ABSTRACT
The snag was in part structured into the situation by the intake assignment rule itself, which provided that each case was taken in order under a literal application. One solution to such situations, of course, is to maintain the priority of the next available cell rule. Apparently, from the point of view of the receptionist who made the decision, the rule could be suspended and the suspension deemed a “reasonable” solution to the minor dilemma the situation presented. The chapter examines certain aspects of the work activities of such bureaucratic actors in a public assistance organization. Drawing on observational materials collected in the setting, it describes in detail the work of reception personnel in inducting applicants for public assistance into the organizational routine. In contrast, the problem that concerns this chapter is how the formal plan of an organization is used by the organization’s members to deal with everyday work activities.
