Introduction

In a simple ethnographic study, Holland and Reeves (1996) discussed some very important concepts in Activity Theory. Groups evolve, not merely based on predetermined code of conduct, but on individual’s ‘cultural resources beyond the classroom’ (Holland and Reeves, 1996). They give individuals the ability to bring resources and understanding to the team, thus forming a collective response and determine the fundamental contradictions which drive the group.

No developmental starting point

Thus, work and its formation may be said as having no developmental starting point. A lot of environmental and cultural factors contribute to a final decision. These factors may or may not contribute to anything, yet their presence potentially interact with the current event and spark off a new intention and series of actions.

This formulation of intention based on the mix of the present and past injected a new trajectory for the group, which may then be viewed as a ‘starting point’ of any activities. However, getting to this ‘starting point’ requires one to investigate into its development.

It is hard to predict, especially the future

The toughest criticism of the paper is perhaps the difficulties of ‘seeing’ the effects one’s history has on a current plan or technology. Most of the studies of this sort is reflective, that is, it reports rather than predicts. Those who attempted to predict too often base their insights upon constancy of change within a society, drawing upon powerful statistical graphs to show the trajectory of change. Yet, these graphs did not show anything beyond the two end points, it is our own cognitive biases that ‘sees’ that constancy. Examples of these include the Moore’s Law, economic indices, and erroneous prediction of oil sustainability in 1980s.

Solving this problem requires one to synthesize a fuller picture encompassing multiple, not just one, trajectories. This picture should allow one to see the past mixing with the present, and the emerging structure. An anthropological structure in a way the community will build and will integrate it, and only understandable by human themselves.

========
References
Holland D, and Reeves J (1996). Activity theory and the view from somewhere. In Nardi B, Context and Consciousness. US: MIT Press.

May 2008