Distributed cognition: an alternative framework for analysing and explaining collaborative working

This paper examines the theoretical and practical problems that arise from attempts to develop formal characterisations and explanations of many work activities; in particular, collaborative activities. We argue that even seemingly discrete individual activities occur in, and frequently draw upon a complex network of factors: individual, social and organisational. Similarly, organisational and social constraints and practices impact upon individual, cognitive processes and the realisation of these in specific tasks. Any adequate characterisation of work activities therefore requires the analysis and synthesis of information from these, traditionally separate sources. We argue that existing frameworks, emanating separately from the respective disciplines (cognitive, social and organisational) do not present an adequate means of studying the dynamics of collaborative activity in situ. An alternative framework, advocated in this paper, is distributed cognition. Its theoretical basis is outlined together with examples of applied studies of computer-mediated work activities in different organisational settings.