Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research

Hannele Kerosuo, Ph.D, Researcher

Email: hannele.kerosuo@helsinki.fi
Tel.: +358 9 191 44275
Fax: +358 9 191 44579

Postal address:
Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research
P.O. Box 26
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland

Personal home page:
www.edu.helsinki.fi/activ...

Current Activities

Project: Boundary Crossing and Knotworking in Innovative Work Organizations

The study focuses on boundary crossing and knotworking in companies operating under challenging organizational and business environments. For the purpose organization design for innovation and innovation activity are researched in 2-3 Finnish companies. The concept of activity is used as an analytical unit to depict the emergent innovation activity in practice.

Research questions of the study are (1) How do companies design organization for promoting innovation, competitiveness and growth in practice? (2) How do companies carry out innovations in boundary crossing and knotworking in practice? (3) How are conditions for innovations and growth created through boundary crossing and knotworking in innovation networks?

The method of the study draws on activity theoretical perspectives and anthropological methods in the examination of boundary crossing and knotworking. The data gathered includes recorded interviews and observations, fieldnotes and documents.

The proposed research will provide companies knowledge on organization design for promoting innovation, competitiveness, and growth in challenging organizational and business environments. It will also provide companies knowledge on actual innovating processes in networks of innovation activity, and give an opportunity for companies to reflect on the results of the study during the research process thus enabling the experimentation of new ideas. The research is carried out in close collaboration with Chemnitz University of Technology.

Web Links

Kerosuo, H. (2006). Boundaries in Action