The Concept of "Projectivity" [Project Approach]

The Concept of “Projectivity” is inspired by Ecological Psychologist James J. Gibson’s Affordance Theory and Andy Blunden’s Project as a Unit of Analysis to Activity Theory.

1. What’s Projectivity?

It refers to potential action opportunities for individuals to initiate or join a project, enabling them to actualize their development in collaboration with others.

The chart below presents three similar concepts: Affordance, Supportance, and Projectivity. These concepts share the same deep structure: the reciprocal relationship between Environment and Organism. In Project-oriented Activity Theory, the Project can be considered the Environment.

2. Sense-Makers

In traditional Activity Theory, the key concept of Object acts as the sense-maker of Activity, as Activity Theorists use the Object to define an Activity. The term "sense-maker" emphasizes the foundational role of the Object in shaping and giving meaning to Activity.

In Ecological Psychology, the concept of "Ecological Information" serves to make sense of "Affordance." From this perspective, the Organism-Environment relationship is explained by a "perception-action" loop. In any given situation, information specifies the structure of the environment. By picking up ecological information, individuals perceive the affordances of the environment. They then select one or more affordances and take corresponding actions.

Although ecological psychologists do not explicitly use the term "sense-maker" to describe the importance of "Ecological Information" within Affordance Theory, we can argue that Ecological Information functions as a sense-maker because it specifies affordances.

Applying this logic to the concept of Projectivity, the following relationships emerge:

2.1 Primary Projectivity
The social and cultural environment contains Events, which individuals perceive and understand. These Events enable people to recognize Primary Projectivity, offered by the environment, and initiate a project. Here, the sense-maker for Primary Projectivity is Events.

2.2 Secondary Projectivity
Once a project is initiated, it provides Secondary Projectivity, enabling others to recognize potential action opportunities for participating in the project. The sense-maker for Secondary Projectivity is the Identity of the established project.

2.3 Tertiary Projectivity
Participants in a project may perceive and understand Tertiary Projectivity, which can inspire the initiation of a new project. In this case, the sense-maker for Tertiary Projectivity is the combination of Themes and the Identity of the established project.

3. Primary Projectivity

Andy Blunden discusses the origin of a project in his 2014 book Collaborative Projects: An Interdisciplinary Study. He states:

"What distinguishes Activity Theory from Phenomenology and Existentialism is that for Activity Theory, the project has its origin and existence in the societal world in which the person finds themself; for Phenomenology and Existentialism, the psyche projects itself onto the world. For Activity Theory, commitment to a project and formulation of actions towards it are mediated by the psyche, but a project is found and realized as something existing in the world, be that an entire civilization, a single personality, or anything in between (see MacIntyre, 1981, p.146)” (Collaborative Projects, 2014, p.7).

3.1 Diagram

The concept of Primary Projectivity builds on the statement, “...a project is found and realized as something existing in the world…”. Inspired by Ecological Psychology, I define this “something existing in the world” as Primary Projectivity, which is offered by the social/cultural environment. It refers to the potential action opportunities for initiating a brand-new project.

The diagram above illustrates the spatial logic of Primary Projectivity. A person perceives and recognizes projectivity offered by society through the sense-maker of Events. The person then actualizes this projectivity by formulating actions. The outcome is the initiation of a brand-new project, which transitions the person from an "outside" position (external to the project) to an "inside" position (as a participant). By changing their position, the person becomes a participant in the project, taking on the role of its founder or initiator.

3.2 Events

The term Events here refers to any form of societal change. Drawing from Gibson’s concept of Ecological Events, which include “changes in the layout of surfaces, changes in the color and texture of surfaces, and changes in the existence of surfaces,” I interpret Events in cultural projection analysis as dynamic processes within society. These processes can range from major transformations to minor occurrences. A big event/change can be a social movement, a groundbreaking technological invention, a political crisis, etc. A small event/change can be a neighborhood gathering, a minor traffic accident, a casual online chat, etc.

In Project-oriented Activity Theory, I have identified three phases in the formation of concepts:

Phase 1: Initialization
Phase 2: Objectification
Phase 3: Institutionalization

Primary Projectivity corresponds to the Initialization Phase, where the potential for a project is perceived and action is initiated.

4: Secondary Projectivity

During the Objectification Phase, an established project begins to attract participants. Once a project is initiated, it offers Secondary Projectivity, allowing others to recognize the potential action opportunities for participating in the project. For Secondary Projectivity, its sense-maker is the Identity of the established project.

4.1 Diagram

The spatial logic for Secondary Projectivity follows the same principles as Primary Projectivity. The diagram below illustrates an abstract model of secondary projecting with two people and one project. Participant A is the person who initiates the project, while Participant B perceives the Secondary Projectivity and decides to participate.

The essence of this spatial logic lies in the synchronization of action formulation and position movement. The second person moves from the outside space of the project into its inside space while actualizing the Secondary Projectivity of the project by taking real actions. It is crucial to emphasize the spatial boundary of the project. Before becoming Participant B, the individual perceives the Secondary Projectivity only through the sense-maker—the Identity of the Project—because they are outside the project’s inside space.

4.2 Identity of the Project

What is the Identity of a Project? I define it as the perceived meaning derived from the sum of the objectifications of the project. This definition includes three essential aspects:

"Perceived Meaning"
"The Sum of..."
"...the objectification"

Objectification is a core concept in Project-oriented Activity Theory. Andy Blunden identifies three main aspects of objectification: symbolic, instrumental, and practical. Symbolic Objectification refers to naming, and coining a term, keywords, hashtags, and inscriptions in documents, laws, signage, literature, etc. Instrumental Objectification involves creating material artifacts and tools. Practical Objectification refers to the normalization of practices, actions, and common uses in a community.

All these concrete forms of objectification collectively form the Identity of the Project. However, the identity itself is an ideal abstract entity. For practical purposes, the focus is on the Perceived Identity—how individuals experience and interpret the project’s identity.

Additionally, the perceived meaning of a project is only part of the decision-making process. An individual’s choice to act on the Secondary Projectivity and join the project depends on how well the perceived meaning aligns with their condition.

Personal condition refers to various individual factors, such as skills, knowledge, health, career trajectory, family commitments, and other personal circumstances. These conditions influence whether a person is willing or able to actualize the project’s Secondary Projectivity and become a participant.

5: Tertiary Projectivity

Tertiary Projectivity refers to the relationship between a project and its participants, specifically focusing on the dynamics of initiating a new project inspired by an established one. Participants, being inside the project’s space, perceive and understand it differently compared to those outside the project.

5.1 Diagram

Tertiary Projectivity involves initiating a new project (Project B) that is inspired by an established project (Project A). The sense-maker for Tertiary Projectivity is the Theme and Identity of the established project.

The diagram illustrates our spatial logic. In this scenario, Participant A is inside the space of Project A. By perceiving the Tertiary Projectivity of Project A, they take action to initiate Project B. This action signifies a movement from the inside space of Project A to the inside space of Project B. By actualizing Tertiary Projectivity, the participant transitions between these two spaces, creating a new project inspired by the established one.

The diagram also accounts for another scenario: a person outside the space of Project A initiates Project B, inspired by Project A. In this case, the sense-maker is the Identity of Project A, rather than its Theme.

5.2 Themes of Project

The sense-maker of Tertiary Projectivity is the Theme of the Project. In Project-oriented Activity Theory, the Theme is equivalent to the Concept of the Project. My understanding of Theme originates from my concept of “Themes of Practice”, which aligns with Blunden’s argument on the Concept. Since a Theme represents a particular concept, I adopt Blunden’s “Hegel-Marx-Vygotsky” framework of Concept as the theoretical foundation for Themes of Practice. Furthermore, Blunden’s notion of the “Formation of Concept” serves as the foundation for Project-oriented Activity Theory.

While Themes are crucial for understanding Tertiary Projectivity, the concept of “Themes of Practice” is equally useful for discussing a project’s internal dynamics. For example, the following Themes of Practice are ideal for analysis:

Idea
Resource
Program
Performance
Solution

In Project-oriented Activity Theory, I distinguish Idea from Concept. As Blunden emphasizes, “The formation of a project with a concept of the problem is an original and creative social act.” However, not every project involves such originality or creativity. To allow for more general applicability, I propose that the formation of a project may also begin with a regular idea, which refers to standard or routine work.

Thus, we can maintain the broader term “Project”, encompassing both creative projects formed with Concepts and routine projects formed with Ideas. In this context, the Idea of a project becomes one type of Theme of Practice.

The other four Themes—Resource, Program, Performance, and Solution—apply to both creative and routine projects. Although Project-oriented Activity Theory emphasizes the three aspects of Concept Objectification (symbolic, instrumental, and practical), these Themes provide practical keywords to reflect on concrete actions associated with each type of objectification.

5.3 Acquisition of Ideas

Blunden’s discussion of “Acquisition of Ideals” is essential for understanding Tertiary Projectivity. In his article on Agency, Blunden argues that Agency encompasses distinct phenomena, requiring multiple units of analysis to grasp its full scope. One such phenomenon is the Acquisition of Ideals, which involves more than merely incorporating signs and tools into actions. Blunden explains:

“In the course of acquiring the meaning of various words and artifacts during participation in social practices—work, politics, and social life—a person grasps the concepts orienting these practices. A concept is not just a neutral representation of an activity; it also embodies a motive. By acquiring the concept, through participation at some level, the person makes a commitment. This commitment may be marginal or life-defining. To acquire a concept is to determine the will.”

A Project represents the Formation of a Concept. Joining a project means committing to a concept, which shapes the individual’s will and self-determination. Blunden further observes, “Further, in the course of pursuing its motive, the project to which a person is committed comes up against difficulties and conflicts. In the course of the resulting crises, two things happen: (1) the project enters into relations with other projects, be they supportive or opposing, deepening and broadening the conception of its motive, and (2) the individual is faced with personal crises (impossible situations) which have to be overcome. The unit of analysis for these aspects of the development of the will is the collaborative project and the commitment of the person to the project.”

This analysis directly informs Tertiary Projectivity. A potential new project (Project B) may either support or oppose the established project (Project A). Participants in Project A may choose to leave it and join Project B, reflecting the spatial dynamics and transformative nature of projects.

6. Zone of Project

By further exploring our spatial logic, we arrive at the following diagram, which highlights a space shared between two participants within a single project.

I call this space the “Zone of Project”, inspired by my 2018 work on the “Ecological Zone” or simply “ZONE”.

I have previously discussed the ZONE framework in the article Activity U — A Knowledge Curation Project.

The Zone of Project represents a significant step in expanding the scope of Project-oriented Activity Theory. It serves as a conceptual synthesis of ideas from the ZONE framework and Project-oriented Activity Theory.