IT Leader Effectiveness and Knowledge Use Mechanisms for Boundary Spanning

The effectiveness of IT leaders is increasingly determined not necessarily by how knowledgeable they are, but by how they use their knowledge in a boundary spanner role to broker solutions and promote its application toward effective problem solving. Building on past research examining IT leader boundary spanning in organizations, we conceptualize a knowledge brokering-knowledge application (KBKA) framework to theorize the mediating mechanisms that explain when and why senior IT leaders achieve effectiveness in leading their units. In so doing, we integrate the knowledge management, leadership, and boundary spanning literature. We develop propositions for study in future research and provide several directions to guide theory and practice