Binate Diversity and IT at the Rolling Edge of Design Networks

Innovation demands the integration of diverse forms and sources of knowledge. The boundaries of design networks continually leverage new knowledge resources to achieve increased innovation in contexts such as high-visibility architecture, engineering and construction projects. We refer to these continuously expanding boundaries as the “rolling edge” of design networks. Within these expanding design networks, we observe a phenomenon we describe as "binate diversity." Binate diversity refers to situations where social worlds as well as diverse technology-embedded practices must be reconciled to enable collaboration. Two practices make this reconciliation possible (1) a single technology takes primacy in the trading zone, but remains loosely coupled from the design work of certain knowledge communities, and (2) this loose coupling is enabled by humans who mediate between the technologies that are embedded in practice, and those in the trading zone. We report observations from two initial case studies as part of an ongoing research-in-progress.