Micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities. The diverse roles of boundary spanners in sensing/shaping and seizing opportunities

Our article contributes to the understanding of the micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities by showing how middle managers adopting the role of boundary spanners influence the organizational capacities to sense/shape and seize opportunities. Organizations should constantly monitor their environment in order to detect and create opportunities. How such access, detection and creation actually occur still needs to be investigated. Boundary spanners are individuals with rare competencies who link the organization to its environment. They play an important role in knowledge transfer, diffusion and exploitation. They also influence innovation and organizational change. However, not all boundary spanners are equal when it comes to succeeding in these functions, sometimes despite high expertise and individual talent. Research has explored the characteristics and levers of performance of boundary spanners. As few studies have done, we propose to analyze how boundary spanners influence the important dynamic capabilities of sensing/shaping and seizing opportunities. From a qualitative study of a case of an inter-professional association on diversity management, four boundary spanning roles are identified in relation to the shaping/sensing and seizing of opportunities. Our study contributes to the understanding of perceptions and practices which influence the performance of boundary spanners. It also provides insights on how boundary spanners can help their organizations capture and capitalize upon opportunities