Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Using Applied Improvisation for Organizational Learning in the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sensuous Learning for Practical Judgment in Professional Practice

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Business, Arts and Humanities ((PSBAH))

Abstract

In this chapter, we introduce the background of theatrical improvisation and a model in which it is applied outside the theatre . We illustrate the sensuous quality of Applied Improvisation by a case study of a developmental aid organization, employing the mind- and skill set to adapt the organization to the volatile and uncertain conditions it is operating in.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alda, A. (2017). If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonacopoulou, E. P. (2014). The Experience of Learning in Space and Time. Prometheus, 32(1), 83–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Argyris, C., & Schön, D. A. (1978). Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. Reading, MA: Addision-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, F. J. (1998). Creativity and Improvisation in Jazz and Organizations: Implications for Organizational Learning. Organization Science, 9(5), 543–555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, F. J. (2012). Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a Difference a Word Makes: Understanding Threads to Performance in a VUCA World. Business Horizons, 57(3), 311–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biehl, B. (2017). Dance and Organization: Integrating Dance Theory and Methods into the Study of Management. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunha, M. P. e., Cunha, J. V. d., & Kamoche, K. (1999). Organizational Improvisation: What, When, How and Why. International Journal of Management Reviews, 1(3), 299–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunha, M. P., Miner, A. S., & Antonacopoulou, E. P. (2016). Improvisation Processes in Organizations. In The SAGE Handbook of Process Organization Studies (pp. 559–573). London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Follett, M. P. (1941). Dynamic Administration: The Collected Papers of Mary Parker Follett. London: Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, A., & Yarrow, R. (1990). Improvisation in Drama. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, S., Vough, H. C., & Nickerson, R. (2012). Learning to Lead, Unscripted: Developing Affiliative Leadership Through Improvisational Theatre. Human Resource Development Review, 11(3), 299–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, R. O. (2013). The Emergent Organization: Improvisation and Order in Gulf Coast Disaster Relief. Symbolic Interaction, 36(3), 237–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hassard, J., Holliday, R., & Willmott, H. (Eds.). (2002). Body and Organization. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Höpfl, H., & Linstead, S. (1997). Introduction: Learning to Feel and Feeling to Learn: Emotion and Learning in Organizations. Management Learning, 28(1), 5–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, P. Z. (2017). Easy: Your Lifepass to Creativity and Confidence. London: The Solution Focus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, K. (2003). Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamoche, K., Cunha, M. P. e., & Cunha, J. V. d. (2003). Towards a Theory of Organizational Improvisation: Looking Beyond the Jazz Metaphor. Journal of Management Studies, 40(8), 2023–2051.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kühl, S. (2014). Organizations: A Systemic Perspective. Farnham: Gower.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, H., & Bogers, M. (2014). Innovation as Improvisation ‘In the Shadow’. Creativity and Innovation Management, 23(4), 386–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, H., & Friis, P. (2018). Improvising in Research: Drawing on Theatre Practices. In P. V. Freytag & L. Young (Eds.), Collaborative Research Design: Working with Business for Meaningful Findings (pp. 341–375). Singapore: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Linstead, S., & Höpfl, H. (Eds.). (2000). The Aesthetics of Organization. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lösel, G. (2013). Das Spiel mit dem Chaos: Zur Performativität des Improvisationstheaters. Bielefeld: Transcript.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, N. (1964). Form und Funktion formaler Organisationen. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, N. (2000). Organisation und Entscheidung. Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Maitlis, S., & Sonenshein, S. (2010). Sensemaking in Crisis and Change: Inspiration and Insights from Weick (1988). Journal of Management Studies, 47(3), 551–580.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mendler de Suarez, J., Suarez, P., & Bachofen, C. (2012). Games for a New Climate: Experiencing the Complexity of Future Risks. Boston: Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rigby, D. K., Sutherland, J., & Takeuchi, H. (2016). Embracing Agile. Harvard Business Review, 94(5), 40–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sackmann, S. A. (1992). Culture and Subcultures: An Analysis of Organizational Knowledge. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37(1), 140–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salanova, M., Bakker, A. B., & Llorens, S. (2006). Flow at Work: Evidence for an Upward Spiral of Personal and Organizational Resources. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, K. (2007). Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York: Currency Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shank, M., & Schirch, L. (2008). Strategic Arts-Based Peacebuilding. Peace & Change, 33(2), 217–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spolin, V. (1985). Theatre Games for Rehearsal. A Director’s Handbook. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spolin, V. (1999). Improvisation for the Theatre (3rd ed.). Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Springborg, C., & Sutherland, I. (2015). Teaching MBAs Aestetic Agency Through Dance. Organizational Aestetics, 5(1), 94–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suarez, P. (2017, December 17). Interview with Barbara Tint and Ralf Wetzel. Skype Conversation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taleb, N. N. (2012). Antifragile: How to Live in a World We Don’t Understand. London: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. S. (2013a). What Is Organizational Aesthetics? Organizational Aesthetics, 2(1), 30–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. S. (2013b). Authentic Leadership and the Status Trap. In D. Ladkin & C. Spiller (Eds.), Authentic Leadership: Concepts, Coalescences and Clashes (pp. 176–187). London: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. S. (2015). Open Your Heart. In D. Ladkin & S. S. Taylor (Eds.), The Physicality of Leadership: Gesture, Entanglement, Taboo, Possibilities. London: Emerald.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S., & Spicer, A. (2007). Time for Space: A Narrative Review of Research on Organizational Spaces. International Journal of Management Reviews, 9(4), 325–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tint, B. (2018). From Hell, No to Yes, And: Applied Improvisation for Training in Conflict Resolution, Mediation and Law. In T. Robbins Dudeck & C. McClure (Eds.), Applied Improvisation: Leading, Collaborating & Creating Beyond the Theatre (pp. 199–220). Boston: Bloomsbury.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tint, B., McWaters, V., & Van Driel, R. (2015). Applied Improvisation Training for Disaster Readiness and Response: Preparing Humanitarian Workers and Communities for the Unexpected. Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, 5(1), 73–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Driel, R. (2013). P.L.A.Y.!. Applying Improv in Times of Crisis. e-Organisations & People, 20(2), 31–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vera, D., & Crossan, M. (2004). Theatrical Improvisation: Lessons for Organizations. Organization Studies, 25(5), 727–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vince, R., & Gabriel, Y. (2012). Organizations, Learning, and Emotion. In Handbook of Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management (pp. 331–348). Chichester: Wiley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E. (1979). The Social Psycholoy of Organizing (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E. (1993). Organizational Improvisation as Redesign. In G. P. Huber & W. H. Glick (Eds.), Organizational Change and Resign: Ideas and Insights for Improving Performance (pp. 346–382). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E., & Roberts, K. H. (1993). Collective Mind in Organizations: Heedful Interrelating on Flight Decks. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38(3), 357–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the Unexpected: Resilient Performance in an Age of Uncertainty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wetzel, R., & Nees, F. (2017). Asymmetry Revisited. What Leadership Can Learn from Tango Argentino. SCMS Indian Journal of Management, 14(2), 57–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wetzel, R., & Van Renterghem, N. (2016). How to Access Organizational Informality: Using Movement Improvisation to Address Embodied Organizational Knowledge. Organisational Aesthetics, 5(1), 47–63.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vlerick Business School, Brussels, Belgium

    Ralf Wetzel

  2. Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

    Barbara Tint

Authors
  1. Ralf Wetzel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Barbara Tint
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ralf Wetzel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Liverpool Management School (ULMS), Liverpool, UK

    Elena P. Antonacopoulou

  2. Foisie Business School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA

    Steven S. Taylor

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Wetzel, R., Tint, B. (2019). Using Applied Improvisation for Organizational Learning in the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. In: Antonacopoulou, E., Taylor, S. (eds) Sensuous Learning for Practical Judgment in Professional Practice. Palgrave Studies in Business, Arts and Humanities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99049-1_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation