Fourth-Generation Activity Theory: An Integrative Literature Review and Implications for Professional Communication

May combine two claims.

These attempts have been relatively uncoordinated and have not produced a shared agenda.

“However, these attempts have been relatively uncoordinated and have not resulted in a shared agenda.”

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The 4GAT literature has two main foci: peer and social production, and networked organization of labor and production.

“We find that this literature has two main foci: (1) Peer and social production and (2) Networked organization of labor and production.”

• Also stated in: § II. Research Question 1: What problems do researchers attempt to solve with 4GAT? · plain

  “The publications clustered around two major strands and several minor strands (Table 1).”

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A Google Scholar search for

“Currently, searching for”

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Engeström's call gave a general direction but not a specific agenda.

“This call provided a general direction, but not a specific agenda.”

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These limitations have also been noted in other areas that use activity theory.

“These limitations have also been noted in other areas using activity theory.”

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3GAT has been used in professional communication to study information circulation and sharing, to supplement genre theory, to examine and improve pedagogy, and to theorize and improve industry-academic partnerships.

“3GAT has been used in professional communication to study information circulation and sharing in and across organizations (e.g., [43][44]); to supplement genre theory for understanding genres-inactivity (e.g., [6][28]); to examine, critique, and improve professional communication pedagogy (e.g., [21][29]); and to theorize, guide, critique, and improve industry-academic partnerships (e.g., [17][47]”

• cites [43][44]Not checked yet

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• cites [6][28]Not checked yet

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• cites [21][29]Not checked yet

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Third-generation activity theory (3GAT) has been widely applied to case studies in professional communication and in related areas including information systems, workforce education, and computer-supported cooperative work.

“Activity theory in its”

• Also stated in: § INTRODUCTION · plain

  “3GAT's framework and tools have been applied to case studies in professional communication, information systems, computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), and related fields, illuminating cases such as complex mediated work within and across organizations, especially in digitally mediated work and post-bureaucratic work.”

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Strand 1 seeks alternatives to capitalism, whereas Strand 2 aims to better address post-bureaucratic work within capitalist systems.

“Aim: Strand 1 aims to provide alternatives to capitalism, while Strand 2 aims to better address postbureaucratic work within capitalist systems.”

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Additional searches on Science Direct, the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, Springer Link, and Web of Science did not produce additional sources.

“To ensure coverage, we also performed these searches on Science Direct, the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, Springer Link, and Web of Science (cf.[52]).The searches did not result in additional sources.”

• cites [52] 52. F. Wiser, C. Durst, and N. Wickramasinghe, "Using Activity Theory Successfully in Healthcare: A Systematic Review of the Theory's Key Challenges to Date," in Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2019, pp. 882-891. sourceNot checked yet

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Two sources fall into the category of the theory and its history.

“Two sources fall into the category of the theory and its history.”

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The publications came from fields and disciplines such as professional communication, education, information systems, and sociology.

“These publications came from fields and disciplines such as professional communication, education, information systems, and sociology.”

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Spinuzzi [46] characterizes coworking as involving overlapping configurations of activity networks.

“Spinuzzi [46] describes overlapping configurations of activity networks.”

• cites [46] 46. C. Spinuzzi, "Working Alone, Together: Coworking as Emergent Collaborative Activity," J. Bus. Tech. Commun., vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 399-441, 2012. sourceNot checked yet

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Three articles each address a separate problem: emotion and identity, social capital, and motivation.

“Other Strands: Finally, these three articles each address a separate problem: Emotion and identity; social capital; and motivation.”

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The review defines two major strands in the scholarship, along with miscellaneous sources outside them.

“We have defined two major strands in the scholarship, plus miscellaneous sources outside those strands.”

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These sources declare an intention to develop a new generation of AT, but they do not develop it in the same way or for the same purposes.

“That is, these different sources declare the intention to develop a new generation of AT, but they are not developing it in the same way or for the same purposes.”

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4GAT is mentioned more than developed in the literature, and its development has been slow and isolated.

“4GAT is being mentioned more than developed in the literature; its development has been slow and isolated.”

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In these case studies, objects are fractional, multiple, and contested, and the authors seek to understand and improve work under new work conditions.

“In these case studies, objects are fractional, multiple, and contested, and the authors seek to understand and improve work under new work conditions.”

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The development has taken various directions, but two major strands focus on different principles: alternatives to capitalism versus understanding work in post-bureaucratic capitalism.

“This development has taken various directions, but two major strands focus on different principles: alternatives to capitalism vs understanding work in post-bureaucratic capitalism.”

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Strand 1 intervenes in runaway objects-too large and diffuse for any single actor to fully grasp, involving many stakeholders with different perspectives.

“Scope: Strand 1 seeks to intervene in runaway objects, which are too large and diffuse to be fully apprehended by any single actor and thus involve a large set of stakeholders with different perspectives (cf.[8]).”

• cites [8] 8. Y. Engeström, From Teams to Knots: Studies of Collaboration and Learning at Work. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. sourceNot checked yet

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Gleasure and Morgan [15] investigate activity theory and social capital in crowdfunding.

“Gleasure and Morgan [15] examine activity theory and social capital in crowdfunding.”

• cites [15] 15. R. Gleasure and L. Morgan, "The pastoral crowd: Exploring self-hosted crowdfunding using activity theory and social capital," Inf. Syst. J., vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 489-515, 2018. sourceNot checked yet

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Five sources propose developing 4GAT to better understand peer and social production, in which individuals collaborate across or outside organizations and the boundaries and structures of activity systems fade.

“Strand 1. Peer and social production: These five sources propose to develop 4GAT to better understand peer and social production, in which individuals collaborate across or outside organizations and in which”

• cites [7] 7. Y. Engeström, "The future of activity theory: A rough draft," in Learning and expanding with activity theory, A. Sannino, H. Daniels, and K. Gutierrez, Eds. New York: Cambridge, 2009, pp. 303-328. sourceNot checked yet

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These sources are linked to other literature that applies activity theory to post-bureaucratic work.

“These sources connect to other literature applying activity theory to post-bureaucratic work.”

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Strand 1 is explicitly interventionist, while Strand 2 is analytical.

“Stance: Strand 1 is explicitly interventionist, while Strand 2 is analytical (cf.[16]).”

• cites [16] 16. D. Guile, The Learning Challenge of the Knowledge Economy. Boston: Sense Publishers, 2010. sourceNot checked yet

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Three sources fall into the category of educational applications.

“Three sources fall into the category of educational applications.”

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Three of those sources focus on coworking.

“Three address coworking:”

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These sources do not substantially interact with one another or with other 4GAT literature.

“However, they do not interact substantially with each other or with other literature on 4GAT.”

The quote only partly states this claim.

After discarding false positives, passing mentions, and non-English sources, 19 publications remained.

“We were left with 19 publications.”

• Also stated in: § I. Literature included in this review · plain

  “After conducting the search for literature, we found just 19 publications that met the criteria, including 4 doctoral or master's theses, 4 proceedings papers, 11 articles, and 1 book chapter.”

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Whereas 3GAT literature focuses on bounded organizations, 4GAT literature focuses on intervening in runaway objects that no single stakeholder can completely apprehend.

“But whereas the 3GAT literature focuses on bounded organizations, the 4GAT literature focuses on intervening in runaway objects that no single stakeholder can completely apprehend.”

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One source investigated how nonemployer firms developed subcontractor networks [44].

“One source explored how nonemployer firms cultivated subcontractor networks [44].”

• cites [44] 44. C. Spinuzzi, "How Nonemployer Firms Stage-Manage Ad- Hoc Collaboration: An Activity Theory Analysis," Tech. Commun. Q., vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 88-114, 2014. sourceNot checked yet

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Strand 2 addresses smaller-scope objects-specific projects with a limited, defined set of stakeholders-but views these objects as fractional or multiple rather than multiperspectival.

“In contrast, Strand 2 addresses smaller-scope objects-specific projects with a limited, defined set of stakeholders-but understands these objects as fractional or multiple rather than multiperspectival (cf.[40][47]).”

• cites [40] 40. C. Spinuzzi, "Losing by Expanding: Corralling the Runaway Object," J. Bus. Tech. Commun., vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 449-486, 2011. sourceNot checked yet

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• cites [47] 47. C. Spinuzzi, "'I Think You Should Explore the Kinky Market': How Entrepreneurs Develop Value Propositions as Emergent Objects of Activity Networks," Mind, Cult. Act., vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 258-272, 2017. sourceNot checked yet

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Cases of social and peer production and similar post-bureaucratic work tend to be unsettled, unstable, and interconnected with many other activities.

“Unlike cases traditionally explored by activity theory (e.g., education, health, law, and other longterm, stabilized activities), these cases tend to be unsettled, unstable, and interconnected with many other activities (e.g., open source software, coworking, entrepreneurship, and client-focused projects).”

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Engeström characterizes activity theory as developing in three generations.

“Engeström [9] characterizes activity theory as developing in three”

• cites [9] 9. Y. Engeström, "Developmental work research as educational research: Looking ten years back and into the zone of proximal development," Nord. Pedagog., vol. 16, pp. 131-143, 1996.Not checked yet

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In 2009, Engeström proposed developing a fourth generation of activity theory.

“To address such cases, in 2009, Engeström suggested developing a fourth generation of activity theory (hereafter 4GAT).”

• cites [7] 7. Y. Engeström, "The future of activity theory: A rough draft," in Learning and expanding with activity theory, A. Sannino, H. Daniels, and K. Gutierrez, Eds. New York: Cambridge, 2009, pp. 303-328. sourceNot checked yet

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4GAT must address social production and peer production, where the boundaries and structures of activity systems fade and the distinction between processes and structure becomes somewhat obsolete.

“Whereas 3GAT”

• cites [7] 7. Y. Engeström, "The future of activity theory: A rough draft," in Learning and expanding with activity theory, A. Sannino, H. Daniels, and K. Gutierrez, Eds. New York: Cambridge, 2009, pp. 303-328. sourceNot checked yet

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Such cases tend to have objects that are fractional rather than unified, emergent rather than established, and transformed through multiple loosely synchronized cycles rather than a single developmental cycle.

“Such cases tend to include objects that are fractional rather than unified; emergent rather than established; and transformed through multiple, loosely synchronized cycles rather than a single developmental cycle.”

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An integrative literature review is particularly suitable for understanding 4GAT because 4GAT is being developed across multiple fields in parallel with little coordination, is discussed with increasing frequency, and has not yielded a single coherent account.

“An integrative literature review is particularly apt for understanding 4GAT, which (a) is being developed across multiple fields and disciplines in parallel, with little coordination, (b) is being discussed with increasing frequency, and (c) has not yielded a single coherent account.”

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For these applications, Strand 2 provides a productive set of concepts for understanding post-bureaucratic work.

“For these applications, Strand 2 offers a productive set of concepts for understanding post-bureaucratic work.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

Developing alternatives to capitalism requires an interventionist stance and new interventionist tools to better understand and guide social and peer production and interdisciplinary public collaborations involving large, uncertain objects like open source software or global warming.

“For instance, developing alternatives to capitalism involves taking an interventionist stance and building new interventionist tools for better understanding and guiding social and peer production as well as interdisciplinary public collaborations involving large, uncertain objects (such as open source software or global warming).”

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In these cases, objects are inherently interdisciplinary and hard to scope, and they are often produced without pay-though still within capitalism, they point toward the post-capitalist order that Engeström pursues with Strand 1.

“In such cases, objects are inherently interdisciplinary and difficult to scope, and they are often produced without remuneration --that is, although they are still produced within a capitalist system, they gesture toward the post-capitalist order that Engeström is interested in pursuing with Strand 1.”

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The two strands share parallel concerns and can support each other.

“Yet the two strands also have parallel concerns and can support each other:”

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Thus professional communication in particular can benefit from further development of 4GAT.

“Thus professional communication in particular can benefit from further development of 4GAT.”

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The review followed the specifications for integrative literature reviews in IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.

“This review followed the specifications of integrative literature reviews in IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication.”

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Understanding post-bureaucratic work requires developing new analytical and conceptual tools.

“In contrast, understanding post-bureaucratic work involves developing new analytical and conceptual tools.”

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These strands respond to some of the same analytical problems and may be reconcilable, but they point to different needs and imply different contributions, especially for professional communication research.

“These strands react to some of the same analytical problems and are perhaps reconcilable, but point to different needs and imply different contributions, particularly to professional communication research.”

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Because of these parallel concerns, the two strands can support each other in further developing 4GAT, especially in professional communication.

“Given these parallel concerns, we believe that the two strands can support each other in the further development of 4GAT-particularly in professional communication.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

At the same time, professional communication may have specific disciplinary requirements that demand specific developments from 4GAT.

“At the same time, professional communication may have specific disciplinary requirements, demanding specific developments from 4GAT.”