Boundary-spanning in an inter-organisational project: a systematic review of the literature and directions for future research

The development and implementation of inter-organisational projects (IOPs) cause many inter-organisational challenges and tensions. Dealing appropriately with these challenges requires adapting the project to the environment through the boundary-spanning mechanism. Despite the significant expansion of boundary-spanning research, studies show that few review studies were published decades after forming this stream of literature. This study identified the critical elements of boundary-spanning (boundary concept, boundary-spanning definitions, activities, levels, structure, and boundary objects), and a theoretical framework was presented. The literature gaps and future research directions were also explained. Findings showed that boundary-spanning research was moving towards innovation management, collaboration management, and knowledge management. Copyright © 2024 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.