Dennis W. Organ

Linking pins between organizations and environment: Individuals do the interacting

Abstract The need for organizations to adapt to their environments is the subject of considerable discussion. Often ignored is the fact that adaptation is achieved only through the behavior of individuals acting as boundary agents. The nature of the boundary agents role appears to be quite different from that of internal organization roles. Effective boundary agent performance calls for a rather distinct profile of individual skills, traits, and values. The “ideal” person will be able to manipulate words and symbols, have a good memory, be both flexible and extroverted, and possess economic and political values. Selection and placement techniques should not ignore the implications of social role dynamics for finding the best boundary agents.