Transformative Agency and the Development of Knotworking in Building Design

The purpose of the study is to examine the part transformative agency plays in the process of developing work in network organizations. Transformative agency is the ability of individuals and groups to transform the organization of their work and practices in changing circumstances. How transformative agency emerges in a collaborative process. What parts do the subjective and collective purposes of action play in the process of emergence? The data of the study is gathered through participant observation in a key event in which a new method of collaboration called knotworking was initiated. Knotworking is a flexible collaboration practice needed in tasks requiring the combination multiple expertises. The activity-theoretical methodology applied in the analysis of the key event. The emergence of transformative agency is identified as a critical phase for the initiation of new ideas in the changing world of work. The findings of this study also suggest that paying attention to subjective motives is required. The process of the alignment of subjective and collective motives is a prerequisite for the emergence of transformative agency.