The primary task on the agenda

constructive or confused dialogues

Abstract

The article addresses an increasing popular term within the Danish field of psychosocial working environment; the primary task. Among working environment professionals the primary task is especially connected to the organizational social capital, and a shared perception of the primary task among organizational members is pin pointed as a way to increased social capital. Thus, organizations are offered different methods and guidelines to generate dialogue among its members concerning their different perceptions of their primary task. The goal is to create shared perceptions of the primary task and thereby enhance the collaboration capacity and the social capital. The article examines, which kind of reflections and negotiations unfolds in a dialogue among personnel concerning their primary task. The theoretical frame consists of sensemaking-literature and new institutional theory concerning the travelling of ideas and trends. The empirical material comes from a series of seminars on social capital with daycare personnel from different daycare institutions in the municipality of Copenhagen. As a part of the seminars, the participants are introduced to ‘the primary task’ in a presentation from an outside consultant. They are also asked to reflect on their different perceptions of the primary task and to negotiate a shared definition. The analysis finds that the conceptualization of the primary task on these specific seminars has several limitations. Firstly, the dialogue concerning the primary task is too abstract and unconnected to the daycare personnel’s everyday work practice. Consequently, the seminars do only to a small ex-tent initiate reflections on the participant’s different theories of action. Secondly, the definition of the term ‘primary task’ seems unclear, especially regarding the employee’s mandate to define the primary task. Consequently, the participants shared definition of the primary task seems unrelated to what they had highlighted earlier in the process as important in work.