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

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Yström

    (Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, 583 30 Linköping, Sweden)

  • Marine Agogué

    (Department of Management, HEC Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 2A7, Canada)

  • Romain Rampa

    (Department of Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship, IAE Grenoble, 38400 Grenoble, France)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Yström & Marine Agogué & Romain Rampa, 2021. "Preparing an Organization for Sustainability Transitions—The Making of Boundary Spanners through Design Training," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:14:p:8073-:d:597498
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    References listed on IDEAS

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