Boundary spanning mechanisms in Southern Africa: roles, value creation and impact of innovation intermediaries

<p dir="ltr">This study examines Innovation Intermediaries from a boundary spanning perspective in the Southern African context, looking at how they mobilise their services to co-create value and deliver impact in their service ecosystems. To date, how these adopted roles link to boundary spanning mechanisms, value creation and impact remains largely unexplored. The research involved a four-step methodology for assessing the impact of innovation development initiatives; an analysis of boundary spanning mechanisms, including boundary spanners, boundary objects, boundary practices, and boundary discourses; observation of how Innovation Intermediaries integrate multiple actors within service ecosystems to create value via diverse platforms; and an analysis of mapping activities, outputs, and outcomes of initiatives, leading to diverse types of impact. The resulting conceptual framework demonstrates how boundary spanning mechanisms relate to intermediary roles, value, and impact creation within service ecosystems, supporting capability building, knowledge brokering and enhancing market access.</p>