10 – Friction at the Interface: Rethinking Organizational Boundaries

Posted On: January 28, 2011

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The 14th Asia-Pacific Researchers in Organization Studies Conference
Nov 29-Dec 1, 2011
School of Management, Massey University Auckland, New Zealand1

STREAM CONVENERS

Peter Fleming
Queen Mary, University of London,
Email: p.fleming@qmul.ac.uk

Christina Garsten
Score, Stockholm University,
Email: christina.garsten@socant.su.se

Axel Haunschild
University of Trier,
Email: haunschild@uni-trier.de

In the wake of globalizing forces (social, financial, political), organizational boundaries are being transcended, re-drawn, as well as erected. The rise of project-based forms of organizing, new career patterns, flexible forms of employment and hybrid organizational forms (e.g. alliances, networks) have lead to changing organizational boundaries. It is common understanding that organizational boundaries have become ‘fluid’ and more complex (Leng/Dahles 2005) or ‘blurred’ (Marchington et al. 2005). Some authors have even declared the ‘boundaryless organi-zation’ (Kerr/Ulrich 1993; Nelson 1997).
From a theoretical perspective the notion of ‘blurred’ or ‘blurring’ organizational boundaries (and certainly that of ‘boundaryless’ organizations) itself appears to be somewhat blurred. A look at Marchington et al.’s intriguing and seminal edited book on the topic, for example, reveals that most contributors prefer to talk about ‘boundary-spanning’ or ‘crossing organizational boundaries’ rather than blurredness, which confirms rather than questions the existence of (howsoever defined) organizational boundaries. Nonetheless the identification of organizational boundaries has become more difficult – for managers, workers, as well as scholars of organiza-tion studies, but also for legal practitioners and regulating authorities. This is evinced, for exam-ple, in the fragmented political authority which has given rise to transboundary accountability standards in the area of CSR.