments, organizations, and disciplines. They connect people and ideas at the edges of existing structures and play a key role in mission-driven innovation. By breaking through silos, they enable collaboration in places where it doesn’t naturally occur – essential when addressing complex societal challenges.

At the same time, research shows that boundary spanners often face tensions and a lack of recognition in their roles. Within organizations, they frequently lack the support, clarity, or space to operate effectively. This not only limits their individual impact but also the organization’s overall capacity for innovation.

This project explored how boundary spanners can be better supported. Using participatory action research, researchers and boundary spanners worked together to strengthen the role. Participants were actively involved in designing the research, collecting data, and analysing the results. This created a reflective learning process that generated not only new knowledge, but also insights into structural improvements within organizations.

Want to learn more about this project? Read more here.

€50,000,- will be used as a PPP program grant.