Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to demonstrate how the artists can inspire a collective process supporting and leading to practice-based innovation. The underlying hypothesis is that enabling innovation through art is a powerful means to foster practice-based innovation. After having presented innovation as new situated knowledge, relevant at a micro-level work process activity, the concept of ba is brought forward to describe organisational contexts that invite, sustain, and foster innovation. The Art of Hosting and Harvesting are then presented as appropriate collective facilitation and information gathering processes to nurture innovation. Considering innovation as knowledge emerging from collective intelligence, two cases illustrate how collective intelligence can be nurtured by artistic practices. The results are focused on the specifics of the principles and practices at work, which are creative, artistic, playful, sensible, involving concerns for ethics and aesthetics, and helpful in creating meaningful experiences.
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Notes
- 1.
More accurately, the report underlines that ‘according to Philips, only 20% of the outcome from Philips’ R&D department has recently formed the basis for innovation in the company. […] Hence, it is not surprising that the future role of R&D departments is under evaluation.’ (p. 60).
- 2.
Ibid.
- 3.
Idem. The authors’ injunctions are clear: ‘In the future, companies will need to become more open; i.e. to learn from their customers, collaborate with others and assume greater social responsibility. If they fail to do so, they will not survive. While companies will still optimise their business, globalisation and the digital technology have changed the rules of the game.’ (p. 9).
- 4.
Idem, p. 13.
- 5.
Co-creation is referred to as ‘co-production’ of knowledge, in Boyle et al. (2010).
- 6.
Ibid, p. 9.
- 7.
The five characteristics are described in detail here: http://www.dialogonleadership.org/WhitePaper.html
- 8.
A subset of public information displayed by Cirque du Soleil on their website as of January 2011.
- 9.
For further details, see Scharmer (2007: 366–367).
- 10.
- 11.
- 12.
- 13.
In this case, the Art of Hosting authors provide no information to inform of any wise action. I suggest deep presence (Mahy 2006) and sensing from the whole field as mandatory states of being to support the practice.
- 14.
The author wishes to thank Caroline Durand for her very active contribution to this study, as a member of the hosting team and as a graduate student completing her master’s degree in communication at Université du Québec à Montréal on participatory practices. The Montreal event was her fieldwork.
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Mahy, I. (2012). From the Artists to the Managers: Responsible Collective Innovation Practices, Inspiration Flowing Through Hosting and Harvesting Profound Change. In: Melkas, H., Harmaakorpi, V. (eds) Practice-Based Innovation: Insights, Applications and Policy Implications. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21723-4_11
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