Boundary Spanning I can hardly consider specialization in
Boundary Spanning I can hardly consider specialization in itself evil. On the other hand, I am thoroughly convinced that much evil of our times is related to specialization and that we desperately need to develop an attitude of suspicious caution toward it. I think we need to treat specialization with the same degree of distrust and safeguards that we bring to nuclear reactors. - M. Scott Peck 1/18/2022 1
1. The inherent nature of boundaries l l l Definition – separation Functional Physical Budgetary Authoritatively 1/18/2022 2
2. Problems with Boundaries l l l Investment Losses Customer Service Failures Unmotivated Employees Overlapping Responsibilities Poor performance 1/18/2022 3
3. Contributing Factors l l l Language Culture Location Category dissimilarity Addition/multiplication problem 1/18/2022 4
4. Resolution Principles l l l Must be mutual Requires continual effort Create sensitivity not edicts Seek structural changes Build company context (values) 1/18/2022 5
5. What to do? l l Select and train right people (skills) l Develop relationships l Maintain relationships l Seek information l Persuade others l Manage uncertainty l Resolve conflict Use error correction processes l Quizzes l Track org. processes (staple yourself to an order) 1/18/2022 6
What to do? (cont. ) l Encourage activities that promote shared experiences/common goals l l l 1/18/2022 Company-wide seminars Brainstorming Links with role counterparts Elevate voices of boundary spanners Show & Tell Co-author articles 7
What to do? (cont. ) l Change the org structure l l l 1/18/2022 Job descriptions Job switching & job shadowing Cross-functional teams Physical environment Parallel development cycles 8
8. Benefits of Boundary Spanning l l l Avoid misunderstandings Avoid antagonisms More creativity/innovation Learning organization Increase employee commitment 1/18/2022 9
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