The definition of “boundary” in the context of multiorganizational information sharing and integration initiatives is developed in the paper. Both current literature and a case study of the product safety inspection environment are used to drive the development of a dual-directional, multi-dimensional and non-linear framework for understanding the meaning of “boundary”. The two directions are the vertical and horizontal directions and the multidimensions include organizational, geographic, personal, development phase, and process. The framework can be used both as a theoretical model for researchers and a comprehensive analytic tool for practitioners.
Lei Zheng, Tung-Mou Yang, Theresa A. Pardo, Yuanfu