Boundary matters: The dynamics of boundary objects, information infrastructures, and organisational identities

In this work I set out to examine the organisational implications of the introduction of new information systems that are designed for the sharing of information and collaboration across organisational boundaries. I highlight the social processes within and across organisations in which information systems are implicated. To do so, I conceptualise information systems as boundary objects and examine them in relation to the information infrastructures within which they are embedded and the identities of the organisations that share them during a process of technology-enabled change. I present four case studies that describe the introduction of a new collaborative technology, 3D modelling tools, into the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, and the accompanying organisational changes. Based on the case studies I suggest that boundary objects are used not only to facilitate cross-organisational communication and collaboration, but also as a resource to form organisational identities. I further suggest the occurrence of a dynamic process whereby changes in boundary objects enable changes in information infrastructures and identities in one organisation. These changes, in turn, create the conditions for change in bordering organisations through joint boundary objects and boundary practices.