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Cited by 369Management and Organizational StudiesInnovation and Knowledge ManagementTheatre and Performance Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 52 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Theatrical Improvisation: Lessons for Organizations

Vera, Dusya, Crossan, Mary·2004·Organization Studies
DOI 10.1177/0170840604042412
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Abstract

This article uses the improvisational theatre metaphor to examine the performance implications of improvisational processes in firms. We recognize similarities and differences between the concepts of performance and success in both theatre and organizations, and extract three main lessons from improvisational theatre that can be applied to organizational improvisation. In the first lesson, we start by recognizing the equivocal and unpredictable nature of improvisation. The second lesson emphasizes that good improvisational theatre arises because its main focus, in contrast to the focus of firms, is more on the process of improvising and less on the outcomes of improvisation. Lastly, in the third lesson, we look at the theatre techniques of ‘agreement’, ‘awareness’, ‘use of ready-mades’, and ‘collaboration’, and translate them into concepts that are relevant for organizations in developing an improvisational capability.

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Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 17

  1. Amabile, Teresa M. 1996 Creativity in context. Boulder, CO: Westview Press .
  2. Ansoff, H. Igor 1965 Corporate strategy: An analytic approach to business policy for growth and expansion. New York: McGraw Hill .
  3. Brown, Shona L., and Kathleen M. Eisenhardt 1998 Competing on the edge: Strategy as structured chaos. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press .
  4. Crossan, Mary, and Marc Sorrenti 1997 ‘Making sense of improvisation’ in Advances in strategic management, Vol. 14. J. Walsh and A. Huff (eds), 155–180. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press .
  5. 10.5465/amr.1999.2202135 · DOI · Paper page
  6. Fry, Art 1987 ‘The Post-It Note: An intrapreneurial success’ . SAM Advanced Management Journal 52: 4–9 .
  7. Mangham, Iain L., and Annie Pye 1991 The doing of managing. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell .
  8. Mintzberg, Henry 1994 The rise and fall of strategic planning. New York: Free Press .
  9. 10.5465/amr.1998.1255634 · DOI · Paper page
  10. Preston, A. 1991 ‘Improvising order’ in Organization analysis and development. I. L. Mangham (ed.), 81–102. New York: Wiley .
  11. Seham, Amy 2001 Whose improv is it anyway? Beyond Second City. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi .
  12. Spolin, Viola 1963 Improvisation for the theatre. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press .
  13. Spolin, Viola 1999 Improvisation for the theatre: A handbook of teaching and directing techniques. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press .
  14. 10.5465/AMR.1991.4278992 · DOI · Paper page
  15. Weick, Karl E. 1995b Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications .
  16. Weick, Karl E. 1998a ‘The attitude of wisdom: Ambivalence as the optimal compromise’ in Organizational wisdom and executive courage. S. Srivastva and D. Cooperrider (eds), 40–64. San Francisco, CA: New Lexington Press .
  17. 10.1287/orsc.9.5.543 · DOI · Paper page

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Metadata

Authors
Vera, D., & Crossan, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Houston (US)
  • Western University (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Organization Studies
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2004-06
Volume
25
Issue
5
Pages
727-749
ISSN
  • 0170-8406 (ISSN-L)
  • 1741-3044
DOI
10.1177/0170840604042412
OpenAlex
W2052817658
Cited by
369
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 13
FWCI
13.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
Organization Studies (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Innovation and Knowledge Management
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Theatre and Performance Studies
Keywords
organizational improvisation, improvisational theatre, organizational performance, dramatic technique, agreement, awareness, readymades, collaboration, organizational learning

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