02/28/2024
By Holly Lalos

The Robert J. Manning School of Business Ph.D. in Business Administration program invites you to attend a Dissertation Defense

Doctoral Candidate: Holly Lalos
Doctoral Concentration: Leadership & Organization Studies (Department of Management)
Defense Date: March 13, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. to noon
Location: Graduate and Professional Studies Center (GPS), Room 330

Dissertation Title: Interpreting Skilled Digital Freelancers as Boundary Spanners

Committee:

  • Chair Kimberly Merriman, Ph.D. Department of Management, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
  • Jose Godinez, Ph.D. Department of Management, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
  • Steven Tello, Ed.D. Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Abstract:
Extant management literature suggests that boundary spanning, defined as linking an organization's internal networks with external sources of information, is crucial to an organization’s growth and sustainability in that it enables firms to build connections, share knowledge, and exchange resources. A boundary spanner is a gatekeeper with access to external partners, critical resources, and information, and therefore, plays an important role in creating opportunities for an organization. This dissertation extends the research on individual boundary spanning by examining an overlooked source – skilled digital freelancers – and identifying how and when they are likely to serve as boundary spanners with a primary focus on their boundary spanning behaviors within contracted positions and the facilitating role of human capital and strategic orientation. The findings contribute to a micro-level understanding of organizational boundary spanning in a social network theoretical context. Data for the study consists of pre-piloted survey measures and secondary data gathered on a sample of skilled digital freelancers using the Upwork platform, an online marketplace for connecting freelancers and employers. I conclude with contributions for theory and research and implications for practice.