Off the record: understanding the (latent) functions of documents in organizations
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest the usage of an approach based on sociological systems theory for exploring the (latent) functions of documents in organizations. The focus lies on the reconstruction of organizational knowledge practices required for the competent production and use of documents.
Design/methodology/approach
The argument is developed through a critical and integrating review of relevant literature as well as through the analysis of empirical data drawn from participant observation and ethnographic conversations in a multi-organizational, multi-site, and multi-event setting.
Findings
The essence of the paper is that a systems theoretical approach in the analysis of the production and use of documents in organizations yields new and startling insights into their (latent) functions for organizations compared to what document analysis and institutional ethnography can achieve.
Originality/value
The paper focuses on the contexts, situations, and the organizational knowledge practices necessary for the competent use of documents in organizations not on the document itself. Hence, it offers a more comprehensive understanding of the (latent) functions of documents for organizations compared to mere document analysis.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author is particularly obliged and would like to express gratitude to the humanitarian aid organizations and emergency medical service organizations, especially their staff, that gave the opportunity to empirically investigate the use of documents, by letting the author look over their shoulder and providing access to numerous documents. The author’s analyses are based on empirical data that the author collected in the context of the research project “K3 – Concepts of Information and Communication in the Event of Crises and Catastrophes. Research on Integrated Organizational and Technical Solutions,” which is being conducted (amongst others) at the Institute of Sociology at Leibniz University Hanover and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 2015 to 2018.
Citation
Langhof, A. (2018), "Off the record: understanding the (latent) functions of documents in organizations", Journal of Organizational Ethnography, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 59-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOE-06-2017-0029
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited