Stefan Meisiek

Seeing More and Seeing Differently: Sensemaking, Mindfulness, and the Workarts

The past years have seen a marked rise in arts-based initiatives in organizations, a field we term the workarts. In this paper, we review the workarts in light of sensemaking theory, and especially the role of mindfulness within it. We propose that the workarts foster mindfulness by directing attention away from immediate work concerns and towards analogous artifacts. We identify three distinctive workarts movements — art collection, artist-led intervention, and artistic experimentation. In each movement, we find analogous artifacts that defamiliarize organizational members’ habitual ways of seeing and believing, enabling them to make new distinctions and to shift contexts: to see more and see differently. Our review raises a number of questions for the workarts in particular and research on analogical artifacts in general.

Which Catharsis Do They Mean? Aristotle, Moreno, Boal and Organization Theatre:

An often-suggested effect of dramatic performances is catharsis. In this essay, three catharsis-related concepts are used to help explain the effects of organization theatre. First, according to Aristotle, theatre leads to release from negative affect, whereby the eliciting of emotions is seen as a means of purifying related bad memories. Theatre is supposed to arouse feelings connected with recognized problems by presenting these on the stage, thus allowing the audience to relive them passively and, because of their non-real presentation as drama, also to resolve them. The second concept, Moreno’s idea of a creativity-generating catharsis, was developed in connection with active participation in psychodrama and with actors’ training. By drawing on negative experiences and actively reliving them on stage, participants can develop the creativity needed to find new solutions. Third, Boal assumes that when an audience actively engages in the play by proposing solutions after an introductory scene has been performed, this serves as a test run for the problems that are encountered in real life. Thus, the test in the play provides the audience with the necessary action motivation to overcome such problems. These three approaches to catharsis are discussed and are then related to organization theatre in illustrative examples of companies that provide such performances.

The art of leadership and its fine art shadow

In this paper we attempt to bring art and craft together in the enterprise of leadership, first by reframing the art of leadership in light of fine art thinking, and then joining it to notions of craft. With this, we develop an approach to leadership where artistry is closely dependent on, yet distinct from, craft. Finally, we discuss the ramifications of this perspective for leadership practice and research.

Discovering the Business Studio

Over the past decade, numerous business schools have begun experimenting with studio-based inquiry, often drawing inspiration from professional studios used within art and design schools and from business and governmental studios used for problem-solving and innovation. Business school studios vary considerably in form, ranging from temporary “pop up” studios to dedicated facilities with full-time staff, with the primary purpose of educating managers in craft, art, and design-based approaches to business problems. The jury on the studio phenomenon is out—can they deliver on their educational promise? To address this question, we pull together 25 years of studio experimentation in multiple settings, visits, and observations of studios around the world and interviews with studio makers from various disciplines. We consider the question of “what is a business studio?” in some detail, conjecture about the value that studios might have for management education, provide examples of four different business studio orientations and how these might translate into practice, and highlight what we believe to be some essentials when starting and running a business studio.