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BOUNDARY DISCONTINUITY IN A CONSTELLATION OF INTERCONNECTED PRACTICES
Author(s) -
KISLOV ROMAN
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.313
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1467-9299
pISSN - 0033-3298
DOI - 10.1111/padm.12065
Subject(s) - bridging (networking) , general partnership , dysfunctional family , boundary (topology) , knowledge sharing , boundary work , public relations , classification of discontinuities , sociology , discontinuity (linguistics) , constellation , knowledge management , political science , psychology , computer science , social science , computer network , mathematical analysis , physics , mathematics , astronomy , law , psychotherapist
This article uses the theory of ‘communities of practice’ to explore the discontinuity of knowledge sharing across different groups co‐located within a collaborative research partnership. It presents the findings of a qualitative case study conducted within one of the Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care ( CLAHRCs )—large‐scale UK ‐based knowledge mobilization initiatives bringing together the producers and users of health research. Focusing on the boundaries emerging between and within the research and implementation strands of the CLAHRC , the article describes how differences between communities of practice give rise to discontinuities in knowledge sharing. Its findings highlight the role of fragmented organizational design, divergent meanings and identities, and dysfunctional boundary bridges in the (re)production, legitimization, and protection of boundaries between groups. Finally, the article questions the role of research implementation as a boundary practice bridging the gap between academic research and clinical practice.