Activity2008 - Activity analyses for developing work

12-14 May, 2008, Helsinki, Finland 

Download - Activity 2008 - Book of abstracts

Laura Seppäsen kirjoitus: Interventioilla 'mahdollistaviin ympäristöihin'? Activity2008-symposiumin satoa. 

Recurrent changes in work life, such as implementation of information technology and changes in production and service structures, are motivated both by competitive reasons and by improvements in human capabilities and work contents. Hence, we may observe contradictory phenomena in today’s work and also increase in certain types of health and safety problems. Although ergonomists and human factors specialists strive for improving work and work-related well-being by e.g. versatile analytical and participatory methods, the complexity and dynamics of recent workplace transformations appear to require new methodologies and their combinations.

How ergonomic research and practice can face increasing complexity of changing production and service concepts? Activity theoretical and other system-oriented approaches can open possibilities for more comprehensive understanding of the ongoing dynamics of change and for design and development of work.

Main themes of the symposium

The title of the symposium 'Activity analyses for developing work' is elaborated by the following sub-themes:

1. Interventions and intervention methodologies in developing work
2. The concepts 'work' and 'activity' in ergonomic research 
3. Activity approaches in risk analysis and management
4. New activity-driven design concepts

Key notes and speakers

• Changing work through IT design. Reflections upon participatory design
  Professor Susanne Bødker, University of Aarhus,Denmark
• Design processes: managing continuity and discontinuity between present and future activity
  Professor François Daniellou, Université Victor Segalen, France
• Disasters, development and intervention at work: toward a formative methodology
  Professor Yrjö Engeström, University of Helsinki, Finland
• Reliability management as an individual/collective development process: a constructive ergonomics viewpoint
  Professor Pierre Falzon, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM), France

Who should attend?

The symposium is targeted especially those researchers and practitioners interested in methods and methodologies relating work and development, especially in quickly changing and complex activities. The symposium aims at creating a fruitful atmosphere of exchange between activity theorists, systems theoretically oriented and “traditional” ergonomists, as well as within different activity-theoretical approaches in a wide range of practical applications.

Organizers

Organizer

The symposium is an event of the Technical Committee 'Activity theories for work analysis and design' (ATWAD) from the International Ergonomics Association.

ATWAD aims at creating a community of ergonomists and human factors specialists interested in activity theoretical approaches in a broad sense, and at increasing international collaboration between scientists and practitioners.

The symposium is supported by SELF (La Société d'Ergonomie de Langue Française).

Local organizers

• The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
• University of Helsinki, Center for Activity Theory and Developmental Work Research
• Verve (former Merikoski Rehabilitation and Research Centre)

Sponsors 

• The Finnish Work Environment Fund
  
• Workplace Development Programme TYKES
  
• French Finnish Association for Research and Technology
  
  

Symposium venue

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Haartmaninkatu 1 D
FI-00250 Helsinki
FINLAND

Important dates

Call for abstracts available	early September 2007
Deadline for abstracts	12 December 2007
Notice of acceptance of abstracts	15 January 2008
Early registration until	14 March 2008
Deadline for cancelling	31 March 2008
Symposium	12-14 May 2008

More information

activity2008@ttl.fi