SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS ON DIGNITY, KNOWLEDGE, AND ENGAGEMENT IN A WORKER COOPERATIVE SOCIETY
Attempting to learn the standing of dignity, in an era manifested by easy confrontations of human rights with “justified” arguments, has been our prime research challenge. The broad contour of an individual’s concept of dignity seems to have been drawn from the underlying socio-cultural-political milieu which conditions thought processes. The meaning-making journey of the actor in an organisation begins within his bounds in rationality and extends to the structures which construct or de-mystify dignity. The paper explores key concerns on dignity raised by social theorists and the answers which meaningful work, knowledge, cooperation, and engagement render. The exchanges within the organisation, the capabilities that get built in the process, and the continuous interactions with an individual’s environment give shape to what constitutes dignity for that individual. The case ecosystem of ABC House exemplifies layers of such exchanges and how they respond to some concerns.
As dignity translates to an actor’s self-worth through knowledge and meaningful work, the broad canvas of the organisation recognises human capabilities in contributing to and making sense of the diverse functioning. The embedded design of this case study attempts to decipher engagement within the structure through the insights of the critical actors who exemplify agency.