Boundary spanners as the missing link in supporting collaborative innovation in innovation spaces

Abstract

PurposeShowing that the contribution of innovation spaces to the development of collaborative innovation projects remains ambiguous for both independent innovation spaces and those run by large organizations, this research proposes to highlight the essential role of boundary spanners to make such projects emerge from innovation spaces.Design/methodology/approachThis research is based on a multicase study of four innovation spaces in French healthcare ecosystems. Distinguishing between independent innovation spaces and innovation spaces run by large organizations, this research provides an in-depth analysis of the emergence of collaborative innovation thanks to the presence of boundary spanners.FindingsThrough a qualitative study, this research shows that managers of innovation spaces are the keystone to understanding how new collaborative practices are experimented in innovation spaces. It also shows that boundary spanners can be a team rather than a single individual. They endorse network builder, mediator, and entrepreneur roles and their actions go beyond the innovation spaces boundaries. They mobilize the innovation space dimension to enhance collaborations that are resilient over time and take also place outside innovation space. The boundary spanners’ role exists as much in independent innovation spaces as in innovation spaces managed by large organizations, but in somewhat different ways.Originality/valueThis article clarifies how innovation space support collaborative innovation by explaining the contribution of individuals who act as boundary spanners in this process. The contributions are threefold. First, the managers of the IS endorse the role of boundary spanner, but they do not act alone. Other actors contribute as boundary spanners for the emergence and/or the experimentation of new collaborative practices. Second, they mobilize IS to encourage collaborative projects among people coming from different organizations, but the modalities vary between independent IS and those run by large organization. However, both contribute to the development of new resilient capabilities thanks to the action of boundary spanners. Third, the network-building function of the boundary spanners goes beyond the development of connections within the physical space of the innovation space.