Resolução das contradições e a evolução da atividade no processo de desenvolvimento de produtos (PDP) : uma abordagem a partir da teoria da atividade
Resumen
The escalation of the competitiveness in the auto parts segment has been driving their
companies to deep search better results. In this scenario, the product development process
(PDP) has been of paramount importance. With its multidisciplinary characteristic, it
articulates simultaneously different rationalities and actors who have built on very
different interpretations of their real work. Interventions aiming to enhance the PDP
performance inside an organization focus on the evaluation and modification of the
prescribed work. When this is the approach, they limit their scope on the evaluation of
the procedures and stated workflows and use a deterministic assumption which imposes
just one single way to have the work done. This research proposes the Activity Theory as
an adequate theoretical framework to deal with work redesign and shed light on the results
from a case study where the first stage of the PDP was studied. We concluded that the
activity system model proposed by Engeström identifies and reveals contradictions,
which once in the equation, can really enhance PDP performance.