Where Times Meet

This essay pursues two goals: (1) to argue that two fundamental types of time”the time of objective reality and "the time of the soul””meet in human activity and history and (2) to defend the legitimacy of calling a particular version of the second type a kind of time. The essay begins by criticizing Paul Ricoeur's version of the claim that times of these two sorts meet in history. It then presents an account of human activity based on Heidegger's Being and Time, according to which certain times of the two types”existential temporality and succession”meet in human activity. The legitimacy of calling existential temporality a kind of time is then defended via an expanded analysis of activity that examines where the two times meet there. The concluding section briefly considers a conception of historical time due to David Carr before showing why history is a broader domain encompassing human activity where the two times meet

Zooming in and out : studying practices by switching theoretical lenses and trailing connections

This paper contributes to re-specifying a number of the phenomena of interest to organisational studies in terms of patterns of socio-material practices and their effects. It does so by outlining a vocabulary and strategy that make up a framework for theorising work and organisational practices. The vocabulary is based on number of sensitising concepts that connote practice as an open-ended, heterogeneous accomplishment which takes place within a specific horizon of sense and a set of concerns which the practice itself brings to bear. The strategy is based on the metaphorical movement of "zooming in" and "zooming out of" practice. The zooming in and out are obtained through switching theoretical lenses and repositioning in the field, so that certain aspects of the practice are fore-grounded while others are bracketed. Building on the results of an extended study of telemedicine, the paper discusses in detail the different elements of the framework and how it enhances our capacity to re-present practice. The paper concludes with some considerations on how the proposed approach can assist us in advancing the research agenda of organizational and work studies

Knowledge practices in design: The role of visual representations as 'epistemic objects'

We use a detailed study of the knowledge work around visual representations to draw attention to the multidimensional nature of `objects'. Objects are variously described in the literatures as relatively stable or in flux; as abstract or concrete; and as used within or across practices. We clarify these dimensions, drawing on and extending the literature on boundary objects, and connecting it with work on epistemic and technical objects. In particular, we highlight the epistemic role of objects, using our observations of knowledge work on an architectural design project to show how, in this setting, visual representations are characterized by a `lack' or incompleteness that precipitates unfolding. The conceptual design of a building involves a wide range of technical, social and aesthetic forms of knowledge that need to be developed and aligned. We explore how visual representations are used, and how these are meaningful to different stakeholders, eliciting their distinct contributions. As the project evolves and the drawings change, new issues and needs for knowledge work arise. These objects have an `unfolding ontology' and are constantly in flux, rather than fully formed. We discuss the implications for wider understandings of objects in organizations and for how knowledge work is achieved in practice

Creating New Food Practices : A Case Study on Leftover Lunch Service

Food wastage is a growing environmental, financial, and social problem: as much as one-third of all food is thrown away. Simultaneously, malnutrition is a huge problem globally, and many people even in developed countries are unable to provide for their basic needs. A lot of attention is paid to food waste prevention in the industry, retail sector, and households, whereas the role of the food service sector (such as restaurants and canteens providing food in schools, hospitals, and workplaces) has thus far been understudied. This article uses a practice theoretical approach to study a leftover lunch service first tested in Jyvaskyla in 2013. It describe how the experiment was organized, how the service has spread around Finland, and how the leftover lunch has become a routine that outlines the course of the day of the diners. These findings are used to illustrate the insights of the service for both environmental and social sustainability, and to situate the service in the field of food waste prevention and food redistribution in Finland.Peer reviewe

What is values work? A review of values work in organisations. Kap. 3

I: H.Askeland, G. Espedal, B. Jelstad Løvaas & S. Sirris (Eds.), Understanding values work : Institutional perspectives in organizations and leadershipThrough a review of the existing empirical studies and emerging literature on values work in organisations, this paper aims to disambiguate the phenomenon of values work. Values work is understood as ongoing value performances situated in everyday practice in organisations. As such, values work is identified as social and institutional processes of constructing agency, actions and practice in organisations. In this chapter, I show how values work is part of both a performative tradition of process studies and an institutional work tradition that strives to change, disrupt and maintain institutions. Further, I outline how future studies can broaden the field of values work.publishedVersio

Crises and Adjustments in Ongoing Life

Everyday crises as colloquially understood are of questionable social theoretical significance. In contrast, crises as W. I. Thomas defines them – events that “interrupt the flow of habit and give rise to changed conditions of consciousness” – implicate a way of thinking about action that is prominent in 20th-century accounts of activity. This essay criticizes this way of thinking and offers an alternative. The way of thinking concerned – found in Dewey, Mead, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Garfinkel, Bourdieu, and Dreyfus – is the idea that the switch from coping, i. e., practical engagement with the world, to thinking, in particular, thinking about what to do, holds systematic significance for understanding human activity. The essay argues that this switch is actually just one form that people’s responses to changes in the world can take. Its alternative account centers on the thesis that adjustments to circumstances mediated by or accompanied by explicit consciousness are ubiquitous in human life. This account holds that these adjustments occur within bundles of practices and material arrangements: they help compose practices and uphold the normative organization of practices