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The Duality of Articulation Work in Large Heterogeneous Settings — a Study in Health Care

  • Conference paper
ECSCW 2005

Abstract

Based on an empirical study of articulation work in a health care setting this paper discusses core characteristics of articulation work in large settings. We argue that articulation work in large-scale settings is characterized by a dual nature, especially by a duality between articulation handled internally in a local work arrangement and articulation activities undertaken across boundaries of local work arrangements appears. We suggest that our understanding of articulation activities is related to a distinction between local and global work arrangements. We illustrate how cooperating actors involved in any given trajectory (e.g., a patient trajectory) have to articulate their activities in accordance with both a local and a global dimension. The distinction between local and global is important when aiming at understanding articulation work in large-scale heterogenous settings. The differences and their consequences are discussed. The paper conclude in some reflections on the challenges implied by the local/global variations, both for the analysis of large heterogeneous work settings and for design of IT support.

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Færgemann, L., Schilder-Knudsen, T., Carstensen, P.H. (2005). The Duality of Articulation Work in Large Heterogeneous Settings — a Study in Health Care. In: Gellersen, H., Schmidt, K., Beaudouin-Lafon, M., Mackay, W. (eds) ECSCW 2005. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4023-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4023-7_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4022-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4023-8

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