[1] Boundary objects are plastic, interpreted differently across communities but with enough immutable content (i.e., common identity across social words and contexts) to maintain integrity.
[1] This concept has since been widely cited and the concept of a boundary object has been adopted in computer science (particularly computer supported cooperative work), information science,[4] and management, particularly when considering cross-disciplinary work and collaboration,[5] either within one organization or with the boundary object helping to focus the efforts of multiple organizations.
[6] 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 wider collective activity.
[7] Similarly, Etienne Wenger describes boundary objects as entities that can link communities together as they allow different groups to collaborate on a common task.
[12] Kimble, Grenier and Goglio-Primard (2010)[13] criticise the notion of boundary objects that is usually found in the literature as being too mechanical and ignoring the effect of intergroup politics and local conditions.