Virtual operations in common information spaces: Boundary objects and practices

Abstract

The paper presents a field study aimed at identifying and analyzing the role of boundary artifacts in cross-organization virtual communities of practice (CoP). Our analysis is informed by a recent case study in vacation package assembly (VPA), which is defined as the distributed collective practice carried out by members of a boundary-spanning virtual alliance inhabiting a 'common' information space (CIS). The CIS forms the virtuality through which members of the alliance engage in coordinative actions on boundary artifacts. The CIS implements the facilities required for constructing, negotiating and reconstructing these boundary artifacts so as to assemble personalized regional vacation packages for tourists. The results lead to several conclusions on the design of CIS as computational host of virtual communities of practice. © 2009 IFIP.