An Investigation of the Ethnography of Knowledge through an Organisational Ethnography of ActewAGL

Abstract

This thesis develops and empirically tests the method of the Ethnography of Knowledge in the context of an ethnographic study of the Logistics Branch of ActewAGL, an Australian multi-utility company. The study is based on fieldwork undertaken over an eight and a half month period of participant observation and uses a grounded style of analysis. In trying to understand the knowledge underpinning the social construction of a particular aspect of the field site I have used a confessional ethnographic approach. After analysing and coding the data I then assign knowledge taxonomies to the ethnographic account to understand the knowledge underpinning the social situation. I have called this method the Ethnography of Knowledge. The Ethnography of Knowledge does not follow a piece of knowledge through an organisation or attempt to understand the organisation’s knowledge but uses knowledge as a tool to understand the social construction of the setting, not as the focus itself. The thesis then explores where, when and how the Ethnography of Knowledge is useful in relation to four significant themes from the data; routines, in/formal, change and power. The contributions of the thesis are primarily methodological (the Ethnography of Knowledge), secondarily locational (Australia and ActewAGL) with some incidental theoretical contributions related to the data chapters. The thesis also contributes and assessment of the applicability of viewing various theoretical constructs as knowledgebased. Methodologically, my main contribution is to use participant observation and then in the analysis phase to assign knowledge taxonomies to the ethnographic account in order to gain a greater understanding of the socially constructed knowledge underpinning the actions in the social setting. I then empirically test how useful the application of this method is in relation to the various themes that form the basis of my data chapters. Through testing the method, this study confirms that whilst knowledge is a useful methodological tool in enhancing understanding of the certain aspect of the organisational social setting, it is not equally in all situations. When aspects of the social setting are knowledge-based or locally observable, such as routines and in/formal, the Ethnography of Knowledge is very useful in enhancing an understanding. However as one moves to a more macro view of the organisation, away from the initiation of actions, such as in organisational change or power, the Ethnography of Knowledge is less useful. Locationally I contribute a new site and add to the sparse Australian organisational ethnographic literature. In each chapter I provide incidental theoretical contributions in an ethnographic and empirical study of each particular construct. Most significantly, I am the first to test routines theory as a full participant in organisational routines, adding problem-solving as a characteristic. I also develop and use a model for understanding and analysing how the formal and informal aspects of organisations act and interact in getting things done. Implications of this research are discussed further.