Boundary objects and knowledge sharing in sustainability demonstration projects: insights from practitioner-driven codification strategies shaping project learning

Purpose Sustainability demonstration projects provide an important case context for both project learning and boundary spanning. These projects have knowledge sharing as a central focus, key driver and intended outcome. Despite the well-established potential of knowledge codification to overcome temporal, geographical and organisational barriers, little is known about how practitioners codify project learnings within boundary objects for effective knowledge transfer. This study addresses the following research question: How do practitioners perceive the relative importance of boundary object capacities for knowledge sharing when codifying project learnings in different types of sustainability demonstration projects? Design/methodology/approach A multiple-case analysis of 28 sustainability demonstration projects, applying surveys, interviews and multicriteria mapping (MCM) provides insights on practitioner perspectives relating to boundary object capacities for learning codification and sharing between sustainability demonstration projects. Findings The results show that all boundary object capacities were recognised as supporting effective learning codification and transfer, with “common language and syntax” and “interpretative and translation” capacities being most commonly prioritised. Codification strategies were found to be highly context-sensitive, with project type significantly influencing practitioner preferences and rationales. Research limitations/implications These findings advance understanding of knowledge codification in sustainability-focused project environments and offer a practical framework for tailoring or analysing codification strategies to specific project contexts. The study contributes to the discussion of project artefact/boundary object design for learning and provides actionable insights for practitioners seeking to enhance knowledge transfer and collaboration in sustainability demonstration projects. Originality/value A significant research gap exists in relation to the capacities of boundary objects representing codified project learnings for knowledge sharing. Although boundary objects are widely studied, no primary research has evaluated how project practitioners perceive their capacity for project learning codification.