GENEALOGIA DA PRÁTICA E SUAS IMPLICAÇÕES PARA A ESTRATÉGIA COMO PRÁTICA

SILVA, EVERTON RODRIGUES DA; GONÇALVES, CARLOS ALBERTO

doi:10.1590/1678-69712016/administracao.v17n4p130-152

RESUMO

Objetivo:

Mapear os princípios convergentes das diversas teorias da prática e apresentar suas implicações para a agenda de pesquisa da estratégia como prática.

Originalidade/lacuna/relevância/implicações:

O programa de pesquisa de estratégia como prática (S-as-P, em inglês) é um herdeiro intelectual dos estudos baseados em práticas presentes na teoria social contemporânea. Estudiosos do campo reforçam a importância de uma aplicação autoconsciente da teoria da prática, ambição que passa por uma fidelidade à noção de prática. Diante desse quadro, a contribuição do trabalho está em 1. possibilitar uma primeira aproximação com os pressupostos filosóficos da teoria da prática; 2. servir como base para um exame aprofundado da agenda de pesquisa da S-as-P; 3. servir como inspiração para que acadêmicos se preocupem com os conceitos fundamentais de suas pesquisas.

Principais aspectos metodológicos:

Trata-se de um ensaio teórico elaborado a partir de uma revisão sistemática da literatura.

Síntese dos principais resultados:

Revisão de conceitos críticos para a S-as-P (p. ex.: noções de realidade social/organizacional, de prática, agência, estratégia e articulação desses conceitos com visões influentes no campo da estratégia), evidenciando seus aspectos singulares - frente às abordagens processuais em estratégia e às perspectivas teóricas anteriores nas ciências sociais que utilizam o vocábulo prática - e, dessa forma, estimulando a realização de pesquisas de inspiração etnográfica, cartográfica ou similares.

Principais considerações/conclusões:

O esforço realizado é uma tentativa de trazer à tona os pressupostos que orientam a virada da prática, evitando a reprodução de modelos teóricos, sem que se compreendam os princípios sobre os quais foram elaborados.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE
Prática; Teoria da prática; Estratégia como prática; Agência; Ontologia organizacional

[TFN1] Source: Elaborated by the authors.

Reality is socially built.	The practice theories family believes that reality (the social) is not objectively given, thus, there is no given and unique reality to all (a priori) but socially permanently built concepts.
The subject is not seen as an atomized and generic individual.	Individuals are taken as being immersed in a social life, whose skills, nationality, gender and all influence in their way of life (and work). Human actions are understood as directly linked to their context. Therefore, individuals are social beings whose possibilities are defined by the practices in which they are immersed (Vaara & Whittington, 2012Vaara, E., & Whittington, R. (2012). Strategy-as-practice: taking social practices seriously. The Academy of Management Annals, 6(1), 285-336.).
Existence of a background of a priori understanding of human interpretive scheme (pre-reflective dimension / implicit cognition and human action).	Human understanding is a previous operation to the interpretation (or representation), it is a non-explicitly articulated knowledge called background or pre-reflective state, or even culture Interpretation is one of the possible ways of comprehension, but every interpretation is made based on an understanding. As seen, the practices are conductive/carriers of a cultural load, forming the background to the action (Chia & Mackay, 2007Chia, R., & Mackay, B. (2007). Post-processual challenges for the emerging strategy-as-practice perspective: discovering strategy in the logic of practice. Human Relations, 60(1), 217-242.); Intelligibility is the space for action (Schatzki, 2005Schatzki, T. R. (2005). Peripheral vision: the sites of organizations. Organization Studies, 26(3), 465-484.); They are therefore an instance (resonance) of the background. It follows that the historical and cultural characteristics are inherent to the concept of practice and the identification of social practices cannot be confused with mere description of individual activities or organizational routines/processes. In a nutshell, “[...] ‘practice’ implies more than simply practical” (Vaara & Whittington, 2012Vaara, E., & Whittington, R. (2012). Strategy-as-practice: taking social practices seriously. The Academy of Management Annals, 6(1), 285-336.). This caution was also highlighted by Bispo (2015)Bispo, M. S. (2015). Methodological reflections on practice-based research in organization studies. BAR, 12(3), 309-323..
Logical concept of the immanent practice.	Front the structure-agency debate, the practice of theory provides a line of flight that is the belief in an immanent logic of practice. Thus, the agency capacity is neither given to the actors nor to the structure/organization but to the practices. The individual goals and social norms are the result of a public building process and collective triggered by practices. Front the structure-agency debate, the practice of theory provides a line of flight that is the belief in an immanent logic of practice. Thus, the agency capacity is neither given to the actors and nor to the structure/organization but to the practices. The individual goals and social norms are the result of a public and collective building process triggered by practices.
Knowledge emerges from the engagement in the world.	In the practice theory, the possibility of knowledge is given from the experience in the world (immersion in the life plan, the lived). The act of knowing is not separated from doing.
The focus should be on patterns of production, reproduction and changing practices.	From the practical theory framework, the following issues should be focused on: how are the practices maintained, transmitted, modified, and imposed on the subsequent actions? How do these standards govern, influence or constitute the actions of individuals? How do individuals describe/organize their own reality? In answering these questions, researchers should be aware of the merger between the local and global practices, finally the binomial action-context.
Expanded Practice conception.	The practical arrangements are made of speech, body, mental processes, artifacts, knowledge, etc. The sociability is therefore a beam of practices.
Possibility to understand organizations as a bundle of socio-material practices.	In practice theory scope, organizations are less understood by its structural dimension/static (from traditional categories, such as hierarchy, size, efficiency/economic efficiency, functional areas, among others) and more by the relational aspect manifested in the flow of daily actions, which portray practices composed of discursive elements and non-discursive and human and nonhuman.

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