Knowledge Brokering in Youth Advisory Board Collaborations: Exploring the Role of Facilitators in a Mediated Collaboration

Abstract

Introduction: The homogeneity of Boards of Directors (BoDs) has gained significant attention, especially concerning age diversity. Despite the recognized importance of generational diversity, young professionals remain underrepresented in decision-making spaces within Danish BoDs. Objective: This study aims to explore the collaboration processes between Youth Advisory Boards (YABs) and BoDs in Danish organizations. We seek to understand how perspectives can be meaningfully integrated, ensuring the effective transfer of diverse and novel knowledge from YABs to BoDs. Methods: We examined three different YAB collaborations in Danish organizations: CIP Fonden, GEV and Bygherreforeningen. Following an inductive, explorative research approach, we conducted twelve semi-structured interviews with facilitators, YAB members, and BoD members across these organizations, providing multi-level insights into the collaborations. Results: Our findings show that facilitators mediate the collaboration between YABs and BoDs by performing knowledge brokering processes. Five facilitator roles were identified: Engagement Coordinator, Practical Coordinator, Execution Resource, Reciprocal Translator, and Trust Builder. Challenges in the mediated collaboration include biases introduced by facilitators, power imbalances, and prerequisites such as resource allocation and organizational capabilities. The study emphasizes the importance of the facilitator's role in enhancing knowledge absorption in YAB collaboration and mitigating the risk of 'youth washing'. Conclusion: Hence, this study underscores the role of facilitators as knowledge brokers in mediating collaboration between YABs and BoDs, facilitating improved communication and knowledge flow. Theoretical implications suggest an expanded understanding of the boundary spanner role, as evidenced by the facilitator's performance of the five knowledge broker roles. Additionally, the facilitator's role in enhancing absorptive capacity by managing distances and mitigating the risk of youth washing through these roles is emphasized. These insights translate into practical implications, emphasizing the need for organizations to allocate dedicated facilitators and develop internal capabilities to support purposeful YAB collaborations. Overall, this research offers valuable insights into how organizations can integrate knowledge from YABs, and facilitate collaborations that move beyond tokenism, enabling YABs to have a meaningful impact on decisions-making.