Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
e acting
subject
e social
system
Mobilization
(in the here
and now)
Interactions
e activity
Real
world
Sedimentation
(over time)
e social
body
e subject
Figure 3.2
The process of mobilization and sedimentation connecting the subject
with the social body.
expectations of decision-makers and those who act upon them in practice.
Finally, they contribute to the concrete definition of organizational rules.
In other words, the organization of work is always a product of a work
of organization that structures the norms of the social body and allows it
to act collectively, but also to recognize itself as an entity bearing shared
values, legitimacies, rules of authority and delegation, principles for action
and decision, etc. Just as the subject is the crucible of the sedimentations
of activity, the social body catalyzes the sedimentations of norms elabo-
rated within collective interactions (see Figure 3.2).
In return, the social norms elaborated within the social body guide
action and constitute resources for it. They constitute a fertile ground allow-
ing the mobilization of the work collective in order to cope with the reality
of work situations in the here and now of activity. Thus, they contribute to
connecting the subject with the social body, not in an abstract connection
of one with the other, but via activity, at both the individual and the col-
lective level, that is implemented to cope with real-world events toward a
shared goal. Thus, they contribute to structuring the social dimension of
work, in an intimate relationship with its psychical dimension.
Once again, this process of mobilization and sedimentation is not
set in stone. It is the result of a constantly renewed dynamic process that
occurs within the time of action, contributing to the joint development of
social interactions (in terms of collective effectiveness, cooperation, coor-
dination, etc.) and the social body (in terms of rules, shared values, collec-
tive moral principles, etc.).
