Managing Experts and Competing through Innovation: An Activity Theoretical Analysis

Abstract

An activity theoretical analysis is presented of an organization that is operating in a rapidly changing sector and whose competitiveness depends significantly upon the design skills of its engineers. The company designs high-technology make-to-order products. Like other organizations that compete through knowledge and innovation, the prosperity of this company depends upon its organizational learning, that is, upon the effectiveness with which it can mobilize, apply and develop its distinctive knowledge base as circumstances change. In the difficult context that the company faces, the speed with which projects can move from the initial concept phase through design to production has to become especially important. The paper outlines a general strategy that was developed as the company sought to control this process and traces the consequences for design practices. An activity theoretical approach is used to model the changes that were attempted and the outcomes which emerged and to introduce a discussion of possible future options. The approach (i) emphasizes the relevance of a historical perspective on organizational change, (ii) features the changing nature of expertise in contemporary manufacturing and (iii) discusses the potential significance for collective learning of tensions and incoherencies within a work system.

From initiatives to employee-driven innovations

“…In their study on the management of innovation, Blackler et al (1999) show that solutions to problems and innovations may also be developed from bottom-up as well as from top-down. Accordingly, they suggest that forums and rules for dialogue in an organisation are needed to promote the articulation of multiple perspectives.…”

“…By using power, implementation can be either promoted or prevented. The aim of this study is to expand our knowledge of power relations (Hardy and Clegg, 1996;Blackler et al, 1999) In the following sections, we first discuss the theoretical concepts of innovation, path creation, agency, and power relations. We then describe the setting and data collection, as well as the methods of analysis.…”

“…'Power over' emphasises the ownership of resources. Moreover, the initiatives for solutions to problems and innovations may come from top-down and bottom-up in an organisation (Blackler et al, 1999). Thus, for the analysis of power relations we draw up four fields, illustrated in Figure 2.…”

Power, Mastery And Organizational Learning

“…Our own use of activity theory has been to explore the changing nature of expertise in contemporary organisations (Blackler 1993, and Blackler, Crump and McDonald 1999a, 1999b. Generalising from the example of manufacturing industry we have suggested that in some sectors of the economy activity systems are becoming more complex, abstract, interpenetrated and unstable.…”

Cultural-Historical Activity Theory: Exploring a Theory to Inform Practice and Research

“…Although CHAT is not yet widely known in the U.S., it is being employed by scholar-practitioners across a diverse array of fields to advance ways of thinking about and shaping professional practices such as developing curricula and teaching at all education levels (Cole, 1996;Jonassen & RohrerMurphy, 1999;Roth & Lee, 2007), providing mental health care (Sundet, 2010), strategizing and managing organizational processes (Blackler, Crump, & McDonald, 1999, 2000, designing digital technologies (Kaptelinin & Nardi, 2006), tracing the computerization of architectural design (Groleau, Demers, Lalancette, & Barros, 2012), developing public policy (Canary, 2007(Canary, , 2010Canary & McPhee, 2008), and analyzing work.…”