Boundary Objects, Agents, and Organizations: Lessons from E-Document System Development in Thailand

Abstract

Star and Griesemer's concept of boundary objects has become a central analytic framework in the fields of science and technology studies (STS), computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), information science, and organizational studies. Scholars have also begun to extend the original boundary object concept in useful ways: for example, to boundary agents and organizations, emphasizing the active nature of translation or communication between networks, organizations, and social worlds. These insights have for the most part not carried over into scholarship on information technology and organizational reform in the public sector, and still less to DG reform efforts outside of the global north. The present paper develops a suite of boundary concepts - objects, agents, and organizations -- and connects these to core problems in DG scholarship. Our empirical focus is on DG reform efforts in Thailand - in particular, tensions and challenges surrounding ongoing efforts to develop interoperable and government-wide e-Document systems and practices.