- Aalborg University, Aalborg University Copenhagen, Faculty Memberadd
- Practice theory, Critical Management Studies, Philosophy, Anthropology, Education, science and technology studies (STS), and 17 moreJoseph Rouse, Theodore Schatzki, Pragmatism, Social Theory, Engineering studies, Social Practice, Wittgenstein, Philosophy of Social Science, Philosophy of Technology, Expert testimony, Reflective Practice, Ontology, Social Ontology, Science and Technology Studies, Theories of practice, Organizational Learning, and Philosophy of Language (esp. Wittgenstein, Rule-following, and the Normativity of Meaning)edit
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Understandings of Knowledge in the University College Sector: A Discourse Analysis In 2008, a new policy for knowledge production was introduced at Denmark’s university colleges. These institutions were required to actively engage in... more
Understandings of Knowledge in the University College Sector: A Discourse Analysis
In 2008, a new policy for knowledge production was introduced at Denmark’s university colleges. These institutions were required to actively engage in collaboration on professional and devel- opment-based knowledge production. Later, in 2013/14, the legislative foundation was adju- sted, making research and development work a right and a duty. The purpose of these legislative changes was to make knowledge more application-oriented for the professions. Furthermore, knowledge was intended to move dynamically between research, professional practice, and education, thereby helping to build and maintain the knowledge base of the educations. In this article, through a discourse analysis, we describe how knowledge has been sought to be concep- tualized through legislation and implementation at the university colleges. The analysis is based on a study of documents, namely legal texts and reports from The Danish Evaluation Institute. The analyzed documents describe a shift in the perception of knowledge, from a so-called trickle- down model to a knowledge circulation model. The analysis shows that the many definitions and references in the texts have not given the circulation metaphor a more concrete meaning, but that the concept of knowledge about research and development in university colleges has become increasingly fluid, allowing for various discursive positionings.
In 2008, a new policy for knowledge production was introduced at Denmark’s university colleges. These institutions were required to actively engage in collaboration on professional and devel- opment-based knowledge production. Later, in 2013/14, the legislative foundation was adju- sted, making research and development work a right and a duty. The purpose of these legislative changes was to make knowledge more application-oriented for the professions. Furthermore, knowledge was intended to move dynamically between research, professional practice, and education, thereby helping to build and maintain the knowledge base of the educations. In this article, through a discourse analysis, we describe how knowledge has been sought to be concep- tualized through legislation and implementation at the university colleges. The analysis is based on a study of documents, namely legal texts and reports from The Danish Evaluation Institute. The analyzed documents describe a shift in the perception of knowledge, from a so-called trickle- down model to a knowledge circulation model. The analysis shows that the many definitions and references in the texts have not given the circulation metaphor a more concrete meaning, but that the concept of knowledge about research and development in university colleges has become increasingly fluid, allowing for various discursive positionings.
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Bente Elkjær's and my shared interest in pragmatism and various practice theories let us to discuss the commonalities and differences between them, and in a co-authored conference paper we started exploring whether and in what sense... more
Bente Elkjær's and my shared interest in pragmatism and various practice theories let us to discuss the commonalities and differences between them, and in a co-authored conference paper we started exploring whether and in what sense pragmatism can (and should) be seen as part of the ‘turn to practice’ in social theory (later on the paper has been published in a journal – cf. Buch & Elkjær 2020). Bente and I easily agreed that pragmatism should indeed be considered as a major resource for ‘the turn to practice’. In the conference paper we argued that Dewey’s ideas about learning, experience and inquiry would provide valuable conceptual sources of inspiration for theorizing organizing and the social domain. We suggested that pragmatism should be included in the theoretical and methodological ‘tool-kit’ of practice-based studies of organizations.
Since our common discussion of the similarities and differences between practice theory and pragmatism each of us have explored the matter further on our own in different publications. I take the invitation to contribute to Bente’s Festschrift as an opportunity to continue our conversation and exploration of the role of pragmatism and practice theories in organizational learning.
Since our common discussion of the similarities and differences between practice theory and pragmatism each of us have explored the matter further on our own in different publications. I take the invitation to contribute to Bente’s Festschrift as an opportunity to continue our conversation and exploration of the role of pragmatism and practice theories in organizational learning.
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The inclusion of competences related to social context in engineers’ education has been recommended by several organizations and authors. Among these abilities appears the development of reflective and behavioral skills or the awareness... more
The inclusion of competences related to social context in engineers’ education has been recommended by several organizations and authors. Among these abilities appears the development of reflective and behavioral skills or the awareness of public debate in engineering. In order to create an engineer profile with expanded social commitment, some criteria have been implemented by accreditation boards.
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This article conceptually explores different practice theoretical vantage points in empirical studies of professional and organisational learning processes. Through an ethnographic study of a management development program in Denmark,... more
This article conceptually explores different practice theoretical vantage points in empirical studies of professional and organisational learning processes. Through an ethnographic study of a management development program in Denmark, possibilities and limitations of three different practice-theoretical approaches are considered. Firstly, learning processes are examined as professional identity formation through participation in the community of practice around the development program. Next, Schatzki's practice-theoretical approach is applied, focusing on management as situated work practice. A third approach focusing on persons' learning paths in professional and organizational practices is considered: Ole Dreier's concept of person is discussed as a further development of practice theories in line with Schatzki's thinking. The article explores the epistemological and ontological stances taken by the three practice theories in relation to the study of learning processes. A pragmatist interpretation of a 'tool-kit' approach to operationalizing different practice theoretical approaches in alliance is developed, considering how this can generate constructive analytical tensions for exploring and understanding learning processes. 2
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for the Creative University Conference 2016, 18.-19. August, Aalborg, Denmark Inventing Problems for Technical Solutions – The Co-production of Universities, Skills and Engineering Challenges By Joakim Juhl and Anders Buch
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Emerging automated-decision making (ADM) technologies invite scholars to engage with future points in time and contexts that have not yet arisen. This particular state of not knowing yet implies the methodological challenge of examining... more
Emerging automated-decision making (ADM) technologies invite scholars to engage with future points in time and contexts that have not yet arisen. This particular state of not knowing yet implies the methodological challenge of examining images of the future and how such images will materialize in practice. In this respect, we ask the following: what are appropriate research methods for studying emerging ADM technologies in education? How do researchers explore sociotechnical practices that are in the making? Guided by these questions, we investigate the increasing adoption of ADM in teachers' assessment practices. This constitutes a case in point for reflecting on the research methods applied to address the future of assessment in education. In this context, we distinguish between representational methods oriented to recounting past experiences and future(s) methods oriented to making futures. Studying the literature on speculative methods in digital education, we illustrate four categories of future(s)-oriented methods and reflect on their characteristics through a backcasting workshop conducted with teachers. We conclude by discussing the need to reconsider the methodological choices made for studying emerging technologies in critical assessment practices and generate new knowledge on methods able to contribute to alternative imaginaries of automation in education.
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The long-lived and widely held political imagination surrounding innovation is that of a process by which new developments in science and technology are transformed into new business applications. As a result higher education and... more
The long-lived and widely held political imagination surrounding innovation is that of a process by which new developments in science and technology are transformed into new business applications. As a result higher education and professions are eager to impose their expertises onto, and claim authority within, the domain of innovation. In recent decades, universities and other engineering institutions that are typically associated with technology development, or ‘technology push’, have expanded their research and teaching activities toward the business end of innovation – also known as the ‘demand’ or ‘pull’ side. The chapter investigates the new emergent trend in academic institution building where business or demand-oriented competencies are incorporated to engineering curricula. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of co-production and sociotechnical imaginaries developed by Sheila Jasanoff and others, we analyze how social scientists at the Technical University of Denmark, in response to new demands for autonomous economy within Danish universities, invented the ‘Design and Innovation’ engineering program. Despite its controversial curricular composition, Design and Innovation entailed a revised status for engineering that brought together: creativity; social awareness; and product innovation. The successful implementation of Design & Innovation can be seen as a result of its unique capacity to bring together emphasis on application with new ‘holistic’ visions for higher education. The chapter contributes to contemporary discussions of transformations within the university system and implies that we should look more closely at the interplay between engineering, business and the surrounding society, and how engineering and business are valued, in order to understand the meaning of the engineering-business nexus.
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I denne artikel undersøger vi organisatoriske reformforandringer, som de konstrueres i inter-aktionen mellem ledere og lærere i skolesammenhæng. Det empiriske grundlag er casestudier i danske gymnasieskoler. Ved at benytte en etnografisk... more
I denne artikel undersøger vi organisatoriske reformforandringer, som de konstrueres i inter-aktionen mellem ledere og lærere i skolesammenhæng. Det empiriske grundlag er casestudier i danske gymnasieskoler. Ved at benytte en etnografisk fremgangsmåde og et paradoksbegreb knyttet til en forståelse af professioner, undersøges mikroprocesserne, der er i spil i New Public Management-forandringer i skoleregi. I artiklen viser vi, at en position som primus inter pares-leder imellem de professionelle fører til adskillige paradokser, blokeringer og omveje, alle med effekt for arbejdet med forandringer i skolen. Konkrete paradokser identificeres ud fra det em-piriske materiale, og primus inter pares-ledelsens udfordringer udfoldes.
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Denne artikel spørger til, om teoretiseret arbejdslivsviden er af en anden karakter end praksis, og hvad der nærmere skal forstås ved teori og praksis. Teori og praksis stilles ofte overfor hinanden i et modsætningsforhold. Denne artikel... more
Denne artikel spørger til, om teoretiseret arbejdslivsviden er af en anden karakter end praksis, og hvad der nærmere skal forstås ved teori og praksis. Teori og praksis stilles ofte overfor hinanden i et modsætningsforhold. Denne artikel går imidlertid bag om og kritiserer modstillingen med henblik på at forstå samspillet mellem teoretiseret arbejdslivsviden og praksis på måder, der ikke forudsætter en dikotomisk relation. Artiklen udforsker konceptuelt forskellige vidensproduktionsformer i arbejdslivsforskningen med henblik på at bestemme teoretisk arbejdslivsviden nærmere i forhold til de forskellige formål samt ontologiske, epistemologiske og metodologiske antagelser, der forudsættes i arbejdslivsforskningen. Artiklen redegør for, hvordan henholdsvis praksis og teori er blevet og bliver forstået forskelligt, og eksemplifi cerer forskellige typer af teoretisering i aktuel arbejdslivsforskning. Den viser, at arbejdslivsforskningen har forskellige normative prioriteter, og at det er...
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This article discusses the role of practices and people’s participation in practices in conceptual accounts of organizing, learning, and organizational learning. Specifically, the discussion takes its point of departure in Jean Lave and... more
This article discusses the role of practices and people’s participation in practices in conceptual accounts of organizing, learning, and organizational learning. Specifically, the discussion takes its point of departure in Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger’s account of learning as legitimate peripheral participation in practices, and Theodore Schatzki’s practice theory account of organizing and organizations. Both accounts center on the role of practices as people come to know, and as changes occur in social activity and organizational settings. However, the two accounts are based on different ontologies. Borrowing the terminology of John Dewey and Arthur Bentley, Lave and Wenger instantiate a substantivist, and ultimately individualist, ontology, whereas Schatzki’s event ontology is relational. It is argued that both ontologies have merits of their own, but the article seeks to integrate the two approaches by utilizing Ole Dreier’s notion of the life trajectories of persons across socia...
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Proponents of the ‘practice turn’ in the social sciences rarely mention American pragmatism as a source of inspiration or refer to pragmatist philosophy. This strikes us as not only odd, but also a disadvantage since the pragmatist legacy... more
Proponents of the ‘practice turn’ in the social sciences rarely mention American pragmatism as a source of inspiration or refer to pragmatist philosophy. This strikes us as not only odd, but also a disadvantage since the pragmatist legacy has much to offer practice theory in the study of organizations. In this paper we want to spell out the theoretical similarities and divergences between practice theory and pragmatism to consider whether the two traditions can find common ground when gazing upon organization studies. We suggest that pragmatism should be included in the ‘tool-kit’ of practice-based studies of organizations.
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Artiklen anlægger et diskursanalytisk blik på tre akademiske foreningers strategiarbejde. Det drejer sig om Ingeniørforeningen, Dansk Juristog ¯konomforbund og Dansk Magisterforening. Formålet er at beskrive de dominerende logikker og... more
Artiklen anlægger et diskursanalytisk blik på tre akademiske foreningers strategiarbejde. Det drejer sig om Ingeniørforeningen, Dansk Juristog ¯konomforbund og Dansk Magisterforening. Formålet er at beskrive de dominerende logikker og rationaler, som strategierne er konstrueret omkring. Artiklen ekspliciterer og problematiserer teksternes tavse forudsætninger igennem en analyse for hernæst at reflektere dem i forhold til den bredere samfundsudvikling. Afslutningsvis bliver diskursanalysen brugt som afsæt til en diskussion af, hvilke grundlæggende problemfelter fagbevægelsens strategiarbejde må adressere i sit udgangspunkt.
Med udgangspunkt i et empirisk studium af en ingeniørpraksis i en rådgivende ingeniørvirksomhed reflekterer denne artikel med afsæt i en grundlæggende STS-argumentationsfigur over, hvilken rolle studiet kan have i forhold til... more
Med udgangspunkt i et empirisk studium af en ingeniørpraksis i en rådgivende ingeniørvirksomhed reflekterer denne artikel med afsæt i en grundlæggende STS-argumentationsfigur over, hvilken rolle studiet kan have i forhold til reforminitiativer af ingeniøruddannelserne. Stu-diet er tilrettelagt som en etnografi og tolket på baggrund af en situationsanalyse-model, der er udviklet i STS-traditionen. Artiklen reflekterer over de normativiteter, der er indlejret i STSanalysen og den diskuterer hvilken status en sådan analyse kan tilskrives vis-‡-vis andre bud på, hvad ingeniørfagets udfordringer er.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critique the metaphor of “shadow organizing” in relation to researchers’ allegedly ontological commitment to processual metaphysics. Design/methodology/approach The paper focuses on the association... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critique the metaphor of “shadow organizing” in relation to researchers’ allegedly ontological commitment to processual metaphysics. Design/methodology/approach The paper focuses on the association of “shadow organizing” with post-epistemologies that are grounded in process ontology. The investigation examines aspects of relational thinking and is guided by John Dewey and Arthur Bentley’s genealogical reconstruction of modes of inquiry. Findings Inquiry is construed in either substantialist or relational ways by researchers. By using the metaphor of “shadow organizing,” the relational aspects of organizational phenomena are prioritized for explorative purposes. Other research objectives are aided by substantialist modes of inquiry. It is the argument of the paper, however, that relational research approaches need not make commitment to process ontology, and that the relational ambitions imbued in the metaphor of shadow organizing are in fact b...
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The article investigates the case of a Danish labor market initiative for refugees with a professional engineering background. The ambition is to identify the causes and contextual elements that are active in shaping labor market... more
The article investigates the case of a Danish labor market initiative for refugees with a professional engineering background. The ambition is to identify the causes and contextual elements that are active in shaping labor market initiatives directed at groups of refugees. Contemporary theories of practice are used to investigate the structures that enable, constrain, and channel the activities related to the initiative. The discussion focuses on the practice of the initiative in order to analyze ways in which activities are organized in the site. Furthermore, it sets out to investigate how the practices exist and are interconnected in ecological arrangements where practice architectures hold one another in place. The theoretical conceptualization in terms of practice, practices, practice architectures, and practice ecologies helps to explain how a seemingly ideal initiative turned out to have a little impact in bringing the refugee engineers closer to employment on the Danish labor...
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Immigration to the Nordic countries has increased significantly in the last 40 years (Pettersen & Østby 2013:76). Although exact data are hard to come by, it is clear that the term integration, albeit vague and often undefined, has become... more
Immigration to the Nordic countries has increased significantly in the last 40 years (Pettersen & Østby 2013:76). Although exact data are hard to come by, it is clear that the term integration, albeit vague and often undefined, has become central in public and political debates. A central premise of most of the debates is the claim that newly arrived immigrants and refugees have not become part of their host societies to a satisfactory extent. Subsequently, an increasing number of initiatives and laws have been introduced in the Nordic countries with the intention to promote integration. (...)
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This article investigates organizational reform changes as they are constructed in the interaction between managers and teachers in a school context. The empirical basis is comprised of case studies carried out in Danish upper secondary... more
This article investigates organizational reform changes as they are constructed in the interaction between managers and teachers in a school context. The empirical basis is comprised of case studies carried out in Danish upper secondary schools. An ethnographic approach and a concept of paradox related to an understanding of professionals are used to investigate the practices involved in the change processes. The article argues that the ambiguity of a primus inter pares management position among professionals leads to several paradoxes, deadlocks, and detours, all of which affect the work for change in the schools. Significant paradoxes are identified on the basis of the empirical material, and methodological advantages of a proposed paradox perspective, are demonstrated.
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What are professionals up against when trying to reshape and revitalize current ways of doing engineering? How to make room for new perspectives and approaches? Is it enough to hire new types of engineers with different sets of... more
What are professionals up against when trying to reshape and revitalize current ways of doing engineering? How to make room for new perspectives and approaches? Is it enough to hire new types of engineers with different sets of competences? Or does it take something else to allow new ways of doing engineering to thrive in the workplace?
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ABSTRACT This article critically reflects on the viability of the idea that reforming engineering education will result in more holistic engineering work practices. Drawing on an empirical study, the article aims to demonstrate that in... more
ABSTRACT This article critically reflects on the viability of the idea that reforming engineering education will result in more holistic engineering work practices. Drawing on an empirical study, the article aims to demonstrate that in order to change existing engineering work practices, it might be necessary to change engineers’ knowledge and skills; however, such changes are far from sufficient. Conditions and circumstances external to practitioners’ knowledge and skills are crucial if engineering work is to become more holistic. To illustrate this point, the article outlines an empirical study of a small team of professionals who engage in holistic engineering work practices in an engineering consultancy company. The work practices are investigated using a philosophical empirical method that inquires into the doings, sayings, and relatings of the practitioners. The study describes the practice architecture that shapes and is shaped by the practitioners’ activities, and it demonstrate how the practice landscape prevents enactments of holistic engineering work practices.
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It is characteristic of much professional work that it is performed in ambiguous contexts. Thus, uncertainty, unpredictability, indeterminacy, and recurrent organizational transformations are an integral part of modern work for, e.g.,... more
It is characteristic of much professional work that it is performed in ambiguous contexts. Thus, uncertainty, unpredictability, indeterminacy, and recurrent organizational transformations are an integral part of modern work for, e.g., engineers, lawyers, business consultants, and other professionals. Although key performance indicators and other knowledge management systems are used to set standards of excellence for professionals, the character of professional work is still flexible, open to interpretation and heterarchical. The very successfulness (or unsuccessfulness) of the work is established in a complex work context where various goals, interests, and perspectives are mediated, altered, contested, mangled, and negotiated in a process of sense-making. The work context is heterogeneously populated by various actors (e.g., the customer, the manager, the colleagues) and actants (e.g., quality systems and technical equipment) that give “voice” to (conflicting) interpretations of w...
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What does practice theory and practice-based studies have to offer working life studies? This is the seminal question this special issue poses. In seven articles, researchers with an affiliation to Nordic working life studies and with a... more
What does practice theory and practice-based studies have to offer working life studies? This is the seminal question this special issue poses. In seven articles, researchers with an affiliation to Nordic working life studies and with a background in practice theory illustrate and reflect on how practice theoretical approaches can help working life studies in better understanding work practices and the material, technological, economic, organizational, and societal conditions that shape and are shaped by these practices. In addition, this issue contains three reviews of recent practice theoretical volumes that strive to theorize (work) practices and assess the merits of practice theoretical perspectives.
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In this article, we investigate teamwork amongst professionals in engineering consultancy companies in order to discern how teamwork affects the collaboration and work practices of the professionals. The article investigates how... more
In this article, we investigate teamwork amongst professionals in engineering consultancy companies in order to discern how teamwork affects the collaboration and work practices of the professionals. The article investigates how professional engineering practices are enacted in two engineering consultancy companies in Denmark where teamwork has been or is an ideal for organizing work. Through a practice-based lens, the article sets out to investigate, firstly, how discourses about team and project work affect engineering work practices; secondly, how technologymediated management is reconciled in teamwork practices; and thirdly, how team and project work affect engineering professionalism and collaborative work practices. A practice theoretical framework informs the analysis. Teamwork is investigated as a phenomenon enacted through the sayings, doings and relatings of practitioners in landscapes of practices and the interconnectedness of the practices is traced through the setup of ...
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This book unpacks key concepts and methods relevant for a critical and reflective framing of futures in postdigital education. The compiled chapters explore concepts and methods that have pertinence for contemporary debates about the... more
This book unpacks key concepts and methods relevant for a critical and reflective framing of futures in postdigital education. The compiled chapters explore concepts and methods that have pertinence for contemporary debates about the emergence of data-driven education and scrutinize implicit or explicit ethical and normative implications. The book provides in-depth critical reflections and perspectives to engage and analyze data-driven education as an educational and cultural phenomenon. It focuses on the value-laden and ethical aspects reflected in educational imaginaries (discourses and practices) regarding emerging data-driven sociotechnical practices in education. The book is the result of scholarly exchanges between disciplines at a symposium held at VIA University College in Denmark in May 2022.
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Hvad er magt, og hvor findes magt i organisationer? Det er ontologiske og epistemologiske spørgsmål, som enhver teori om organisationer og social organisering må forholde sig til. Nyere praksisteorier er netop teorier til forståelse af... more
Hvad er magt, og hvor findes magt i organisationer? Det er ontologiske og epistemologiske spørgsmål, som enhver teori om organisationer og social organisering må forholde sig til. Nyere praksisteorier er netop teorier til forståelse af social organisering, men de bliver ofte beskyldt for ikke at have en klar forståelse af magt, og at de fokusere på relativt trivielle mikro-processer (som fx madlavningspraksisser, cyklismepraksisser, osv.) i forståelsen af social forandring (fx Geels 2002). Men kan nyere praksisteorier også fange de ’store’ dynamikker, der former organisationers udvikling? Og hvordan kan de forstå magt og magtesløshed i organisationer? I dette kapitel vil jeg diskutere disse spørgsmål og forsøge at præcisere et magtbegreb i nyere praksisteorier.