Managing by constructing a situated knowledge on specialized activities:
Presented at: ArtCo, Artefacts et Collectifs (Lyon, 2005). Pablo Isla, PhD Student. Ecole Polytechnique – France; PUC – Chile.
Introduction
Specialization of work is a main characteristic for organizing in nowadays. Within modern organizations, purposeful action is specialized into well established activities. Each activity is held to be responsible for pursueing particular organizational tasks. Activities are managed through a particular way to conceive and carry out what is thought to support the development of the activity.
In this sense, management of specialized activities can be seen as: a particular understanding of social interactions and operations on technological devices; a particular understanding of the places where the alleged interactions occur, and; a particular understanding of the activity members knowledge regarding social interactions and device operations, as well as places.
Research on the management of specialized organizational activities can contribute to enlighten our comprehension regarding the fundamentals of management in modern organizations.
Research
A field study was conducted in a steel company, as part of an initiative for quality improvement. The study developed on the basis of a regular work journey (eight hours a day, Monday through Friday) during a period of six months. The study focused on twelve floor managers and their corresponding twelve activities. Each activity was composed by five to fifteen specialized workers (technicians) and head by a floor manager (engineer).
The study considered three complementary approaches to the way organizational activities were directed by floor managers. A first round of research focused on the typical places where each activity was carried out. A second round focused on the social and technological interactions typically associated to the development of each activity. A third round focused on the thinking of floor manager regarding their corresponding activities.
Discussion
Management directs specialized activities towards organizational goals. In order to do this, managerial action is characterized by a continuous creation and re-creation of a personal and collective understanding regarding organizational activities. This understanding can be seen as a particular knowledge supporting purposeful action. For the specifics of each activity, this knowledge translates into particular expectations regarding tasks as well as social and technological interactions/operations. Knowledge supporting organizational activities is characteristically situated on the culturally experienced environments/places where these activities develop. Activities are socially and physically experienced.
Floor managers characteristically conceive scenarios where the activity is to perform. From these conceived scenarios, floor managers outline an activity plan establishing novel expectations regarding tasks as well as social and technological interactions/operations. This activity plan is taught to the workers by translating it into the current knowledge associated to the activity. While implementing the activity plan, the workers re-understand it. Based on the experience gained while implementing the activity plan, floor managers re-understand it. Both floor managers and workers learn a novel knowledge associate to the activity, having as a basis the activity plan and the situated experience of implementing it.
Managing an activity into the future: teaching a plan, learning from practice
