An Inquiry into Knowledge Integration and Innovation Management from an ”Activity Domain” perspective Lars Taxén

Some issues in Knowledge Integration The very concept of KI is vague The nature of knowledge are not problemized Direct link between the individual and organizational levels The notion of “levels” An alternative approach – the Activity Domain

Individual activity Human capabilities (mind and body) Means capabilities Enactment – intertwining human and means capabilities Resource only in a musical context Object Sounding music Motive Enjoyable, Emotional experience, …

Dimensions of enactment – the Activity Modalities Temporalization Spatialization Stabilization Transition Contextualization

Consorted understanding Social activity

An Activity Domain Activity modalities contextualization spatialization temporalization stabilization transition Means Object, Motive Consorted understanding Innate dispositions for acting

An ancient Activity Domain Activity modalities contextualization spatialization temporalization stabilization transition Means Object, Motive Consorted understanding

A contemporary Activity Domain

The Object

Temporalization

Manifestations of the activity domain Stabilization Object Means Spatialization Transition Temporalization

Knowledge Integration

Sales (Customers, tenders) Supply (Orders) Design (Product) PC2 PC1: Order / Contract SC6: Product quality approved PC2: Product arrived SC6 PC1 Knowledge integration Coordinating Activity Domain Coordinated Activity Domains

Design HSC HSD APX 1 SubS Block SWU HWU APT SubS Block SWU HWU APZ APX 2 SubS Block LMHWU APR Supply Product Package Site Common Power Cooling Additional mtrl Installation mtrl Product Package Other Deliverables SW ‘dump’ LZY /1 Product Package HW Platfom FAP Cabinet BFE /12 Mounting Set BAY /1 Connection Cable RPM /12 CPI LZN /1 Sales SSI Services FGC HW Platform FGC SW Features FGC Product packge FAP Product packge FAP SSI Service FAP Node Release FGB System Solution FGA PRB: Ready for volume production DS4: Design ready and verified PSA: Contract signed DS4 PRB PSA Inside coordinated Activity Domains

Knowledge Integration Coordination of activity domains Mapping of states Activity modalities in focus: –Contextualization –Transition Balancing between commonality and diversity PC1: Order / Contract PC2: Product arrived SC6: Product quality approved PRA: Ready for volume production DS4: Design ready and verified PSA: Contract signed

Innovation management Impacting a particular Activity domain –Changing the implementation of a module from Software to Hardware Rearrangement of Activity Domains –Changing the architecture of the product –Individual domains may remain the same Coordination of Activity Domains –New methods for coordination –New IS (e.g. implementing an ERP system) “Innovation: The implementation of something unprecedented for business gain” (Davies,2010) Innovation management based on the Activity Domain construct

Conclusion The Activity Domain construct provides an alternative conceptualization of Knowledge Integration and Innovation Management