Organization in Actual Episodes of Work: Harvey Sacks and Organization Studies

This paper explores the relevance of Harvey Sacks' work for contemporary organization studies. Sacks encourages analysts to tether their studies to real-time workplace activities; ordinary scenes of work are recorded, slowed down and made the central object of study. Something of Sacks' analytic mentality and style are illustrated through the analysis of two data extracts: an emergency 999 call and a face-to-face sales encounter. A distinctive way of doing organizational analysis is discussed that foregrounds knowledgeability and agency via the examination of sequence and method. Sacks raises the possibility that organization might be recoverable from the fine-grained detail of actual episodes. The idea that order, intelligibility and the constitution of social scenes might have a basis aside from the more general notion of discourse is discussed.