Lars Taxén, Linköping University lars.taxen@telia neana.se

1. Information Systems and Activity Modalities – A Coordination Perspective on the Interaction between the Neural and the Social Lars Taxén, Linköping University lars.taxen@telia.com www.neana.se

2. Who am I? Methods, processes, IT, Information systems project management 34 yrs Researching the coordination of complex development tasks, PhD (2003), Associate professor (2007) 13 yrs No thorough background in neurosciences! 8 yrs Consulting

3. My perspective on NeuroIS

4. NEURAL REALM SOCIAL REALM other humans • vision • hearing • taste • smell • touch social reality artefacts Human brain and body

5. Neural research NEURAL SOCIAL other humans • vision • hearing • taste • smell • touch social reality artefacts human brain

6. Ilin & Perlovsky, 2011

7. Social research NEURAL SOCIAL other humans • vision • hearing • taste • smell • touch social reality artefacts human

8. A balanced perspective NEURAL SOCIAL other humans • vision • hearing • taste • smell • touch social reality artefacts Human brain and body

9. Point of departure - Coordination Coordination is at the core of human action - spans both the neural and social realms

10. Research focus • vision • hearing • taste • smell • touch other humans ? social reality Information Systems (IS) Coordination human Social realm Conceptual realm Neural realm

11. 1st premise The architecture of the brain constrains and enables the construction of purposeful artifacts (e.g. ISs)

12. Physical artefacts

13. “Mental” artifacts - writing systems (Dehaene, 2009)

14. “Mental” artifacts - writing systems (Dehaene, 2009) In spite of their apparent diversity, all [writing systems] share a great many common features that reflect how visual information is encoded in our cortex. Over time, scribes developed increasingly efficient notations that fitted the organization of our brains. In brief, our cortex did not specifically evolve for writing. Rather, writing evolved to fit the cortex.

15. 2nd premise Humans are endowed with innate predispositions for coordinating actions – the Activity Modalities

16. The telecom industry- where it all started

17. The telecom network

18. Coordinating the development of the 3G mobile systems ~1998 - 2003 22 subprojects 18 development sites ~1000 persons involved

19. Coordinative “dimensions”

20. SW upgrade during traffic Operation and Management HW/SW info Call path tracing Traffic connection DCH connection supervision Start MMI Soft handover Softer handover Hard handover Element management platform Fast congestion control DCHMulti code Multi DCH Radio link DCHSingle code Single DCH radio link Java execution platform Cell capacity supervision IP support FACH/RACH connection Fast power control FACH Ack. AAL5/IP packaging and encapsulating DCH User data process SMSbroadcast DCHPower control Iub data stream setup/release RACH Transport channel FACHProcess user data BCCH User data process PCH User data process DCH Synchronization RACHsetup/release FACH Power control BCCH Power control PCH Power control FACHsetup/release DCH setup/release BCCH setup/release PCH setup/release AAL2 network connection control Setup of RBS/RNC control link Cell measurement report to RNC Node synch. RX diversion SAAL layer Cell processing setup/release AAL2 layer AAL5 layer Resource auto configuration Network synch. incl. Distr. Node connection control De-block HW(incl. Self test) CMsupport Scalable execution SW key handling A “contextual dimension” – the object in focus Physical line termination Application SW load FM support System upgrade PM support Distributed OS LED handling Local execution platform Application hook Power on

21. Information models “Spatial” dimension - relevant things

22. Process models “Temporal” dimension – order of actions

23. Rules “Stabilizing” dimension - Norms indicating proper actions

24. Interaction with other contexts “Focal shift” dimension - transition between contexts

25. Information Systems Mediational means, tools

26. Common understanding Consorted action

27. IS development Information System “Enactment” dimension - acquiring capabilities Information model

28. means object in focus spatial These various dimensions are imperative for managing coordination. Why? temporal enactment transition common understanding stabilizing

29. Ericsson practice Activity Theory (Vygotsky, Luria, Leontiev, …) Towards a theory for coordination 2009 2011

30. The constitution of human activity – the Activity Domain Object, Motive Actors taking roles Mediational means (tools, gestures, language) Common understanding Enactment – acquiring capabilities • Action imperatives: Activity Modalities • Framing a context around the object - Contextualization • Sorting out relevant things - Spatialization • Establishing an order of actions - Temporalization • Working out norms for proper actions - Stabilization • Focal shift - Transition

31. Object, Motive Actors Mediational means Common understanding Enactment Activity modalities Contextualization Spatialization Temporalization Stabilization Transition “Universal” features of human activity Reflect innate “coordinative” faculties of the brain

32. Grounding the theory- the social realm

33. Stabilizing dimension Interrelation Spatial dimension Temporal dimension Notation is 800 years old! It is plausible that it has evolved to fit the organization of the brain

35. Grounding the theory- the conceptual realm

36. Jackendoff’s theory of meaning

37. Jackendoff’s theory of meaning [CONCEPTUAL] structure *Real* realm sensory impression, physical stimuli [DUCK] [RABBIT] *duck* *rabbit*

38. #duck# “That is a duck!” Jackendoff’s theory of meaning [CONCEPTUAL] structure *Real* realm #Projected# realm [DUCK] [RABBIT]

39. #rabbit# #duck# Jackendoff’s theory of meaning [CONCEPTUAL] structure *Real* realm #Projected# realm [DUCK] [RABBIT] *duckrabbit*

40. Jackendoff’s theory of meaning • Conceptual structure • A common layer for linguistic, visual and motor information • Evident from “pragmatic anaphora” utterances • Ontological categories • Basic dimensions along which humans organize experiences • Examples • [THING], [PLACE], [PATH], [EVENT], [STATE], [PROPERTY], • [DIRECTION], [ACTION],[ACTOR], [GOAL], [TYPE], [TOKEN],... • Total set of ontological categories is universal • Innate

41. Activity Modalities - Ontological Categories • Spatialization • [THING]s are related to other [THING]s • [THING]s have [PROPERTIES] • [THING]s have [STATE]s • [DIRECTION]s provide orientation • Temporalization • [EVENT]s changes [STATE]s or [PROPERTIES] of [THING]s • Stabilization • Ability to categorize is central to achieve stabilization • Stabilization affects [TYPE]s and [TOKEN]s of [THINGS]

42. Grounding the theory- the neural realm

43. Manifested neural elements Manifested social elements • contextual • spatial • temporal • stabilizing • transitional • vision • hearing • taste • smell • touch • contextual • spatial • temporal • stabilizing • transitional Action

44. The neuronal workspace hypothesis (adapted after Dehaene, Kerszberg, & Changeux, 1998) • Orbitofrontal cortex • Anterior cingulate • Hypothalamus • Amygdala • Ventral striatum as well as the prefrontal cortex Evaluative Systems (VALUE) Long-term Memory (PAST) Attentional Systems (FOCUSING) • Hippocampal area • Para-hippocampal area • Parietal lobe • .Hippocampal area Neuronal Workspace (COORDINATING) prefrontal cortex Perceptual Systems (PRESENT) Motor Systems (FUTURE) • Premotor cortex • Posterior parietal cortex • Supplementary motor area • Basal ganglia • Cerebellum • Left inferior frontal lobe • Broca’s area. • Ventral and lateral areas of temporal lobes • Temporal and inferior parietal areas • Wernicke’s area

45. The neuronal workspace hypothesis • The current situation is evaluated for alternative actions Evaluative Systems (VALUE) • Similar situations are retrieved from memory • An object is focused • Relevant things are attended Attentional Systems (FOCUSING) Long-term Memory (PAST) • entire activity domains Neuronal Workspace (COORDINATING) • - contextualization • - spatialization Perceptual Systems (PRESENT) Motor Systems (FUTURE) • Sensations arrive in sensory modalities • Actions are executed • temporalization • stabilization • mediational means

46. The neuronal workspace hypothesis • An new object is focused Attentional Systems (FOCUSING) • transition Neuronal Workspace (COORDINATING) Perceptual Systems (PRESENT) • New sensations

47. Information System Development

48. contextualization spatialization transition temporalization stabilization IS should mediate all activity modalities and their interactions

49. Some additional implications • IS Development is reconceptualized as context development • IS-artifact • IS in context • the context of the IS • The activity domain is the point of departure for ISD • Organizations conceptualized as constellations of activity domains • Enactment implies an evolutionary development method • ISD need to balance internal and external aspects of activity domains

50. Summing up - (paraphrasing Dehaene, 2009) In spite of their apparent diversity, all Information Systems share a great many common features that reflect how information is encoded in our cortex Over time, ISs will increasingly efficient be developed to fit the organization of our brains In brief, our cortex did not specifically evolve for ISs. Rather, ISs will evolve to fit the cortex The activity modalities will be at the core of such endeavors