Organizational Experiments and the Change of Meaning

CHRISTIANSEN, John K; GASPARIN, Marta. Organizational experiments and the change of meaning. CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation, [S.l.], v. 1, n. 2, p. 29, dec. 2017. ISSN 2413-9505

10 Pages Posted: 15 Apr 2019

See all articles by John K. Christiansen

John K. Christiansen

Copenhagen Business School

Marta Gasparin

University of Leicester - School of Management

Date Written: December 2017

Abstract

The present paper advocates for a bolder use of real life experiments in and with organizations. We illustrate how real life - in-vivo experiments - can lead to wide organizational changes by creating new meanings and change sensemaking, which makes it possible for a company to address its challenges from a new position. We argue that having a Dionysian perspective when using organizational experiments makes it possible to plan and execute experiments inspired by high ambitions and visions to explore new ways of organizing in an explorative manner. This includes the willingness to forget past experiences and regard past experiences as examples of hypotheses that can be altered, exchanged and replaced with new ones as the organization gets new experiences from playful learning.

Keywords: Types of experiments; Organizational experiment; Meaning; Change; Apollonian experiment; Dionysian experiment

Suggested Citation

Christiansen, John K. and Gasparin, Marta, Organizational Experiments and the Change of Meaning (December 2017). CHRISTIANSEN, John K; GASPARIN, Marta. Organizational experiments and the change of meaning. CERN IdeaSquare Journal of Experimental Innovation, [S.l.], v. 1, n. 2, p. 29, dec. 2017. ISSN 2413-9505, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3355965

John K. Christiansen (Contact Author)

Copenhagen Business School ( email )

Solbjerg Plads 3
Frederiksberg, DK - 2000
Denmark
+4527266604 (Phone)

Marta Gasparin

University of Leicester - School of Management ( email )

Leicester
Leicester, AK LE1 4AY
United Kingdom

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