Co-participatory practices at work

Abstract

This paper discusses workplace participatory practices -- the reciprocal process of engaging in and learning through work (Billett 2000). Reciprocity between the affordance of the workplace (its invitational qualities) and individuals' engagement in the workplace is proposed as a means of understanding how participation in and learning through work proceeds. These affordances are shaped by workplace norms and practice and affiliations (e.g. cliques, associations, occupational groupings, employment status) and are often characterised by contestation and their inequitable distribution. The distribution of and access to opportunities for practice are directed towards sustaining the work practice and/or the interests of particular individuals and groups who participate in it. These reciprocal processes of participation in the workplace are illuminated through an analysis of the participatory practices of three workers over a six-month period. These are those of a union worker, a grief counsellor and a school-based information technology consultant. The findings first illuminate the work of these three individuals through an analytical framework comprising categories of activities and interdependencies. The bases for participation, performance and learning for each of the three workers are then illuminated.