Getting water

In those situations when water is not available at the turn of a tap, it must be obtained from a river or well, often after a long walk. In the case of a well, some device may be used to get the water out. This may vary in sophistication from a bucket on a rope to a pump. If the water is to be used for irrigation, it may be directed along channels through the fields. If it is to be used for washing clothes, this may be done by the well or river.

In those social situations governed by well-defined and rigid procedures, special efforts must be made to provide compensatory processes of a fluid and under-defined nature. The social environment may be so over-defined that access to such processes can only be obtained by some special social device. When such processes are plentiful and have established their own context, they may be partially redirected to provide the necessary flexibility in the over-defined environment.

The nature of the work required to compensate for over-definition in social contexts.

The term 'watering-hole' in occasionally applied to pubs and bars and illustrates the contrast to the over-defined office (or home) environment. Devices such as receptions, night club shows, comedy, house parties, stag parties, sauna parties or even orgies may be used to introduce a necessary informal dimension into social relationships. On the intrapersonal level this may be partially achieved with jokes. On a large scale this may be achieved by regular festivals or carnivals. Some modern management techniques recognize the need to humanize the working environment and therefore encourage, to a limited extent, introduction of compensatory processes into the work-place (e.g. office parties and outings, music, recreation facilities).

The task of fetching water in containers. Free flowing water in contrast to containerized water. The wide range of water raising devices. Irrigation systems and their dependence on dams. Periodic drying up and flooding of river beds.