„Eigentlich war es immer sonnenklar.“ Zur Invisibilisierung von formaler Organisation in Bewertungspraktiken
Berliner Journal für Soziologie, 23 (1-2):
69-97 (February 2023)DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11609-023-00492-2
Abstract
The article ties in with a current debate in the sociology of valuation by addressing the sociological modeling of transsituativity in valuation practices. While previous work has mostly focused on specific situations in which actors intersubjectively negotiate what is valuable and how and why, the paper advocates the analytical gain of an organizational sociology approach. It demonstrates that formal organization, by providing people, rules, and infrastructure, initiates transsituative interactions between involved actors that fundamentally shape valuation decisions—in a way that is possible only in the context of formal organization. The empirical basis of the article is a study on selection procedures at two renowned art schools. Based on this study, it is shown how, in the context of formal organization, opposing logics of value—in this case those of the selection committee vs. those of the administration—are interwoven in a conflict-avoiding manner despite all alleged rivalries. Against this background, the article concludes that valuations in the context of formal organization present themselves as “situations” only because their inherent organizational form is skillfully kept invisible by the participants—with the means of formal organization.