Boundary object
Encyclopedia
A boundary object is a concept in sociology
to describe information used in different ways by different communities. They are plastic, interpreted differently across communities but with enough immutable content to maintain integrity. The concept was introduced by Susan Leigh Star and James R. Griesemer
in a 1989 publication (p.393):
This paper has since been widely cited and the concept of a boundary object has been adopted in both computer science
(particularly computer supported cooperative work
) and management. Bowker and Star developed the concept further in the book Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences .
describes boundary objects as entities that can link communities together as they allow different groups collaborate on a common task.
Charlotte Lee has extended the concept of the boundary object to consider periods of unstandardized and destabilized organization where objects are transient and changing, which she coins as "boundary negotiating artifacts".
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
to describe information used in different ways by different communities. They are plastic, interpreted differently across communities but with enough immutable content to maintain integrity. The concept was introduced by Susan Leigh Star and James R. Griesemer
James R. Griesemer
James R. Griesemer is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Davis in Davis, California. He received his PhD in 1983 in the Conceptual Foundations of Science at the University of Chicago...
in a 1989 publication (p.393):
This paper has since been widely cited and the concept of a boundary object has been adopted in both computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
(particularly computer supported cooperative work
Computer supported cooperative work
The term computer-supported cooperative work was first coined by Irene Greif and Paul M. Cashman in 1984, at a workshop attended by individuals interested in using technology to support people in their work. At about this same time, in 1987 Dr...
) and management. Bowker and Star developed the concept further in the book Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences .
Other views of boundary objects
Boundary objects are said to allow coordination without consensus as they can allow an actor's local understanding to be reframed in the context of a some wider collective activity . Similarly, Etienne WengerEtienne Wenger
Etienne C. Wenger is an educational theorist and practitioner, best known for his formulation of the theory of situated cognition and his more recent work in the field of communities of practice....
describes boundary objects as entities that can link communities together as they allow different groups collaborate on a common task.
Charlotte Lee has extended the concept of the boundary object to consider periods of unstandardized and destabilized organization where objects are transient and changing, which she coins as "boundary negotiating artifacts".