Institutionalized strategies in face-to-face encounters — rehabilitation workers and clients in a social insurance office

1468-2397

Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005

Sociology

This article presents a decision-making model that gives a structure to institutionalized strategies used by rehabilitation workers in the face-to-face encounters with clients at a social insurance office. The model is developed from my 24 observations of encounters between rehabilitation workers and long-term sick people, and my conversations with the rehabilitation workers about their impressions of these very encounters. The strategies are tightly connected to the rehabilitation workers' efforts to convey the working-track principle. Two different main strategies have been identified. The reinforcement strategy is used when a client seems to consent to the working-track principle, and the motivating strategy is used when a client does not seem to consent. When the motivating strategy is used some dilemmas of the role of the rehabilitation workers are actualized. The dilemmas concern a tension between, on the one hand, what the rehabilitation workers are supposed to be doing (care-advocate or administer) and, on the other hand, how they are doing it (flexibly or strictly). Acting within the discrepancy of the role, the rehabilitation workers try to solve the dilemmas. Four different ideal-typical strategies have been identified: the caring professional strategy, the caring amateur strategy, the bureaucratic administrator strategy and the coordinator strategy. All of these acting strategies are represented in the observed encounters. Further studies are needed in order to make statements on the representativeness of each strategy.

Electronic Resource