Application of Systemic Structural Theory of Activity in Unearthing Employee Innovation in Mine Work

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the possible formation of wildfire activities in an actor's subconsciousness and which goes unnoticed in the conduct of drilling/bolting activity in deep mines is we understand. It also sought to understand how the dynamics of this subconscious wildfire activity influences the mediation process between miners, as subjects of activity, and the objective for the drilling/bolting activity. The systemic structural activity theoretical approach is used to understand the different ways of knowing the world of mine work, in terms of the generation of new knowledge, and also in ways of helping stakeholders understand how to incorporate results or lessons learned from the systemic tasks entailed in drilling/bolting activity. Using qualitative data from interviews and video observations of bolting/drilling operations in a deep mine, parametric and morphological analyses were conducted to unearth miners’ innovation in the world of work. The paper concludes that the functional efficiency and effectiveness of drilling/bolting activities in deep mines could be enhanced by understanding the interrelationship between miners’ internal and external activities. That is, understanding miners’ practical-external activity and the corresponding external tools they might need to enhance their mental activities towards developing successful performance enhancing strategies for negotiating problematic task scenarios in rock drilling/bolting activity.