Varieties of agencies during working life changes

The aim of this study is to shed light on the varieties of workers´ agencies in working life change situations, which is an under-researched topic in the literature of workplace learning and in working life studies. The research questions are what kinds of agencies there are to be found when workers encounter changes and how the different kinds of agencies are connected together. The understanding of agency is grounded on the subject-centered socio-cultural approach, whereas the methodological approach is based on applying life-course perspective on research material consisting of 48 working life narratives written by Finnish adults. The narratives are analyzed by abductive content analysis. The results reveal the dynamical and periodical processes between the different kinds of agencies during one´s working life narrative. The different forms of agency overlap and rotate. Suffering can be seen as a dynamic concept mediating transformative agencies, small agency and resistance.

Opportunities and Obstacles to Aquaculture in Florida

Aquaculture is growing in Florida as it is worldwide, but in Florida aquaculture has not yet reached its substantial potential. To understand why this might be, the University of Florida's Institute of Sustainable Food Systems organized and convened a meeting between small-agency, industry, and academic stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and obstacles to aquaculture in Florida. This 6-page fact sheet written by Edward Camp, Taryn Garlock, and James Anderson and published by the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, describes the proceedings of this meeting in the context of the broader scientific literature explaining why aquaculture ventures do and sometimes do not succeed.

La culture créative des organisations comme substrat à l’apprentissage créatif

La créativité, autant comme acte processuel que comme résultat de ce processus, est un trope fondateur des agences de communication marketing (McFall, 2004, Nixon 2003). Certains avancent même que la créativité serait la raison d’être des agences (Nixon, 2003). Or pour certains, la créativité ne s’apprendrait pas – en témoigne le parcours académique éclectique des créatifs – ou ne s’apprendrait qu’au contact des pairs (Powell, 2006), à travers des dynamiques de production de sens (Drazin, Glynn & Kazanjian, 1999), des frictions entre les différents corps d’emploi (Hirschman, 1989) ou au contact des clients (Cronin, 2004). Cet article a un triple objectif : 1) d’abord proposer une définition opératoire pour mieux saisir cette culture créative ; 2) l’exemplifier à l’aide d’une étude de cas dans une petite agence de onze personnes 3) mettre en relation la notion de culture créative avec celle d’apprentissage et de transmission du savoir créatif. Il s’en dégage que la performativité de l’ethos créatif des employés comme celle de l’agence participent à maintenir cette culture créative autant qu’elle transmet des formes d’apprentissage de qui est et de ce qui est créatif à travers des dynamiques identitaires, l’éducation à faire auprès des clients et l’utilisation de structures de légitimation interne et externe à l’agence. Creativity, both as a procedural act as well as the result of such a process, is a founding trope of marketing communication agencies (McFall, 2004, Nixon 2003). Some even argue that creativity is the raison d’être of those agencies (Nixon, 2003). But for some, creativity cannot be learned – as shown by the eclectic academic background of creatives – or it could be learned only through being in contact with peers (Powell, 2006), with clients (Cronin, 2004), through the process of creating meaning (Drazin, Glynn & Kazanjian, 1999), or frictions between different job categories (Hirschman, 1989). The goal of this article is threefold: 1) to propose an operational definition of “creative culture” in order to better understand it; 2) to exemplify it using a case study of a small agency 3) to articulate a relationship between the three related concepts: culture, creative learning and transmission of creative knowledge. The study demonstrates how the performativity of the creative ethos of both employees and agency interact to maintain this creative culture while indicating who and what is creative, through dynamics of identity, educating clients and the use of internal and external structures of legitimation.

Standing Together: A Cross-Cultural Approach to Working with Victim/Survivors of Sexual Assault

The Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA) is located in a culturally rich and diverse Melbourne community. As a small agency, with limited resources, we wondered how we could respond to the often silent and unmet needs of victim/survivors of sexual assault from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) communities. The Cultural Equity Program (CEP), based on principles of respect and empowerment, strongly advocates a collaborative approach and also recognises the importance of identifying structural, organisational and individual barriers preventing NESB victim/survivors from accessing support and/or counselling. Vietnamese and Filipino workers were invited to be cultural consultants to WestCASA and met regularly during 1996/1997. These meetings enabled the exchange of cultural knowledge/expertise and an opportunity to discuss sensitive cultural issues. Together we also developed a culturally and linguistically respectful community education and training strategy. WestCASA also introduced initiatives for developing a more culturally sensitive practice. The paper presents the CEP as a model of best practice. The ideas and concepts are outlined which have guided us in the design of the developmental framework. We also reflect on our learning which has been rich and inspiring, and comment on the implications for Women's Health Policy.