Working across sectors: a typology of 'boundary spanners'

The existing literature on cross-sectoral working has consistently shown that they are important players in the design, implementation and management of policy. For example, boundary spanners have been shown to enable better... [ view full abstract ]

The existing literature on cross-sectoral working has consistently shown that they are important players in the design, implementation and management of policy. For example, boundary spanners have been shown to enable better cross-sectoral and cross-departmental working (Head, 2014; Parston and Timmins, 1998), as well as being central for overcoming cultural boundaries within government departments (Carey et al., In press). We also know that ‘competent’ boundary spanners posses particular skills (Williams, 2002); effective boundary spanners manage through influence and negotiation, build sustainable relationships and networks, and can operate across multiple contexts with a degree of legitimacy (Williams, 2002).
While this previous work shows that boundary spanners are important and provides an indication of why, examination of how boundary spanners work across and within different contexts or domains is in its infancy. In this paper we extend this work to examine the how question by theorising the practice of boundary spanners. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of fields awe develop a typology of boundary spanners which theorises why and how different boundary spanners operate and the likelihood that they produce institutional gains.