Boundary objects, knowledge integration, and innovation management: A systematic review of the literature

Marta Caccamo, Daniel Pittino and Fredrik Tell

Technovation, 2023, vol. 122, issue C

Abstract: Enabling collaboration across disciplines, business functions, departments, organizations, and industries is a critical innovation management challenge. Successful innovation depends on effective knowledge integration among diverse actors. The concept of boundary objects to achieve knowledge integration has gained increasing popularity within innovation management. Despite the growing relevance, existing literature reviews about boundary objects are sparse. This review examines how boundary objects enable knowledge integration through a systematic analysis. An integrating framework of the scholarship on boundary objects links existing contributions to key theoretical perspectives on the study of boundary spanning for knowledge integration. Relevant publications are identified through a systematic literature review and discussed according to three themes: information processing, cognitive, and learning perspective on knowledge integration. Potential contributions to broader theorizing are highlighted in relation to three innovation settings: cross-functional collaboration, open innovation, and staged product development processes.

Keywords: Boundary objects; Knowledge integration; Innovation management; Systematic literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166497222001961
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:techno:v:122:y:2023:i:c:s0166497222001961

DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102645

Access Statistics for this article

Technovation is currently edited by Jonathan Linton

More articles in Technovation from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().