Boundary-spanning activities in electronics firms
- 1 January 1984
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management
- Vol. EM-31 (3) , 105-111
- https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.1984.6447517
Abstract
A study of boundary-spanning activities (interaction with the outside-company environment) in 24 US West Coast electronics firms is reported. Boundary-spanning activity was found to be related to perceptions of the external environment's importance and controllability and to the boundary spanner's functional position. No significant relationship was found between environmental unpredictability and overall boundary-spanning activity, although a moderate relationship was found with monitoring activity. The complexity of these relationships was illustrated by several variations within the general pattern of results, and by graphical profiles of boundary-spanning activities for a number of specific functions and positions.Keywords
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