Title: Contributions of the activity theory to analyse disturbances in organisations: the case of solid waste management within a university hospital

Authors: Marcio Pascoal Cassandre; Carine Maria Senger; Marco Antonio Pereira Querol

Addresses: Management Department, State University of Maringá, Brazil Av. Colombo 5.790, DAD/UEM, Bloco C-23; 2º. andar; Sala 203 Maringá – PR, Brazil; Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Denmark ' Management Department, State University of Paraná, Brazil, Av. Minas Gerais, 5021 – Núcleo Hab. Adriano Correia, Apucarana – Paraná, Brazil; State University of Maringá, Brazil ' Agronomic Engineering Department, Federal University of Sergipe, Brazil Av. Marechal Rondon s/n Jardim Rosa Elze, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract: Dilemmas, conflicts, disturbances, and contradictions are constantly manifested in organisational environments, which stimulate changes and learning. In order to comprehend the historical and systemic origins of these events, it is necessary to research theoretical and methodological frameworks aiming at avoiding the misunderstanding of them as individual, shortsighted and superficial. This study's objective is to identify and analyse disturbances and contradictory manifestations in organisational management. The development of this method is based on the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, which was empirically applied in the activity of solid waste management of a university hospital. It was possible to analyse the existent disturbances between the ideal disposals of hospital residues and how the community has been discarding them. Therefore, it is necessary to understand that the analysis of the disturbances needs to precede the identification of the main hypothesis that causes the contradictions through the recuperation of the main historical changes occurred.

Keywords: cultural-historical activity theory; disturbances; organisational change; solid waste management; university hospital.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLC.2018.095801

International Journal of Learning and Change, 2018 Vol.10 No.4, pp.300 - 324

Received: 23 Feb 2017
Accepted: 16 Feb 2018
Published online: 22 Oct 2018 *

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