Transformative work practices (TWP)

Transformative work practices: The standpoint of workers in leveraging socially and ecologically just transformations

In the 21st century, the greatest challenges humans face are socio-ecological in nature, which call for profound transformations for ecologically and socially just societies. This ethnographic study in the transdisciplinary field of environmental social sciences turns its attention to work as a transformative force. In relation to such transformations, work is an emerging research context. People need to actively work in transformations and for them. Thus, work is a potential means for solutions and adaptation that can contribute to more just societies, economies, and relationships with more-than-humans in the face of ecological crisis. 

Transformative work can be done in, for example, governmental and non-governmental organisations, grassroots organisations, and companies. Workers looking for means to impact and adapt to ecological crisis use various means, such as leveraging existing networks, in order to create more ecologically and socially just work practices and, as a result, societies. Potential areas of change range from designing sustainable careers, developing new professions, and altering workplaces and industries to shifting cultural meanings and impacts of work in human societies. 

However, workers’ perspectives are less common in research literature or public debate. As a result, this study is conducted from the standpoint of workers who engage in transformative work practices. Research in degrowth, community economies, and systems thinking are utilised in order to theorise about unrecognised and non-institutionalised work for addressing ecological crisis. 

Empirically, this study explores transformative work in-situ by tapping on to applicants previous institutional ethnography generated in grassroots initiatives and conducting further interviews and participant observation established institutions. In addition to ethnographic work from a standpoint of workers about their lived experiences about transformative work, this study analyses discourses of transformative work circulated in selected policy documents. This research provides findings on everyday transformative work as a means for socially and ecologically just transformation.