ACTIVITY THEORY AND THE ANALYSIS OF ORGANIZATIONS

This article summarizes activity theory as advanced by Finnish organizational analyst Yrjo Engestrom, with particular attention paid to antecedents of activity theory in the work of Vygotsky, Leontyev, Luria, and others identified with the Soviet sociohistorical approach to psychology. Activity theory is illustrated through a retrospective analysis of activity systems operating in events leading up to the Challenger shuttle catastrophe, comparing the approach to the theory of ''normal accidents'' advanced by Perrow. Implications for the study of organizations and organizational actors, as well as issues related to use of activity theory to conduct retrospective analyses (as against its use as an intervention strategy) are discussed.