Beyond the boundary: how middle managers shape inter-organizational public R&D teams

Purpose This study examines how the structural configuration and cognitive composition of middle managers influence innovation performance in public research and development (R&D) consortia. It seeks to identify the conditions under which coordination efforts by middle managers facilitate or hinder collaboration outcomes in multi-organizational R&D environments. Design/methodology/approach Combining boundary spanning theory (BST) with a mixed-methods design, the study analyzes 1,150 South Korean energy R&D projects through econometric modeling and validates findings with in-depth interviews from six middle managers. The analysis examines three dimensions: intensity of managerial presence, non-linear performance patterns, and the trade-off between specialty and diversity. Findings The results reveal a U-shaped relationship between middle manager intensity and publication quantity, with both low and high levels associated with superior outcomes compared to moderate configurations. In contrast, excessive managerial presence is linked to lower publication quality. Furthermore, teams composed of managers with shared domain expertise consistently demonstrate higher performance than those characterized by greater cognitive diversity. Originality/value This study reframes BST by introducing structural and compositional conditions that affect its efficacy in public-sector innovation networks. It advances theory by identifying intensity and composition as contingent variables and extends its applicability to policy-driven, multi-institutional R&D contexts. The findings provide design-relevant insights for optimizing managerial roles in complex collaborative projects.