A contradiction (tension, mismatch, disharmony) may exist within or between the elements of an activity or between related activities within an activity network. The contradiction causes phenomena considered harmful or problematic when it occurs/shows within a work activity and may require change efforts. A development point is the location of the contradiction and the area where change efforts are needed within the networked work activity system.
Published in Chapter:
Researching an Activity-Driven Approach to Information Systems Development
Irmeli Luukkonen (University of Eastern Finland, Finland), Marika Toivanen (University of Eastern Finland, Finland), Anja Mursu (Salivirta Partners, Finland), Kaija Saranto (University of Eastern Finland, Finland), and Mikko Korpela (University of Eastern Finland, Finland)
Copyright: © 2013
|Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3990-4.ch022
Abstract
The primary objective of this chapter is to introduce a socio-technical approach called the Activity-Driven (AD) approach to Information Systems Development (ISD) in healthcare and social services. The approach is based on the application of Activity Theory in ISD and on participatory and cooperative design principles. It has been studied and developed for over a decade in cooperation between IS researchers and healthcare professionals around twenty practice-oriented research cases, hosted by the participating health facilities. The authors define the AD approach and describe the characteristics of the AD approach and the continuum of the interrelated research projects since 1998. They also provide a glance at the business utilisation of the approach and discuss the tentative educational experiences of the approach. The aim is to contribute to the knowledge of socio-technical ISD by providing a versatile description of the AD approach, the characteristics, and the long-term cooperative multidisciplinary research efforts, and show the interplay between the AD approach that was developed and the conditions under which it was elaborated.