Enabling and Enacting Boundary Crossing in University-Industry Collaboration

Abstract

Inclusive organizations are not only inclusive in an intraorganizational way, but also interorganizationally in the collaboration processes across national boundaries, sectoral and organizational boundaries. By conducting an in-depth ethnographic fieldwork in a university-industry collaboration project, I investigated the micro-dynamics and micro-processes of boundary crossing interactions in which knowledge is co-created. University-industry collaboration is considered as a vital channel for transferring knowledge, generating innovations, and creating social economic impacts. Taking a practice lens, I analyzed what actors actually do in the collaboration processes in their embedded environment. I uncover that actors do boundary crossing by engaging in role work: role drawing and role shifting. I then delineate a four-step processual mechanisms that enact such role work: role performing, role playing, role taking and role making. The findings shed light on 1) early identity formation and change processes; 2) new understanding of successful university-industry collaboration determinants; and 3) the practice of boundary crossing collaborations.