The contribution of activity theory to the study of the appropriation of digital tools: the case of middle managers in a production plant

Abstract

The proliferation of digital tools in the activities of middle managers (MM) exacerbates tensions between the historic mandate for rationalization and an emerging injunction for individual and collective autonomy. By interrogating the concept of appropriation through the lens of activity theory, our article aims to address the following question: How do middle managers handle the tensions introduced by digital tools in their activities? We conducted an ethnographic study based on shadowing within transport equipment repair factories and their central management. Our findings indicate that digital tools continuously reshape managerial activities. Indeed, they introduce new tensions that render managerial activity systems temporary and adaptive. Our results demonstrate that managers transform these digital-induced tensions through pragmatic, epistemic, socio-political, and reflective mediations. Specifically, they reinterpret the uses of these tools to rethink their entire managerial practices, encompassing the exploration of possibilities in action, knowledge sharing, collaboration with teams, and self-representation as a manager.