17 Energy Efficiency Within Sustainable Development in Asia …
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collective knowledge and insight on how to improve energy efficiency efforts, but
hopefully will also help us to find and develop alternative means of getting a better
grip on, and eventually mastering, some of the issues and hurdles that are currently
prevailing. Under the current frame of reference, the process of energy auditing
conducted by experts of an ESCO for a client that is usually an institution or organization from the commercial or industrial sector, and its direct outcome, the energy
audit report, can be conceptualized as follows. During the problem-solving process,
new information and knowledge is created by a group of individuals with domainspecific understanding related to energy services and management. They utilize their
understanding of the current situation (in regard to energy efficiency of the client) and
offer possible improvements. The representational structure used for documenting
and making available such understanding is usually a text-based document that is
enhanced with graphs and tables. This represents the classical construction used
for formal reports and office documentation, which, however, is structurally insufficient for representing and communicating the complex nature of underlying knowledge created for the understanding of the client’s energy efficiency related situation, and possible improvements. Resulting shortcomings in information transfer
and knowledge exchange at the organizational boundary between ESCO and client
often severely impede communication, and thus hinder or even make impossible a
mutual understanding and collaboration. Additionally, increasing specialization in
knowledge and practice creates boundaries where differences in perspectives make a
shared understanding and collaboration between various work groups, communities
of practice, and organizations from different sectors and professions more and more
difficult.
Studies on how barriers encountered on boundaries related to information transfer
and knowledge exchange during collaboration across different groups, communities of practice, and organizations can be overcome, while also providing support
for building a shared understanding and perspective, led to the notion of boundary
objects (Bowker and Star 1999; Bowker et al. 2015; Star 2010). Those boundary
objects are considered to be plastic enough to adapt to local needs and the requirements of the different parties employing them, but they are also robust enough to
maintain a common identity across different disciplines and perspectives (Bowker
and Star 1999). According to (Bowker and Star 1999; Bowker et al. 2015), boundary
objects can be classified into ordered piles of objects called repositories, objects
or descriptions that are called ideal type with a less detailed structure serving as
a means of communicating and cooperating symbolically, and standardized forms
that are boundary objects that considerably reduce or even eliminate local uncertainties by devising methods of common communication across dispersed parties. A
different classification was proposed in (Wenger 2000), where boundary objects were
categorized as artifacts relating to models, tools and documents, discourses relating
to shared common languages, and processes relating to shared routines and procedures aimed at supporting and facilitating coordination of dispersed parties. Work on
more abstract objects such as narratives and symbolism-based metaphoric boundary
objects is reported in (Wenger 2000; Koskinen 2005; Boland and Tenkasi 1995).
Based on empirical research from within observed settings in engineering design
259
collective knowledge and insight on how to improve energy efficiency efforts, but
hopefully will also help us to find and develop alternative means of getting a better
grip on, and eventually mastering, some of the issues and hurdles that are currently
prevailing. Under the current frame of reference, the process of energy auditing
conducted by experts of an ESCO for a client that is usually an institution or organization from the commercial or industrial sector, and its direct outcome, the energy
audit report, can be conceptualized as follows. During the problem-solving process,
new information and knowledge is created by a group of individuals with domainspecific understanding related to energy services and management. They utilize their
understanding of the current situation (in regard to energy efficiency of the client) and
offer possible improvements. The representational structure used for documenting
and making available such understanding is usually a text-based document that is
enhanced with graphs and tables. This represents the classical construction used
for formal reports and office documentation, which, however, is structurally insufficient for representing and communicating the complex nature of underlying knowledge created for the understanding of the client’s energy efficiency related situation, and possible improvements. Resulting shortcomings in information transfer
and knowledge exchange at the organizational boundary between ESCO and client
often severely impede communication, and thus hinder or even make impossible a
mutual understanding and collaboration. Additionally, increasing specialization in
knowledge and practice creates boundaries where differences in perspectives make a
shared understanding and collaboration between various work groups, communities
of practice, and organizations from different sectors and professions more and more
difficult.
Studies on how barriers encountered on boundaries related to information transfer
and knowledge exchange during collaboration across different groups, communities of practice, and organizations can be overcome, while also providing support
for building a shared understanding and perspective, led to the notion of boundary
objects (Bowker and Star 1999; Bowker et al. 2015; Star 2010). Those boundary
objects are considered to be plastic enough to adapt to local needs and the requirements of the different parties employing them, but they are also robust enough to
maintain a common identity across different disciplines and perspectives (Bowker
and Star 1999). According to (Bowker and Star 1999; Bowker et al. 2015), boundary
objects can be classified into ordered piles of objects called repositories, objects
or descriptions that are called ideal type with a less detailed structure serving as
a means of communicating and cooperating symbolically, and standardized forms
that are boundary objects that considerably reduce or even eliminate local uncertainties by devising methods of common communication across dispersed parties. A
different classification was proposed in (Wenger 2000), where boundary objects were
categorized as artifacts relating to models, tools and documents, discourses relating
to shared common languages, and processes relating to shared routines and procedures aimed at supporting and facilitating coordination of dispersed parties. Work on
more abstract objects such as narratives and symbolism-based metaphoric boundary
objects is reported in (Wenger 2000; Koskinen 2005; Boland and Tenkasi 1995).
Based on empirical research from within observed settings in engineering design