The identification of salient stakeholders remains an issue in stakeholder theory (ST). I propose the articulation of ST with the concepts of the boundary object and systemic shock to tackle this point. A boundary object is the “stake” that aggregates a stable network of complementary and interdependent actors “holding” interest in it. They have to compromise to satisfy their individual interests and collectively reach an equilibrium. Power and legitimacy are related to the boundary object. A managerial decision impacting the boundary object triggers a systemic shock that affects stakeholders belonging to the network and disrupts the compromise. The shock creates urgency for some stakeholders, materializes power and legitimacy, and brings new stakeholders. Stakeholders adopt different positions toward the firm: supporting, opposing or neutral. Attributes and positions shape alliances and coalitions that evolve over time to reach a new equilibrium. To support the conceptual framework, we present an in-depth case study of an industrial downsizing with massive dismissals that took place in Switzerland. The case explores the political processes that characterise relationships when a network of stakeholders aggregated by a boundary object is disturbed by a systemic shock.
Coupling professional mobility with the geographical mobility of academic scientists sheds new light on university to industry knowledge transfer and to universities' contributions to regional industrial cluster. Academic scientists’ mobility to local businesses nurtures the regional ecosystem. At a regional level, to sustain growth, such transfer depends on the alignment and consistency between the explorative capabilities of universities and the exploitative capabilities of firms. Academic scientists tend to move to the regional industry when their competences are aligned with those required by local businesses. In case of mismatch, they move to other regions. Alignment creates a virtuous circle: academic scientists nurture the local industry that, in return, by growing, requires more academic scientists and supports the university by collaborating with academic scientists remained in Academia. To support the propositions, the professional and geographical mobility of Stanford Ph.D. graduates in computer science from 1966 to 2016 is analyzed with a focus on the beginning of the internet industry in 1995. PhDs in computer science owning valuable knowledge to contribute to the Internet industry that help to understand the contribution of Stanford to the rise of this high-tech ecosystem in Silicon Valley.
