In simple terms, Activity Theory is all about 'who is doing what, why and how'. However, things are rarely that simple. Sometimes referred to as the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), Activity Theory is grounded in the work of the Russian psychologist Vygotsky and his students, in particular, Leontiev, in the 1920s. Activity Theory provides a lens with which to tease out and to better understand human activity.
History
Citation
Hasan, H. & Kazlauskas, A. (2014). Activity Theory: who is doing what, why and how. In H. Hasan (Eds.), Being Practical with Theory: A Window into Business Research (pp. 9-14). Wollongong, Australia: THEORI. http://eurekaconnection.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/p-09-14-activity-theory-theori-ebook-2014.pdf