This dissertation investigates the Patient Input Program, the context from which it arose and the struggles that it evokes for rare disease patients. By drawing on the concepts of boundary work, boundary object, public involvement and needs talk, the dissertation explores a local application of patient involvement as a construction of social participation and site where the needs of rare disease patients are contested among the actors, groups and institutions involved in the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) network. A case study approach was chosen to explain the intrinsic aspects of the Patient Input Program, showing the shaping of the Program and its shaping effect on societal agents and knowledge forms, particularly with respect to rare disease patients. Their experience in the Patient Input Program provides insights on the complexities and controversies rooted within the program, and links more broadly to certain system inadequacies.

The orders of linkages that stabilise evolving media worlds are far from obvious. Often undertaken in media ‘laboratories’, the collaborative processes which combine a range of disciplines to develop media worlds are also far from straightforward. Enablers and constraints are as likely to be non-human as they are the people associated with the project. Plugs, wires, switches, protocols and standards - things whose detail can be mind numbingly boring - all have to be worked into effective and stable sets of associations. This thesis describes two knowledge pathways that track through such a project. The first describes the development of a prototype for a website, imagined as a portal for a range of interests around children and media in New Zealand/Aoteoroa. As media worlds are continually being reconfigured and as data circulates across increasingly linked access technologies, many non-government organisations are migrating their work to ‘the web’. ‘The Media Clearinghouse’ project was one of these. Latour’s analytical concept of immutable mobiles provides a way to make sense of some of the work observed whilst his direction to ‘simply follow’ worlds of interest provided the methodological challenge. The second pathway, traces the bibliographic threads of literatures that come from the descriptive genres of Science Technology Studies (STS). Significant amongst these are Leigh Star and Geoffrey Bowker who have elaborated the concept of boundary objects and infrastructures. Star and Griesemer’s seminal description of the Museum of Invertebrate Zoology is compared with a description of an early laboratory by Bruno Latour. These and other writers elaborate on methods that offer ways to render visible the messy, chaotic performances of design and invention. They follow inscriptions - tables, lists, maps, sketches and so on. These things work between the micro and the macro and enable very huge terrains to be assembled in small, ordered spaces. The thesis assembles a list of methods that have some utility for following and describing web design work and perhaps, other information worlds. Having followed and described this writer’s work through the invention of the prototype it is argued that a combinative method has successfully enabled a description that moves in and out of a new information ‘laboratory’.

Hare’s psychopathy construct as defined by the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised has been utilized internationally as a risk assessment instrument for quite some time. Despite this, since its inception it has and continues to raise criticism from the academic community. There is ongoing debate over what the construct entails and how it should be used. Most recent developments in the construct revolve around it being defined as a neurological manifestation. To explore the psychopathy construct’s connection with neuroscience, this thesis focusses on one foundational experiment by the most prominent team of researchers in the field. The exploration borrows from Science and Technology Studies, more specifically Actor-Network Theory and the semiotic of scientific texts. The goal of this analysis is not to criticize nor defend the psychopathy construct, but rather explore the facticity of psychopathy as a neuroscientific fact. Considering the widespread use of the construct across criminal justice systems and mental health practices, understanding the facticity of psychopathy is imperative. Our contention is that psychopathy as defined by neuroscience was not merely a pre-discovered fact of nature, but rather it is a fact that is hybrid; it is both built by researchers and a part of our natural world, social and real. Our findings reveal that the facticity of psychopathy as a neuroscience construct is reliant on it being a Boundary Object: a scientific object that is able to intersect multiple social worlds through its adaptability (Star & Griesemer, 1989). We show how the construct is a boundary object by detailing the many translations it undergoes while it connects with a variety of heterogeneous actors. For each translation, the construct is rendered qualitatively different, yet it proves to be robust enough to maintain the identity of psychopathy and transform it into a neuroscientific fact.

This thesis analyses the use of value models as boundary objects to support decision making during conceptual design of Product-Service Systems. Compared to requirements-based models, value models are claimed to enhance understanding of the design problems and customer needs, as well as to help the design team in creating more value adding solutions. The work of this thesis was to prepare, conduct and analyse a series of design experiments, which are are based on the continuous observations of designers’ verbalized design considerations. Protocol analysis was conducted to investigate how value models perform as boundary objects in design, in comparison with requirements-based models. The time spent on each different activity in the protocol has been used as main proxy in the experiment. Data triangulation was ensured by the use of a questionnaire that was answered by all participants. Both methods revealed that in the preliminary phase, value models are more effective than requirements-based models in conveying intuitive value-related information, assessing intangibles value aspects, and encouraging discussions on value concerns.

The process of digitalisation is progressively transforming the way business is carried out and how enterprises collaborate. In this digital age, characterised by collaborations among a larger community of suppliers, customers, employees, and governments, all partners need to understand avariety of relations and how digitalisation transforms them. However, it is difficult to understand the multitude of unclear or even unknown relations generated by re-coordinating different types of relations in this digital age. Accordingly, this thesis contributes to the understanding of the transformation of business collaboration by exploring how collaboration can be understood in a digital age. The theoretical concepts involved collaboration, enterprise architecture, enterprise interoperability, and boundary object. These concepts enabled digging deeper into the complexity of sharing and aligning social and cultural worlds between communities of practice. The methodology employed was hermeneutics, which was suitable for understanding human activities. The study object concerned national development of data hubs for the electricity market in Denmark and Sweden, which replaced an old way of communicating point to point between companies. This was implemented in order to coordinate and manage data transactions between grid companies and electricity suppliers. The results indicated that digitalisation tends to increase the ability to manage collaboration and even closer relations among partners by clearly identifying every partner role and responsibility. Further, business collaboration appeared to transform from a traditional collaboration to a multi-relation collaboration that addressed digital age demands more comprehensively. / <p>Vid tidpunkten för framläggningen av avhandlingen var följande delarbete opublicerat: delarbete 2 (accepterat).</p><p>At the time of the defence the following paper was unpublished: paper 2 (accepted).</p>

Ausgangspunkt der vorliegenden Abschlussarbeit ist die Feststellung, dass jedweder Organisationstheorie explizit oder implizit eine bestimmte Vorstellung von „Arbeit“ in Organisationen zu Grunde liegt und „Arbeit“ somit zentrale Untersuchungskategorie sein sollte. Zahlreiche Publikationen postulieren zwar einen grundlegenden strukturellen Wandel von Arbeit, auf theoretisch-konzeptioneller Ebene wird sich allerdings wenig mit der konkreten Arbeitstätigkeit an sich als vielmehr mit Metaphern über Arbeit beschäftigt. „Arbeit“ wird in aktuellen Organisationsforschungsansätzen auf einer zu hohen Abstraktionsebene diskutiert, so dass sich die Forschung vom realen Prozess der Arbeit entfernt und der Arbeitsbegriff als solcher in den Konzepten vernachlässigt wird. Um diesem Defizit zu begegnen, wird vorgeschlagen, den Prozess der Erkenntnisgewinnung zu hinterfragen und einem praxistheoretischen Paradigma zu folgen, um Theorien zur Beschreibung von Arbeit auswählen zu können, die diese in ihren konkreten realweltlichen Zusammenhängen betrachtet. Er bezieht sich insofern auf Theorien, die ihre möglichen Analysedimensionen aus der konkreten Tätigkeit von Personen im Arbeitsprozess ableiten. Dazu diskutiert er die kultur-historische Tätigkeitstheorie, die Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie und das Konzept des Boundary Object, wobei die Tätigkeitstheorie als Referenzrahmen für die anderen Konzepte dient. Ziel ist es, Dimensionen zur Erfassung und Beschreibung des Konstruktes Arbeit herauszuarbeiten und diese aus Sicht der gewählten Theorien zu interpretieren, zu diskutieren und anschließend miteinander zu vergleichen.

Syftet för detta arbete är att undersöka bibliotekets roll i det digitala ABM-samarbete som eftersträvas inom kulturpolitiken. Detta görs med hjälp av kodning och innehållsanalys av två politiska dokument, SOU 2009:15 Kraftsamling! Museisamverkan ger resultat – Del 1 samtprop. 1998/99:114 Kulturarv – kulturmiljöer och kulturföremål. På så sätt läggs grunden för en vidare diskussion kring den kulturpolitiska och den sektoriella synen på det digitala ABM-samarbetet. Uppsatsen använder sig av kunskapssociologiska teorier såsom Ludwik Fleck’s begrepp tankestilar och tankekollektiv samt Susan Leigh Stars boundary objects. Dokumenten talar i stor utsträckning för museisektorns syn på bevarandet av vad som ofta kallas ”kulturarvet” samt tillgängliggörandet av resurser till gagn för den kulturhistoriska forskningen och det livslånga lärandet. Detta förhållande har lagt grunden för mitt intresse för bibliotekens roll i det digitala ABM-samarbetet. Dokumentanalyserna visar att kulturarvsbegreppet i stor utsträckning präglar synen på A, B, och M (arkiv, bibliotek ochmuseer) såväl som på ABM. Kulturarvsbegreppet genomsyrar även den kulturpolitiska synen på den digitala ABM-katalogen. Med andra ord går kulturarvsbevarandet hand i hand med framtidens digitala teknik. Detta trots att biblioteksverksamheten sällan handlar om bevarandet av det materiella kulturarvet utan snarare om att ge förutsättningar att skapa kunskap om kultur och historia. De senare årens arbete med att samordna kulturinstitutionerna har, av det skäl att museisektorn haft ett underläge när det gäller olika former av intern samordning, varit övervägande fokuserat på den digitala samsökningen mellan museernas kataloger. Detta har i sin tur lett till att generellt museiinriktade verksamhetsmål har fått dominera idén om ett framtida digitalt ABM-samarbete, medan generellt biblioteksspecifika verksamhetsmål har hamnat i skugga. Idén om det digitala ABM-samarbetet kan sägas ha gett upphov till en ny sorts tankestil som återfinns främst inom kulturpolitiken men även på vissa håll inom arkiv, bibliotek och museer.

Today's global market means that raw materials are sought and bought from all over the world. This creates an higher demand for a well-functioning supply chain. In our thesis we have studied a large paper mill in northen Sweden which experiences issues with flow of raw material. Our aim has hence been to examine which aspects affect the flow of raw materials to the mill, and how these can be adressed using an IT-system. The question we sought to answer was; What factors are important to consider and how do these affect the ability of an IT-system which will support the flow of raw material at the paper mill? We have found that the problems are strongly connected to the low amount of information sharing between the mill and the suppliers. We have come to the conclusion that the paper mill and the suppliers could benefit from boundary-spanning, and that a so-called awareness display which indicates current capacity would support that.

E-government services in the form of information systems (IS) artifacts create a new arena for co-creation that governments aim to leverage. Design of and knowledge about IS artifacts in value co-creation in e-government can thereby be considered valuable for the future development of e-government. How IS artifacts are used in value co-creation and co-destruction and how the artifacts are developed is however not well understood. This thesis addresses the problem of how to design for and understand value co-creation in e-government. To address the problem stated, three research questions are posed. (i) How can IS artifacts be designed to enable value co-creation in e-government and what aspects can inhibit value being co-created through the designed artifacts? (ii) How can boundary object theory facilitate the understanding of IS artifacts used in value co-creation and co-destruction in e-government? (iii) How can retrospectives in design science contribute to research on value co-creation in e-government? Two artifacts in the form of instantiations are designed and evaluated. Design science research methodology is used in two different projects at Swedish municipalities. Secondary analysis is used to identify aspects that inhibit value being co-created through the designed IS artifacts. From these inhibitors, core aspects for public value co-creation are derived. Thereafter, this thesis delves further into how IS artifacts are used in collaborations between citizens, private businesses, and government agencies in order to co-create value. Two case studies are carried out at Swedish government agencies and sociomaterial boundary object theory is used to enhance understanding. The thesis research process ends with a retrospective evaluation of the performed research, using critical realism as its philosophical foundation and guidance. The result includes one configurable process model that enables value co-creation by facilitating shared understanding between collaborating parties; one mobile service that enables value co-creation through citizen sourcing; aspects that inhibit the realization of co-created value; and four core aspects that need to be considered when designing artifacts for value co-creation. That IS artifacts can be regarded as boundary objects when you aim to study and understand value co-creation and co-destruction between communities in e-government. Descriptions of how IS artifacts, viewed as sociomaterial boundary objects, are used in value co-creation processes between governments, citizens, and businesses and outcomes in terms of value co-creation and co-destruction. The benefit of performing critical realism-guided retrospectives in design science in order to complement prescriptive knowledge with explanatory and critical knowledge is motivated. It is showed that the design of artifacts generates knowledge through the design efforts, regardless of whether they also yield utility. This thesis contributes to e-government research and practice with knowledge on how to design artifacts that enable value co-creation. Establishes sociomaterial boundary object theory as a theoretical lens that offers a tool to evaluate and design IS artifacts that enable value co-creation and with knowledge on how IS artifacts are used in value co-creation. The thesis also motivates the usefulness of retrospective evaluation in design science. Suggestions for future research include further developing design science retrospectives. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 6: Manuscript.</p>

Within the area of Digitisation and Management at Linköping University, a focus is the interconnectivity of management and IT. This can be manifest in a multitude of different ways, such as exploring the consequences of digitisation, transferal of information between individuals and the strategic application of management control theory in organisations where the use of IT plays a significant role. This thesis, Visual Models of Business Ecologies – The role of business ecology visualisations as boundary objects, is written by Oscar Hubertsson and Henrik Johansson. It is presented as our master’s thesis in Digitisation and Management at the Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University. It delves into the application of a business ecology perspective, a technique within strategy and management control to define the relevant organisation, and how visualisations of the understanding gained through this technique can be used to facilitate discussions, understanding and joint problem solving. To gain a firmer understanding of this phenomena this thesis is used to explore how individuals discuss, solve problems, and gain firmer understanding through the lens of boundary objects, representations of knowledge used as instrumentalities to cross boundaries of knowledge that appear between different groups. This thesis aims to make contributions to management control theory by exploring the replicable applicability of a business ecology perspective, the resulting visualisations of any gained understanding and how these visualisations can be used as boundary objects.