Improvisation in the learning organization: a defense of the infra-ordinary

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to describe the hidden presence of improvisation in organizations. The authors explore this presence through George Perec’s notion of the infra-ordinary applied to the study of the learning organization and its paradoxes. Design/methodology/approach Most studies of paradox and improvisation are qualitative and inductive. In this conceptual paper, the authors offer a conceptual debate aiming to redirect conceptual attention on studies belonging to the domains of learning, improvisation and paradox. Findings The authors defend the thesis that improvisation is an example of a paradoxical practice that belongs to the domain of infra-ordinary rather than, as has been habitually assumed in extant research, the extraordinary. Research limitations/implications The study draws research attention to the potential of the infra-ordinary in the domains of paradox, improvisation and learning. Practical implications For practice, the study shows that improvisation can be a relatively trivial organizational practice as people try to solve problems in their everyday lives. Social implications Most organizations depend upon the capacity of their members to solve problems as these emerge. Yet, organization theory has failed to consider this dimension. As a result, organizations may be unintentionally harming their capacity to learn and adapt to environments by assuming that improvisation is extra-ordinary. Originality/value The study of paradox and improvisation from an infra-ordinary perspective has not been explicitly attempted.

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