Tesi sul tema "Knowledge, sociology of"

This thesis is an exploration into the socialization of researchers as it takes place in various research practices. Using a lifeworld-perspective, a qualitative interview-study with doctoral students from different academic milieus is conducted. The organizational context of the study is the academic department as it is experienced, apprehended and constructed by the doctoral student.

The “societal” context is described and discussed in a brief analytical exposé of Swedish science policy in the last decade of the twentieth century. Questioning the political reliance on a systems-perspective, and the shortcomings of system theory for the understanding of research practices in different academic milieus, a lifeworld-theoretical turn is suggested.

A lifeworld-perspective is formulated in a meta-theoretical discussion focusing on the concepts of practice, time and language. Jürgen Habermas’ critique of phenomenological lifeworld-perspectives is the point of departure and theoretical inputs are derived from the sociology of knowledge, the sociology of scientific knowledge and phenomenological sociology. The solution is found in an integrative model of socialization as continual synchronization of subjective systems of coordinates and socio-cultural networks. Mediating between subjective consciousness and inter-subjective knowledge is language, and this is manifested in concrete practices observed in “real-time”.

The empirical study reveals some influences of the system on the lifeworld. “Inside” the lifeworld, however, the interviewees mostly use their departments as frames of reference in their descriptions and discussions. A more elaborate exploration of the life-world results in an understanding of socialization in terms of positioning. This concept denotes the ways in which the interviewees describe themselves, their socio-cultural surroundings and themselves in relation to these milieus. At any given moment, positioning can be understood as a “co-construction” of subjective position and socio-cultural milieu. Positioning is thereby the empirical correlate to synchronization, and socialization can be “read off” from the ways in which doctoral students position themselves “here and now”. Problematic, though, is that “doctoral student”, and especially “female doctoral student”, are found to be vague and vulnerable categories with no clear meanings for the socialised nor for the socio-cultural environment. In a more speculative manner, these difficulties of positioning are put in relation to “scientist” as a vague category. If “scientist” cannot be defined, how then can we know what “scientists in the making” are?

This thesis offers an insight into the plural “realities” of doctoral students in different academic milieus. It offers a lifeworld-perspective on socialization and is thereby relevant for discussions of post-graduate education among scholars as well as among policy makers.

Expatriate knowledge transfer is often disrupted, which creates a loss of learning for the sending organization. Lack of knowledge transfer also causes a loss of competitive advantage for corporations. This study investigates barriers to knowledge transfer for expatriates in a US-based defense company. This research examines knowledge transfer through the lived experiences of expatriates, focusing on the characteristics of “ability to transfer” and “motivation to transfer” and their representation as “noise” in the communication system. This research uses qualitative methods to explore whether barriers to knowledge transfer exist within a corporation. This phenomenological case study provides a way to understand the social interaction between expatriates and their organization from the expatriates’ perspective. This research contributes to the understanding of the phenomenon around knowledge transfer. The data collected from the expatriates showed many different themes, but the most prevalent was their reliance on their social networks. The most common barrier for knowledge transfer dealt with supervisory interactions and the lack of formal knowledge documentation processes. There were also many other barriers noted by the expatriates, but these barriers were overcome through an expatriate’s focus on personal responsibility.

A case study in the sociology of scientific knowledge is presented involving an examination of the development of Thomas Hobbes' mechanics in light of Hobbes' political views and the political context. Hobbes provides a good subject for research in the sociology of scientific knowledge for at least two reasons. First, Hobbes is a good case for examining the interaction between science and the broader political context. Given the controversial nature of Hobbes' political writings (supposedly grounded in his mechanics and aimed at resolving contemporary political problems), the possibility that political considerations entered into the production and reception of Hobbes' mechanics deserves attention. Second, applying new perspectives in the sociology of scientific knowledge can be shown to provide an unexpected payoff in helping resolve persistent disputes among intellectual and political historians regarding the interpretation of Hobbes' work. Specifically, a number of confusions about the relationship between Hobbes' political philosophy and his mechanical philosophy can be cleared up by recognizing that his political views may have influenced his mechanics. The perspective of a general sociology of scientific knowledge provides an appropriate tool for overcoming the reluctance of many political and intellectual historians to examine the social roots of a scientific theory. Hobbes' goal of providing a political philosophy to resolve political turmoil, within the context of Hobbes' participation in discussions on mechanics and mechanical philosophy , resulted in the particular mechanical approach Hobbes embraced.

Despite the vast amount of research on work motivation, theorists still lack consensus regarding what truly motivates employees; yet employee motivation is widely recognized as critical to organizational survival in the global marketplace. In the knowledge economy, knowledge workers are the key to knowledge creation and, thus, organizational survival and success. Thus, organizations that wish to survive in the current economy must find ways to capitalize on the strengths of knowledge workers by developing an understanding of the motivating forces driving knowledge workers. Research suggests differences in employee motivation across age groups and generations. As Traditionalists and Baby Boomers approach retirement and exit the workforce, Generation Y, born between 1981 and 1997, is becoming a major part of the workforce. Thus, organizational leaders must develop an understanding of what motivates knowledge workers from Generation Y to contribute to the organization's goals and objectives, thereby contributing to higher levels of organizational performance; however, scholarly research has yet to address the work motivation experiences of Generation Y knowledge workers. This grounded theory study explored the work motivation experiences of Generation Y knowledge workers through a review of key motivation theories and exploratory, in-depth interviews with Generation Y knowledge workers in the healthcare industry, toward an understanding of Generation Y's intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, demotivators, and process of and approach to work motivation. The data revealed that Generation Y knowledge workers in the healthcare industry have a strong desire to contribute, both to their organizations and to their communities. The desire for purpose, which can be achieved through the attainment of social acceptance and self-worth, served as the primary motivator for the research participants.

Companies are seeing valuable knowledge leave the organization as older workers eventually retire taking with them all their knowledge gained, however few companies have begun to focus on knowledge transfer from older to younger workers. Due to the economic downturn, many Baby Boomers are remaining in the workforce longer than planned. Therefore, the time is critical for organizations to act now.

The purpose of this study was to understand what theme parks can do to leverage the knowledge base of its retirement workforce before they leave the company, which factors prevent or influence this knowledge transfer and the role of Human Resources in enabling a knowledge sharing organization. A series of face-to-face interviews with individuals who have retired from the theme park industry and human resources professionals in theme parks were conducted. Several themes surfaced as a result of this study and very little differences were found amongst the participant groups, whether they were a retiree or from HR.

The results of the data revealed that there are none to minimal efforts in place in theme parks to leverage the knowledge base of the retirement workforce. The results also showed that there is a strong desire by those retiring to share their knowledge with the company and in most cases, there is an expectation that this transfer of knowledge take place. However, the lack of interest and engagement by the manager often results in a disappointed retiree and the perception of not being valued.

The study also revealed that HR could play a key role in enabling a knowledge sharing organization. However, for knowledge transfer to take place, HR must first change the culture and prepare the organization to embrace the retirement process and accept it as a critical and important phase in an employee’s career. The results showed that HR could have a key role not just in the transfer of knowledge, but also in the entire retirement process as a whole.

Collaborative efforts like modern scientific research depend on methods to evaluate and absorb participants’ contributions, and at the research frontier this evaluative step is often accomplished through the peer review of grants and manuscripts. With billions of dollars and space in prestigious journals hinging on the decisions of reviewers, the review system has attracted consistent scrutiny. Many of the thousands of studies scrutinizing peer review focus on the reliability, validity, and fairness of the reviewers’ decisions. Largely absent in this debate about peer review’s internal practices are the consequences of these practices for the character and diffusion of published knowledge. This dissertation shifts the focus to the consequences of peer review practices through four case studies. The first case investigates the negotiation of revisions authors of quantitative sociological manuscripts undertake during peer review and reveals that substantial changes concern primarily manuscripts’ theoretical framing, while the data analyses remain relatively stable. The case argues that the greater relative value placed on data and analysis over frames incentivizes investment into the former over the latter. The second case interrogates the common practice of using post-publication citations to evaluate the validity of review decisions. Analysis of the reviews of manuscripts submitted to the American Sociological Review from 1977 to 1981 and the manuscripts’ subsequent citations reveals no relationship. However, reviewers’ comments show that reviewers focused on the soundness of the manuscripts’ arguments, not their potential impact. The case shows that a review process that results in publications of variable impact is not necessarily a failing of peer review, but rather a consequence of reviewers and citers draw on different dimensions of value. The third case study examines the consequences for quantitative sociology of the common bias for positive findings in peer review. Using hundreds of studies that use the General Social Survey, the published statistical relationships are perturbed by slight changes to the model specifications. Results show that at the time of publication, results are relatively robust to this perturbation. Additionally, the published relationships are estimated using waves of the Survey that appeared after publication. Results indicate that published findings are weakened much more by social change. The last case focuses on the consequences of scientific peer review judgments outside of the sphere of science. By measuring rates at which millions of scientific journals are used as sources in Wikipedia, the largest online encyclopedia, I show that Wikipedia editors preferentially use high impact and the more accessible (open access) journals. The case shows that increased accessibility of the scientific literature improves its diffusion to the lay public and that a status ordering that review practices establish in one sphere, science, may be exported wholesale to a disparate context, Wikipedia.

This research was conducted in collaboration with rural Yup'ik residents of the Yukon River delta region of Alaska. The thesis explores traditional knowledge and conservation ethics among rural Yup'ik residents who continue to maintain active subsistence lifestyles. From the end of July through August of 2012, ethnographic field research was conducted primarily through participant observation and semi-structured interviews, documenting Yup'ik subsistence hunting and fishing practices. Research participants invited me beluga whale hunting, seal hunting, moose hunting, commercial and subsistence fishing, gathering berries, and a variety of other activities that highlights local Yup'ik environmental knowledge, practices, and ethics. Through firsthand examples of these experiences, this thesis attempts to explore what conservation means through a Yup'ik cultural lens. Documenting Yup'ik traditional knowledge offers an opportunity to shine a light on the stewardship of local people's relationship with their traditional lands. The importance of maintaining direct relationships with the natural world, eating Native foods, and passing on hunting and gathering skills to future generations help develop the narrative of my analysis. In many ways, the cultural heritage of the Yup'ik people are embodied in such practices, providing a direct link between nature and culture.

Educators have recommended the integration of engineering and the liberal arts as a promising educational model to prepare young engineers for global economic, environmental, sociotechnical, and ethical challenges. Drawing upon philosophy of technology, engineering studies, and educational psychology, this dissertation examines diverse visions and strategies for integrating engineering and liberal education and explores their impacts on students' intellectual and moral development. Based on archival research, interviews, and participant observation, the dissertation presents in-depth case studies of three educational initiatives that seek to blend engineering with the humanities, social sciences, and arts: Harvey Mudd College, the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College, and the Programs in Design and Innovation at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The research finds that learning engineering in a liberal arts context increases students' sense of "owning" their education and contributes to their communication, teamwork, and other non-technical professional skills. In addition, opportunities for extensive liberal arts learning in the three cases encourage some students to pursue alternative, less technocentric approaches to engineering. Nevertheless, the case studies suggest that the epistemological differences between the engineering and liberal arts instructors help maintain a technical/social dualism among most students. Furthermore, the dissertation argues a "hidden curriculum," which reinforces the dominant ideology in the engineering profession, persists in the integrated programs and prevents the students from reflecting on the broad social context of engineering and critically examining the assumptions upheld in the engineering profession.

This mixed-methods study examined the impact of forming a family council on family owners' knowledge, commitment, and stewardship within a single family business. Data were gathered from six of the eight owners using survey and dialogue methods. The study provided evidence that family council interventions can indeed provide opportunities for family members to address unresolved family tensions and empower owners to work together productively. The intervention (a) helped members establish a strong foundation for future operation of the family council, (b) engendered greater family member engagement and stewardship, (c) created conditions for acknowledging and discussing family strengths and tensions, and (d) motivated members to take initiative moving forward. Longitudinal mixed-methods research using larger samples of multiple companies and larger ownership groups with varied levels of participation are recommended to extend these findings.