Guidepost exploratory research on organizational improvisation: Roads traveled and the road ahead

Before the 1990s, the phenomenon of organizational improvisation (OI) as a distinct process was poorly understood and undertheorized in the organization theory, management, and strategy literatures, in spite of its pervasive occurrence in practice and its impressionistic mentions in interesting work. As editors of the recent Routledge Companion to Organizational Improvisation, we believe that ongoing phenomenon-focused work that builds on granular data and unexpected discoveries represents a crucial ongoing frontier for OI research. In this Guidepost, we illustrate the crucial role of phenomenon-focused research activities in the early exploration and ongoing work to understand OI, and flag four especially promising areas for ongoing discoveries: premises, practical skills, outcomes, and micro-processes. For each, we highlight specific issues where new exploratory work – drawing on quantitative and qualitative data—can offer a springboard to new, impactful understanding and action. This essay is a companion to Karl Weick’s recent Guidepost where he reflects on the 30th anniversary of his 1993 ASQ Mann Gulch Disaster paper, which played a key role in legitimizing deeper scholarly attention to OI.