Géraldine Rix-Lièvre

An innovative observatory of polar expedition projects: An investigation of organizing

The purpose of this article is to present a methodology for investigating projects of polar expeditions: in situ, in vivo, and in extenso. It is a new kind of qualitative methodology in that, classically, this type of method mostly focuses on “ways of saying” (Hlady Rispal, 2002), whereas we concentrate on “ways of doing” (Lievre & Rix-Lievre, 2009). The aim is to study the actuality of the collective action of organizing in its totality. It is guided by the description of “organizing” as defined by Weick. This case is built from information gathered by two actors engaged in the expedition, each one collecting data in a specific perspective. The first data collection was dedicated to collective dimensions. The multimedia logbook is filled in by a researcher in a posture of observant participation, relying on paper or video traces regularly collected throughout the project. These traces are then shaped to make a narrative. The second data collection was dedicated to more individual practices and therefore centered on individual members of the expedition at specific moments. The Device for Objectifying Situated Practices relies on two videos of the situation—one from an outside point of view and the other one using an embedded camera in order to record from a standpoint close to the actors—and on an interview with the actor using the second recording. The method allows us to objectify the tacit knowledge implemented by the actor in a completed situation, and to shape it in a chronological statement.

The commitment of polar expedition members to a project: declared motivation or mobilization in situation ?

The commitment of participants to a project especially under extreme conditions, such as a polar expedition, has a vital bearing on its end result. But how can one apprehend the very notion of commitment? First, we distinguish the actors’ “declared” motivations from what actually mobilizes them in the situation. Second, we use notions of mobilization, norms, and sensibilities in order to understand this phenomenon. They throw a light on the participants’ behavior throughout the polar expedition and the projects progress. Our conclusions lead to a reconsideration of how to recruit for project teams, highlighting as they do, on the one hand, the importance of commitment not just in terms on intensity but also of meaning, and on the other, the difficulty of using this criterion for recruiting insofar as this commitment may be separate from the motivation expressed.

Citation Network Analysis of Research on Sport Officials: A Lack of Interconnectivity

In sport research, the majority of attention is directed towards athletes. While investigations on sport officials have proliferated in recent years, many queries remain unanswered. Through citation analysis, we investigate how information is shared among sport official researchers. We focus on a particular group of sport officials that interact with athletes during competition, or what MacMahon and Plessner have termed ‘interactors’. We searched three databases for articles published before 2012 that centred on psycho-social and perceptual-cognitive aspects of officiating. Our three groups of research consisted of personality, stress, and decision-making. The resultant 115-article network revealed little connectivity within and between groups; that is, articles did not frequently cite other articles in the citation network (an average of 4.25 citations per article, with the median value being 2.0). The 12 most cited articles (appearing in nine journals) were mainly original papers and focused on male soccer referees’ decision-making; however, the publication dates varied from 1990 to 2004. We discuss the results and implications on sport official research, particularly related to sport officials being used as a context to study general expertise, the lack of a true sport official journal, and the similarities and differences between the most cited articles.

A study of the individual activity of professional volleyball players: Situation assessment and sensemaking under time pressure

The aim of this study is to understand interindividual differences in defensive behaviour in elite volleyball players facing similar game situations. This recurrent observation leads us to adopt an activity-centred ergonomic approach. Two case studies are conducted in naturalistic contexts. In the first, thirty-one professional players are observed in order to account for typical forms of behaviour in relation to certain specific sets of game situations. Two characteristic populations are distinguished. The second study uses observations and self-confrontation interviews with twelve players representative of each population in order to characterise their situation assessment. Results highlight important contrasts between the two populations, both in behaviour and in situation assessment. They suggest that one norm of activity centred on the rally-ending issue and another on the roles to be assumed, guide the specific coherency of these populations under time pressure. The identification of these norms provides a hypothesis concerning the foundations of sensemaking. Implications for training development are discussed.

Leadership and organizational learning in extreme situations: lessons of a comparative study from two polar expeditions - one of the greatest disasters (Franklin, 1845) and one of the best achievements (Nansen, 1893): Leaders, Teams and Situations Outside the Norm

This chapter presents a comparative study of two polar expeditions, Nansens 1893- 1896 expedition to the North Pole and Franklins 1845 expedition to the North-West Passage. Franklins expedition is considered one of the greatest disasters in Arctic exploration, while Nansens expedition is one of its greatest achievements. This articles examines the factors that led to one mans success and anothers failure. The key factors seem to be: the consistency of the project with the leaders identity and ambitions, the learning process and the modes of acquiring knowledge from experience, the ability to adapt and to move away from the original plan, the team constitution.