Page 213 - Design meets Business:An Ethnographic Study of the Changing Work and Occupations of Creatives

5. Discussion 201
Further, research that links the intra-occupational dynamics with inter-occupational dynamics appears promising. It does not only help to develop a more complete picture of how occupations develop but also can explain better why certain intra- or inter-occupational struggles might come to a halt. For example, in their work on Emergency Medical Techni- cians, Nelsen and Barley (1997) showed how intra-occupational struggles faded when the appearance, behavior and knowledge of one occupational subcommunity got recognized by others outside the occupation as the legi- timate course of action. Also, this dissertation research suggests that there are relations between the intra-occupational and the inter-occupational level worth exploring. For example, elaborating on Chapter 2 and 3, it is interesting to investigate whether internal disagreements and ambiguity around the occupational mandate affects external perceptions and evalua- tions of the occupation. More specifically, it is possible that clients doubt the validity of the work of designers when they follow a business approach at one moment (e.g. asking clients to join their work space) and a more craft- oriented approach in other moments (e.g. asking clients to sit somewhere else). Exploring such questions is even more interesting to explore in the current context in which heterogeneity among the designers is increasing.
To better understand how intra-occupational developments, impact the inter-occupational level, future studies could adopt a comparative case study design. A comparative study can be done through sampling longitudinally, examining data across time and space. The work of Nelsen and Barley (1997) is a good example, as here they compare how paid and volunteer emergency services technicians leverage their differences in how they act, talk and work. Taken together, there are a lot of opportunities to research occupa- tional emergence and in particular how what happens within occupations shapes what happens at the crossroads between occupations.
5.3.3. Investigating craftsmanship in the digital age
Finally, future research could also explore the role of craftsmanship in today’s society in which digital technologies have become more ubiquitous (Yoo et al. 2010). In particular, research could explore how craftsmanship has been performed, maintained, changed and disappeared over the past years.
Chapter 2 of this dissertation research suggests that for creatives it is important to engage in tactile work and work with their hands, nuancing studies that emphasize the turn to the digital and intangible in organizing and work. It is explained that as the work of designers became more abstract, the designers turned to the development and usage of physical objects. They spent hours on making sketches and refining illustrations while they work