Between knives and grinders - a practice-based study on butchers

Abstract

The practice-based approach of Organizational Learning defines knowledge as situated and socially constructed. On the influence of the aesthetic approach, it considers that the practitioner establishes a relationship with their practice through sensory and perceptual capabilities by exercising aesthetic judgment. In this light, this paper aims to understand the process of formation of professional butchers. Given the craft-like characteristics of this profession and the little offering of training courses, often professionals are trained within organizations, in a more or less structured process. To investigate this phenomenon, we conducted a qualitative study in five branches of a food distributor. Data were collected through interviews, non-participant observation and document analysis, and were subjected to content analysis. The study identified that the butchers experience learning processes supported by the practice, where sensitive knowledge and aesthetic judgment are providers of knowledge and enablers of social production and reproduction. A lack of structuring of the learning process to which the new professionals are submitted was observed. However, practitioners perceive themselves as craftsmen, since they anchor their practices in the beauty of its meaning.