An Organizational Activity Framework for Effective Business Practices Implementation in Research-Oriented Organizations in Developing Economies

This paper explored the constraints to business practices implementation by Research-Oriented Organizations in Developing Economies. Guided by organizational activity, sociotechnical and macroergonomic theories, data was collected from four research-oriented organizations in four developing countries, and analyzed using actions of identified groups in each organization’s activity system as the unit of analysis. It was found that the emergence of multivoicedness in the organizations’ activity systems created misfits among the organizations components which created systemic problems, ruptures, and breakdowns which constrained the effectiveness of the organizations’ business practices implementations. It is concluded that in the process of business practices implementation, an activity in the organization must be understood not as one activity with its peculiarities, but rather as a real aggregate of several activities and relations arising from the interacting components of the organization. A framework for understanding effective business practices implementation in research-oriented organizations is thus formulated.