One of the key concepts of the neo-institutional studies of organizations has been routine—an established, rule-governed pattern of action. The concept of routine creates difficulties when used for making sense of the emergence of new practices or change in organizations and institutions. There are two reasons for this. First, routine was introduced originally to account for the continuity of organizational life. Second, it is based on theories of action and behaviour that focus exclusively on the pre-reflective and embodied aspects of human practice. This paper seeks an alternative approach by using the concepts of epistemic object and artefact mediation of human activity. It argues that representational artefacts, such as concepts and models, are instrumental in inducing change in human practices. Using the work of occupational health and safety inspectors as an example, it is shown how a practice or set of routines is made into an object of enquiry in order to generate a working hypothesis for an alternative practice. The hypothesis is further objectified by designing a set of informational tools and procedures that carry on the new practice.

For several reasons, not least because of the information and communica­tions technological revolution, there is an increasing need for deep qualita­tive transformation in business activities involving the development and implementation of entirely new concepts. Traditionally this kind of change process has involved the top-down imposition of a pre-existing new model. This approach does not stimulate the local initiative or creative experimentation needed for carrying out complex transformations, howe­ver. There is therefore a need for an intervention method that allows for practitioners not only to apply a given new concept in transforming their activity, but also to analyze the need for change and to develop and implement a new concept in order to meet current challenges. This calls for the breaking away from given frames of action and the taking of initiatives to transform them collaboratively. The Change Laboratory is an intervention method specifically designed for prompting and supporting this kind of shared transformative agency. Many steps have to be taken before a work community evolves form independently acting individuals into a collective subject of sustained transformation effort. This article describes some of the major dilemmas involved in building shared transformative agency on the basis of experience in carrying out Change Laboratory interventions in various organizations. The possibility of creating cross- organizational col­laboration in developing a new concept for a certain type of activity is also discussed.

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