Expert Session: Translating Intent to Impact - Boundary Crossing for Change and Innovation

What is this session about?

In many organisations, intent is clear, but impact remains uneven. Strategies are well articulated, yet execution often breaks down at the points where different teams, functions, and perspectives intersect.

This session introduces boundary crossing as a practical way to better understand and navigate these breakdowns in complex environments. Drawing on the work of Akkerman and Bakker, and Yrjö Engeström, the session reframes boundaries not as obstacles, but as critical points where misalignment can occur, and where more deliberate coordination can make a difference.

 

Who this is for

Mid to senior-level managers, transformation leads, HR/L&D, and programme managers working across functions, stakeholders, or systems.

 

What you’ll gain (practical takeaways)

 

• Practical insights on where execution breakdowns are occurring in their own work
• Practical ways to improve coordination across teams and functions
• A reframed view of leadership, not only within teams, but across the interfaces where work comes together

 

How the session runs

At the core of the session is a single hands on experiential activity designed to make boundary dynamics visible and tangible. Participants will work in small groups to:
 

• Build representations of how intent flows or fails to flow across different parts of an organisation
• Surface key misalignments, assumptions, and competing priorities
• Experience, in real time, where coordination breaks down and what helps it move forward

This embodied approach allows participants to move beyond conceptual understanding into practical insight, making visible the often invisible tensions that shape execution.

The session focuses on two core moves in practice: recognising where boundaries are creating misalignment, and improving coordination across them. These provide a simple and usable entry point for participants to act on in their own context.

Ultimately, translating intent to impact is not about pushing harder within existing structures, but about working more deliberately across them.

 

Outcome

A rigorous yet practical lens you can apply immediately to your own cross-functional work—so boundaries become enablers of performance, not blockers.

 

Price

 

IAL Corporate Member	Public
$25*	$100

Registrations may be subject to verification to ensure participants are placed under the correct category.

*For IAL Corporate Members, please reach out to us here to register for the session.