How the shift in space and time affordances caused by hybrid work reshapes boundary work and relations: A middle management perspective

Hybrid work reshapes the traditional layout of space and time affordances enacted in the “relational space” where collaborative boundary work is carried out. This in-depth qualitative study examines the implications of this reshaping of boundary work from the perspective of an important boundary worker in organizations—the middle manager (MM)—who is key to knowledge exchange and cross-boundary collaboration during strategic change. Focusing on the operations department of a large knowledge-intensive organization, the study investigates how shifts in space and time affordances act both as barriers against and as facilitators of MMs’ efforts to (re)frame social and informational processes across upward and downward boundary differences and dependencies. The findings extend contemporary research on the interplay between hybrid work and boundary work by showing how this shift constrains and enables human agency and hence boundary work and relations. By identifying the contingency of these results at boundary hierarchy level, the study demonstrates the increased invisibility of MMs’ already precarious role in the organization, as well as the power centralization processes underway. The new epistemic risks that organizations face in conceptualizing knowledge representation, as well as the practical managerial implications, are also discussed.