Sticking to the rules

Abstract

In this paper, we take an ethnomethodological perspective to analysing members’ competence in a professional practice. We propose an approach which systematises different levels of analysis to identify the underlying management rules, principles and procedures that are significant for the way members in a Lean department meeting organise their in situ activity. Authentic video footage, on-site observations and ethnographic material form the basis of our research focus. Our analysis suggests that the mere presence of an inscribed post-it within an activity does not automatically render it into an object which facilitates discussions, organises activities or records outcomes, but that it is embedded within the members’ taken-for-granted knowledge and routine ways of doing. As such, it is the larger organisational context and the activity at hand which determine the role of the post-it in the moment-to-moment interaction. In conclusion, we suggest going beyond the conventional understanding of context and participation framework in analysing work practices, as an approach to broadening our understanding of what constitutes context from members’ own perspectives in a professional workplace practice.