Increasing dynamicity of global business environment necessitates the adoption of boundary spanning in order for an organization to survive global competitiveness. This essay aims to identify personal characteristics that an invidividual should bring in order to realize a successful boundary spanner in a multinational team.
In the study, it was noted that the task for boundary spanners is to bridge intergroup challenges facing organizations by establishing sharing ties between different groups in order to enable the flow of knowledge, information, resources and people. The boundary spanning activities thus enables an organization to achieve a common team spirit and hence ensures efficient and effective work flow. To effectively achieve boundary spanners‘ role, an individual should possess negotiation skills, mediation skills, assimilation skills, coaching and institutional engagement skills. The person should further possess personal qualities of imagination, empathy, optimism and modesty are more likely to be successful at acquiring the skill sets required for a successful boundary spanning. Tactics for boundary spanning leadership that needs to be considered for a successful boundary spanning include: boundary suspending, boundary reframing, boundary nesting, and weaving tactic. The leadership behaviour for boundary spanning should create and maintain favourable relationships with not only the peers but also with the superiors and outsiders who provide information, political support, and resources. The leaders need to be influential to get essential resources and support from key management. They need to have good negotiation skills. The leaders should further be sensitive to changes in the external environment by analysing information concerning relevant events and changes within the external surroundings of an organization. The study noted that one of the key sources of information exchange and communication is boundary spanners, which usually find much relevance in culturally distant marketplaces. However, one of the challenges is that their performance may be hard to measure, and the process may need much time and resources. At times, the boundary spanners from opposite ends may fail to reach a consensus after long time engagements in networking, external watching, and representing.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Literature Review
2.1 The Role of Boundary Spanner
2.2 The impacts of boundary spanning leadership on the team success
2.2.1 Boundary Spanning Leadership towards Enhanced Team Performance
2.2.2 Establishing social bridges to improve team success
2.2.2.1 Create a third Space
2.2.2.2 Activate a Shared Identity
2.2.2.3 Embed Groups within Larger Organizational Whole
2.2.2.4 Weave: Cross-Cut Roles and Identity
2.3 Boundary spanning Behaviours of leaders
2.3.1 Buffering
2.3.2 Collaborating
2.3.3 Representing
2.3.4 Negotiating
2.3.5 External Monitoring
2.3.6 Personal characteristics of Boundary Spanner Leaders
2.4 Good Communication in Boundary Spanning
3 Discussion
4 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis aims to identify the essential personal characteristics and leadership behaviors required for a successful boundary spanner within a multinational team context. The research explores how individuals can effectively bridge intergroup challenges to facilitate the flow of knowledge, resources, and communication, ultimately ensuring efficient team performance in dynamic global environments.
- The role of boundary spanners in multinational organizations.
- Leadership tactics for bridging social identity boundaries (suspending, reframing, nesting, and weaving).
- External boundary spanning behaviors including networking, monitoring, and representing.
- The impact of individual personal qualities such as emotional intelligence and adaptability on successful performance.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.2.1 Create a third Space
The approach of boundary suspending strives to create a neutral zone where social interactions are person-based rather than identity group-based (Bourgeois, 1985, p.548). The suspending tactic is regarded as de-categorization due to the emphasis on individuals rather than social categories (Bourgeois, 1985, p.550). The tactic is meant to create a third space in the suspended neutral zone. In this zone, leaders should expect increased development of personal relationships, surfacing of assumptions, safe exploration of values, and emergence of new language. This space can be physical, virtual or mental (Bourgeois, 1985, p.551). In the physical context, it is important to establish office and encourage dispersed business space (Bourgeois, 1985, p.551). In the virtual context, suspending boundary requires leaders to establish interaction email and teleconference. The suspending space can be mental, which requires leaders to encourage exchange of shared experiences, ideals, and ideas (Bourgeois, 1985, p.554).
In the views of Ancona and Caldwell (1992, p.634), spanning entrenched social identity boundaries is something that few leaders have been trained to do and yet it is an integral aspect of their leadership role. Boundary suspending tactics allow leaders to create a third space where people can interact not as members of distinct groups but rather as unique individuals (Ancona andCaldwell, 1992, p.636). The third spaces include: story-telling sessions where individuals are encouraged to share personal life events and lessons (Ancona andCaldwell, 1992, p.644). These third spaces support teams’ dialogue and problem-solving forums. However, a potential weakness in using the boundary suspending tactic is that in-groups may develop perception of resistance or threat when encountering with out-groups in which they have a history of tension or mistrust (Ancona andCaldwell, 1992, p.658).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Discusses the necessity of boundary spanning due to global business dynamicity and the challenges posed by social identity boundaries within multinational teams.
2 Literature Review: Provides an extensive analysis of the role, leadership tactics, and required personal characteristics of effective boundary spanners.
3 Discussion: Interprets the findings regarding leadership tactics and suggests qualitative assessment methods for measuring boundary spanning performance.
4 Conclusion: Summarizes the key insights, reinforcing that successful boundary spanning depends on specific interpersonal skills and effective bridging tactics.
Keywords
Boundary Spanning, Leadership, Social Identity, Multinational Teams, Knowledge Flow, Emotional Intelligence, Intergroup Relations, Organizational Performance, Networking, Communication, Negotiation Skills, Team Success, Cultural Diversity, Bridging Tactics, Organizational Behavior
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work focuses on identifying the personal characteristics and behavioral tactics that enable a leader to act as an effective boundary spanner in multicultural organizational settings.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The study covers the strategic role of boundary spanners, leadership techniques for managing intergroup relations, and the influence of personal attributes on cross-boundary success.
What is the central research question?
The primary aim is to determine what specific personal qualities and leadership behaviors are necessary for an individual to successfully navigate and bridge organizational boundaries.
What methodology does the study employ?
The study utilizes a comprehensive literature review to synthesize existing research on intergroup conflict, leadership behavior, and organizational performance.
What topics are explored in the main body?
The main body examines four key tactics—suspending, reframing, nesting, and weaving—alongside external behaviors like networking, representing, and external monitoring.
Which keywords best describe this study?
The work is best characterized by terms such as boundary spanning, social identity, multinational teams, and organizational communication.
What is the "third space" tactic in boundary spanning?
It is a technique where leaders create a neutral zone, either physically or mentally, to encourage interactions based on individual personality rather than social group affiliation.
Why is measuring boundary spanning performance considered a challenge?
Because the role involves long-term relationship building and the facilitation of intangible outcomes, it is difficult to quantify performance through traditional short-term metrics like quarterly sales.
What role does emotional intelligence play for a boundary spanner?
Emotional intelligence is vital for managing relationships, facilitating cross-sectorial dialogue, and maintaining the emotional balance required to navigate conflicts between diverse parties.
How should organizations assess their boundary spanners?
The study suggests adopting qualitative assessment methods rather than solely relying on metrics-based data, given the complex and multi-stakeholder nature of the work.
- Quote paper
- Jonas Dorn (Author), 2014, Boundary Spanner in Multinational Teams, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1168065
