Skip to main content

Between Chaos and Routine: Boundary Negotiating Artifacts in Collaboration

  • Conference paper
ECSCW 2005

Abstract

Empirical studies of material artifacts in practice continue to be a rich source of theoretical concepts for CSCW. This paper explores the foundational concept of boundary objects and presents the results of a year-long ethnographic study of collaborative work. This research questions the assumption that artifacts exist necessarily within a web of standardized processes and that disorderly processes should be treated as “special cases”. I suggest that artifacts can serve to establish and destabilize protocols themselves and that artifacts can be used to push boundaries rather than merely sailing across them.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Albrechtsen, H. and E. K. Jacob (1998). “The Dynamics of Classification Systems as Boundary Objects for Cooperation in the Electronic Library.” Library Trends 47(2): 293–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bechky, B. A. (1999). Crossing Occupational Boundaries: Communication and Learning On a Production Floor. Industrial Engineering. Palo Alto, Stanford University: 114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boujut, J.-F. and E. Blanco (2003). “Intermediary Objects as a Means to Foster Co-operation in Engineering Design.” CSCW Journal 12: 205–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowker, G. C. and S. L. Star (1999). Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences. Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brereton, M. and B. McGarry (2000). An Observational Study of How Objects Support Engineering Design Thinking and Communication: Implications for the Design of Tangible Media. CHI 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucciarelli, L. (1994). Designing Engineers. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diggins, T. and P. Tolmie (2003). “The ‘Adequate’ Design of Ethnographic Outputs for Practice: Some Explorations of the Characteristics of Design Resources.” Personal and Ubiquitous Computing 7 (July): 147–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eckert, C. (2001). “The Communication Bottleneck in Knitwear Design: Analysis and Computing Solutions.” CSCW Journal 10(1): 29–74.

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Garrety, K. and R. Badham (2000). “The Politics of Socio-technical Intervention: An Interactionist View.” Technology Analysis & Strategic Mangement 12(1): 103–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, R. (1998). Inside the IMF: An Ethnography of Documents, Technology and Organizational Action, Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, C. and P. Luff (1996). Documents and Professional Practice: ‘Bad’ Organizational Reasons for ‘Good’ Clinical Records. CSCW, Boston, MA, ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, K. (1999). On Line and On Paper: Visual Representations, Visual Culture, and Computer Graphics in Design Engineering. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertzum, M. (1999). Six Roles of Documents in Professionals’ Work. ECSCW, Copenhagen, Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karsten, H., K. Lyytinen, et al. (2001). “Crossing Boundaries and Conscripting Participation: Representing and Integrating Knowledge in a Paper Machinery Project.” European Journal of Information Systems 10(2): 89–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krasner, H., B. Curtis, et al. (1987). Communication breakdowns and boundary spanning activities on large programming projects. Empirical Studies of Programmers: Second Workshop. G. M. Olson, S. Shepard and E. Soloway. Norwood, NJ, Ablex: 47–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, A. (2003). Making Sense of Collaboration. GROUP’ 03, Sanibel Island, FL, ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C. (2004). The Role of Boundary Negotiating Artifacts in the Collaborative Design of a Museum Exhibition. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Information Studies. Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles: 299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutters, W. G. and M. S. Ackerman (2002). Achieving Safety: A Field Study of Boundary Objects in Aircraft Technical Support. CSCW 2002, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mambrey, P. and M. Robinson (1997). Understanding the Role of Documents in a Hierarchical Flow of Work. Group 97, Phoenix, AZ, ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pawlowski, S. D., D. Robey, et al. (2000). Supporting Shared Information Systems: Boundary Objects, Communities, and Brokering. 21st International Conference on Information Systems, Atlanta, GA, Association for Information Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry, M. and D. Sanderson (1998). “Coordinating Joint Design Work: the Role of Communication and Artefacts.” Design Studies 19(3): 273–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pycock, J. and J. Bowers (1996). Getting Others to Get it Right: An Ethnography of Design Work in the Fashion Industry. CSCW, Boston Massachusetts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, K. and C. Simone (1996). “Coordination Mechanisms: Towards a Conceptual Foundation of CSCW Systems Design.” Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing 5(2–3): 155–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, K. and I. Wagner (2002). Coordinative Artifacts in Architectural Practice. Cooperative Systems Design. A Challenge of the Mobility Age. M. Blay-Fornarino et al. (eds.) Amsterdam, The Netherlands, IOS Press: 257–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, K. and I. Wagner (2005). “Ordering Systems: Coordinative Practices and Artifacts in Architectural Design and Planning.” CSCW Journal 13: 349–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Star, S. L. (1987–1989). The Structure of Ill-Structured Solutions: Boundary Objects and Heterogeneous Distributed Problem Solving. Distributed Artificial Intelligence. L. Gasser and M. N. Huhns. San Mateo, CA, Morgan Kaufmann. II: 37–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Star, S. L. and J. R. Griesemer (1989). “Institutional Ecology, ‘Translations’ and Boundary Objects: Amateurs and Professionals in Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 1907–39.” Social Studies of Science 19: 387–420.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A. (1988). “The Articulation of Project Work: An Organizational Process.” The Sociological Quarterly 29(2): 163–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Subrahmanian, E., I. Monarch, et al. (2003). “Boundary Objects and Prototypes at the Interfaces of Engineering Design.” CSCW Journal 12: 185–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, J. C. (1989). Toward an Understanding of the Use of Shared Workspaces by Design Teams. Department of Mechanical Engineering. Stanford, CA, Stanford University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van House, N. A., M. H. Butler, et al. (1998). Cooperative Knowledge Work and Practices of Trust: Sharing Environmental Planning Data Sets. CSCW 98, Seattle, Washington, ACM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice. New York, NY, Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2005 Springer

About this paper

Cite this paper

Lee, C.P. (2005). Between Chaos and Routine: Boundary Negotiating Artifacts in Collaboration. In: Gellersen, H., Schmidt, K., Beaudouin-Lafon, M., Mackay, W. (eds) ECSCW 2005. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4023-7_20

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4023-7_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4022-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4023-8

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics