In spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern Alberta

Prison or paradise is a matter of perspective; within the walls of a highly institutionalized work camp in northern Alberta, it is one that employees are constantly negotiating, as the boundaries that typically separate areas of work, sleep, play and life blur. By adopting an interactionist perspect...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Fletcher, Michelle
Other Authors: Walinga, Jennifer
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10170/519
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spelling ndltd-LACETR-oai-collectionscanada.gc.ca-BRC.10170-5192013-10-04T04:15:05ZIn spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern AlbertaFletcher, MichelleTotal institutionsethnographyremotenessoil sandsworkplace communitiesburn outengagementorganizational culturePrison or paradise is a matter of perspective; within the walls of a highly institutionalized work camp in northern Alberta, it is one that employees are constantly negotiating, as the boundaries that typically separate areas of work, sleep, play and life blur. By adopting an interactionist perspective, existing theories of organizational structure and human interaction within the framework of a total institution can be analyzed and expanded. As growing demand for these specialized work camps grows in the region, employers and workers alike can benefit from integrating this level of social interaction into both camp amenities and daily routine. The very framework that promotes compliance, order and security for the stability of the institution also, simultaneously, limits and controls the freedom and autonomy of those within it, leading to disengagement and burnout. However, ethnographic interviews conducted at the Kearl site have revealed that many workers have elected to cope with the stress of institutionalized living through an alternative method: by connecting with their fellow co-workers through friendship and choosing community engagement over dissociation.Walinga, JenniferMcKendry, VirginiaActon, CathyGuilar, Joshua2012-08-10T17:46:46Z20122012-08-10T17:46:46Z2012-08-10http://hdl.handle.net/10170/519
collection NDLTD
sources NDLTD
topic Total institutions
ethnography
remoteness
oil sands
workplace communities
burn out
engagement
organizational culture
spellingShingle Total institutions
ethnography
remoteness
oil sands
workplace communities
burn out
engagement
organizational culture
Fletcher, Michelle
In spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern Alberta
description Prison or paradise is a matter of perspective; within the walls of a highly institutionalized work camp in northern Alberta, it is one that employees are constantly negotiating, as the boundaries that typically separate areas of work, sleep, play and life blur. By adopting an interactionist perspective, existing theories of organizational structure and human interaction within the framework of a total institution can be analyzed and expanded. As growing demand for these specialized work camps grows in the region, employers and workers alike can benefit from integrating this level of social interaction into both camp amenities and daily routine. The very framework that promotes compliance, order and security for the stability of the institution also, simultaneously, limits and controls the freedom and autonomy of those within it, leading to disengagement and burnout. However, ethnographic interviews conducted at the Kearl site have revealed that many workers have elected to cope with the stress of institutionalized living through an alternative method: by connecting with their fellow co-workers through friendship and choosing community engagement over dissociation.
author2 Walinga, Jennifer
author_facet Walinga, Jennifer
Fletcher, Michelle
author Fletcher, Michelle
author_sort Fletcher, Michelle
title In spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern Alberta
title_short In spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern Alberta
title_full In spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern Alberta
title_fullStr In spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern Alberta
title_full_unstemmed In spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of Kearl oil sands workers in Northern Alberta
title_sort in spite of institution : community engagement and the lived experiences of kearl oil sands workers in northern alberta
publishDate 2012
url http://hdl.handle.net/10170/519
work_keys_str_mv AT fletchermichelle inspiteofinstitutioncommunityengagementandthelivedexperiencesofkearloilsandsworkersinnorthernalberta
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