abstract:In social sciences research on commercial R&D laboratories, boundary spanning is a term to describe individuals within an innovation system who have, or adopt, the role of linking the organization's internal networks with external sources of information. While the term was coined by Tushman, the concept was being developed by social scientists from the late 1950's onwards.
As my colleague Chris Ernst, co-author of the recent book BoundarySpanning Leadership, has found in his work, game-changing, sustained innovation won't happen until an organization's entire workforce starts pooling its talents.