Same, but different: Understanding the coordination of multiple versions of data in organizational testing routines of schools

In this article I argue for the importance of investigating an artifact as different versions as this is of great importance to see how microprocesses potentially lead to different organizational outcome. The empirical material consists of shadowing 5 literacy coaches in school over 2 years collecting different kinds of materialities. This enables me to give detailed empirical examples on how an artifact such as ‘data’ in a testing routine is constantly enacted as different versions through different kinds of interactions in different departments of the school. I claim for the necessity of not only talking about an artifact in a singular way but of ‘artifact multiple’. Using Mol’s theory about versions and coordination provide us with new insights on, how an artifact in an organizational routine is not only dynamic but also come to exist in different versions. This theoretical point of departure contributes with concepts to capture such empirical ‘messy’ repetitiveness, arguing that artifacts in routines are ‘coordinated’ and are not the same but different.