DO NOMINATED BOUNDARY SPANNERS BECOME EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGICAL GATEKEEPERS

In recent years, organizations have started formally assigning technical professionals to fill the role of technological gatekeepers. In this study, we examine the effectiveness of such nominated "boundary spanners" in transferring technologies from the Corporate Research Center of a major company to its operating units. We find that the attempt was only partially successful. The formally appointed boundary spanners had greater contact with the Research Center and were themselves more likely to adopt new technologies developed there. They were not effective, however, in transferring technologies developed at the Research Center to other members of the organization's technical staff.