The Silent Architects of Teamwork : Communication Tools as Mediators and Boundary Objects in Interdisciplinary Research

Interdisciplinary research teams increasingly rely on communication tools to coordinate tasks, share knowledge, and maintain alignment. While these tools can enhance collaboration, they also shape participation, reinforce hierarchies, and introduce new forms of fragmentation. This study investigates how digital and non-digital communication tools function as sociotechnical mediators in interdisciplinary collaboration, focusing on the Designing Value Networks (DVN) research group at a Dutch university of applied sciences. Using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and Susan Leigh Star’s concepts of boundary objects and infrastructure, the study analyzes semi- structured interviews and ethnographic observations to examine how tools such as Microsoft Teams, Google Docs, Miro, and WhatsApp actively structure visibility, task coordination, and knowledge circulation. Findings reveal that communication tools not only support collaboration, but also mediate power, access, and epistemic alignment. Misalignments often emerge through infrastructural breakdowns, inconsistent tool adoption, and informal hierarchies embedded in digital workflows. The study concludes that enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration requires more than the adoption of new platforms, it demands infrastructural stewardship, participatory tool governance, and reflexive practices that legitimize informal communication and support equitable engagement. By critically reassessing how tools are embedded, governed, and maintained, institutions can better support the ongoing, negotiated process of alignment in complex research environments. This research contributes to Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Media and Communication Studies by demonstrating that communication tools are not passive instruments, but active participants in shaping the possibilities, and limitations, of interdisciplinary collaboration.