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Leadership lessons from jazz improvisation
Abstract
The ability to improvise has often been viewed as a semi‐instinctive set of skills that result from an innate gift or talent that allows the improviser to respond to changing conditions. In the past, this was the contention of jazz improvisers and jazz aficionados alike. In recent years, however, the entry of jazz studies into the academy has demonstrated that jazz and improvisation can be taught and, more importantly, it can be learned. Organizational theorists have suggested that jazz and improvisation are useful metaphors for leadership and leadership development. This article explores jazz improvisation as a model for the development of improvisation in leadership, which includes the concepts of leadership patterns, theory, leading by ear, and risk taking. The second part of this article conceptualizes leadership in terms of jazz accompaniment, which is a unique model that incorporates the models of shared leadership and leadership as support.
... 618). In addition, discussions of the role of improvisation for leadership have suggested how, through improvisation, individuals learn to distribute leadership such that sometimes they are in the spotlight, and sometimes they are in the role of supporting others in the spotlight (Barrett, 1998;Newton, 2004). In this way, an "accompaniment" role can be seen as part of the position leader's job, fostering the input of others, and practice in improvisation can facilitate individuals recognizing the appropriate times to lead in a more traditional sense, and when to "follow" (Mirvis, 1998). ...
... Human Resource Development Review 11 (3) Two manuscripts that we are aware of that directly investigate the relationship between leadership and improvisation: Cunha and colleagues (2003) and Newton (2004). Cunha and colleagues (2003) find that certain leadership behaviors, such as creating minimal social and task structures and convincing employees of the importance of the task, encourage individuals to improvise in turbulent environments. ...
... Here, the focus is on how those in leadership positions can create the conditions in which others can improvise. Newton (2004) focuses on how practicing improvisation can be used to develop leadership skills. He writes, Changing circumstances require the ability to adapt immediately. ...
We argue that improvisational theatre training creates a compelling experience of co-creation through interaction and, as such, can be used to build a distinctive kind of leadership skills. Theories of leadership as relational, collaborative or shared are in pointed contrast to traditional notions of an individual “hero leader” who possesses the required answers, and whom others follow. Corresponding thinking on how to develop these newer forms has, to date, been relatively rare. In this article, we draw on recent research to identify three core principles for learning affiliative leadership. We then apply literature on improvisational theatre and its main skill areas to build a model of developing affiliative leadership, and illustrate the model through an improvisation workshop in which participants learn the skills and principles that it sets out. The model and workshop may serve as useful tools for those searching for methods to develop leadership in contemporary organizations.
... 618). In addition, discussions of the role of improvisation for leadership have suggested how, through improvisation, individuals learn to distribute leadership such that sometimes they are in the spotlight, and sometimes they are in the role of supporting others in the spotlight (Barrett, 1998;Newton, 2004). In this way, an "accompaniment" role can be seen as part of the position leader's job, fostering the input of others, and practice in improvisation can facilitate individuals recognizing the appropriate times to lead in a more traditional sense, and when to "follow" (Mirvis, 1998). ...
... Two manuscripts that we are aware of that directly investigate the relationship between leadership and improvisation: Cunha and colleagues (2003) and Newton (2004). Cunha and colleagues (2003) find that certain leadership behaviors, such as creating minimal social and task structures and convincing employees of the importance of the task, encourage individuals to improvise in turbulent environments. ...
... Here, the focus is on how those in leadership positions can create the conditions in which others can improvise. Newton (2004) focuses on how practicing improvisation can be used to develop leadership skills. He writes, Changing circumstances require the ability to adapt immediately. ...
... Subsequent to the symposium, a special issue of Organization Science (Lewin, 1998) both coalesced previous work on improvisation and launched a stream of scholarship into organizational improvisation that continues through today. While many early scholars explored the metaphor of jazz improvisation (Barrett, 1998;Newton, 2004;Peplowski, 1998;Weick, 1998), subsequent research considered improvisational theater (April, Beall, & Peters, 2015;Crossan, 1998;Gagnon, Vough, & Nickerson, 2012;Gibb, 2004;Tawadros, 2015;Vera & Crossan, 2005) and other contexts such as military missions, music therapy, and design thinking (Christopoulos, Wilner, & Bestetti, 2016;Kamoche, Cunha, & Cunha, 2003;Vera & Rodriguez-Lopez, 2007). Interest in the phenomenon shows no sign of abating; as Fisher and Barrett (2019, p. 149) note, "Interest in organizational improvisation has grown over the past two decades. ...
... Several others have employed improvisational theater in organizational training and development (April, Beall, & Peters, 2015;Christopoulos, Wilner, & Bestetti, 2016;Gagnon, Vough, & Nickerson, 2012;Ratten, & Hodge, 2016;Tawadros, 2015). Whereas the early scholarship in organizational improvisation focused on jazz improvisation, the use of improvisational theater welcomes all participants-even those without musical skills-and allows participants to improve communication and team skills readily transferable in their daily lives (Aylesworth, 2008;Crossan, 1998;Fisher & Barrett, 2019;Vera & Crossan, 2005 Newton, 2004;Shivarajan & Andrews, 2019). Essential to developing these skills through improvisation is to understand and practice the core improv approach of "Yes, and, " which is found in virtually all schools of improvisational theater and comedy. ...
Many scholars have noted the critical skills needed for leaders in the face of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). These skills include self-awareness, listening, communication, adaptability, critical thinking, and collaboration. Students who are able to develop these skills would be better equipped to lead in settings where the answers—and even the questions—are unknown. This paper details an approach to developing leadership skills to prepare undergraduate leadership students for a VUCA world, through the use of a classroom workshop on improvisational comedy. I have refined this improv workshop over sixteen course iterations spanning the past nine semesters, and students commonly point to the workshop as one of the most challenging and rewarding class sessions of the course. In this paper I review the literature that has informed my approach, explain the learning objectives addressed by the improv workshop, describe the approach I use, share quantitative and qualitative data that illustrate the success of the approach, and share my lessons learned, all in service of supporting colleagues who wish to try this approach.
... Although these elements are of importance for a successful performance, it takes time to alter and achieve. A critical element in group dynamics is urged by Wynton Marsalis as 'group improvising', which teaches the individual to adjust to the circumstances beyond personal control and employ a portion of influence to create something cohesive (in Miles & Carter, 2008:7; also see Newton, 2004:98). During collective improvising, the activities of creating, listening and evaluating become integral parts of the same process (Berliner, 1994:387). ...
... Personal growth is established by practicing routines and solos and considering all possible phrases of a certain theme or arrangement. Like Newton (2004:86) who addresses the notion that improvisers prepare for every possible context and situation, Bash (1991) mentions that improvisers need to know the form, chord progression, melody and style of a piece in advance and have ...
Fragmentation of power and responsibility due to a constantly growing networked landscape of governmental bodies is one of the characteristics that lead to a complex environment for civil servants. This paper explores jazz improvisation as a possible coping mechanism for this complexity and has synthesised five cohesive preconditions for civil servants. The correlation beyond the metaphor of jazz improvisation is in the highly trained abilities of both musicians and civil servants, who operate in dynamic environments, to demand constant and swift assessments on public responsibility, leadership, control and to the end, achieve a qualitative performance. The individual qualities, interrelationships, repetitive nature and strong leadership found in jazz improvisation are of added value, generating the flexibility to anticipate and react on current and changing conditions that these complex governance networks demand. It also showed the possible interpretation of options to express creativity through the medium of established works and rules in compositions and arrangements. The lessons drawn from jazz improvisation create opportunities and challenges for further research on the possibilities and effectiveness of renewed skills for civil servants.
... In expressing this creativity and structure (e.g. forms) jazz improvisation can be simultaneously associated with composing (planned act) and performing (spontaneous act) without the aid of manuscript, sketches or memory (Alperson, 1984:19;Barrett, 1998:283;6 Bash, 1991:1; Berliner, 1994:1;Crossan et al., 2005:131;Kamoche & Cunha, 2001in Dennis & Macaulay, 2007Kamoche, Cunha & Cunha, 2003;Moorman & Miner, 1998a;Moorman & Miner, 1998b;Steinel, 1995in Newton, 2004Zografos, 2004). It is similar to written composition; the difference being where the writing composer prepares a work by planning it, the improviser doesn't plan, but can prepare for the spontaneous act through various methods ...
... Bash mentions that improvisers needs to know the form, chord progression, melody and style of a piece in advance and have a plan on how he or she will construct a meaningful and effective solo within those parameters (1991:3-4), like Newton (2004) who mentions that improvisers prepare for every possible context and situation (2004:86). Bash his notion is in line with Whitmer (1953) and other authors (e.g. ...
In the past decades considerable amounts of power have shifted away from national governments. These shifts have occurred upwards, towards international organisations, sideways due to privatisation and the creation of quasi non-governmental organisations and downwards due to decentralisation of power towards lower tiers of government and other public organisations. This shift is characterised by complex networks in which a host of different actors with public responsibilities must work together to create public goods and values. One of the key questions of Public Administration in such systems is how effective governance is organised (Theisens, 2012). In this context several authors (e.g. Boutellier, 2011) have pointed at improvisation as one of the key elements that make such systems successful. Just as in jazz, where improvisation of interacting highly skilled musicians leads to beautiful and new music, it is suggested that improvisation between highly skilled public actors may lead to new and effective ways to produce public goods and values. In this paper we built on our research on improvisation as a metaphor for complex governance systems in order to examine and collect a possible set of competences that may help civil servants. The paper explores the essence and process of jazz improvisation. Jazz improvisation itself is associated with simultaneously composing (planned act) and performing (spontaneous act) without the aid of manuscript, sketches or memory (e.g. Barrett, 1998:283; Berliner, 1994:1; Zografos, 2004). Despite this ‘on the spot’ creating improvisation is described to be a structured ‘thing’, which requires a lot of study (Berliner, 1994:63). Considerable knowledge has been gained over time by dissecting improvisation as a process into consistent steps and characteristics (e.g. Hill, 2005; Dennis & Macaulay, 2007). We believe improvisation is an interesting conceptual lens to understand governance in complex networks and potentially a power tool for public sector organisations to act more effectively in highly networked environments.
... Moving beyond metaphor Jazz has been identified as the dominant metaphor in theory development for organization studies (Kamoche et al., 2003), which is perhaps ironic considering the parlous state of jazz in the UK (as the authors demonstrate in a previous paper). Jazz has become increasingly ubiquitous in a range of management literature: strategic fit (Neilsen, 1992); organizational development (Lewin, 1998;Hatch, 1999); new product development (Moorman and Miner, 1998;Kamoche and Cunha, 2001); leadership (Newton, 2004); and, organisational networks (Pavlovich, 2003). Marketing, however, has remained relatively immune to the metaphor until, in previous research, the authors developed a model of the "jazzer" marketing organisation. ...
... Transcribing is an essential element of musical study and involves listening to recorded solos, learning the solo by ear, notating pitches and rhythms, and reproducing the solo verbatim (Newton, 2004). Transcribing provides musicians with vocabulary that can be absorbed into their own improvisations and it also trains the ear to hear and replicate phrases, a trait that is essential when working in the jazz group: ...
Purpose The purpose of this article is to investigate ways in which improvisation can be used to enhance and advance market orientation. Design/methodology/approach The article draws upon existing market orientation literature and musical theory to extend the authors' previous work of the need for improvisation in strategic market planning (SMP) into a wider area of market orientation. Findings The article evinces a conceptual matrix to illustrate four basic levels of market oriented improvisation: one‐size fits all; improvisation through alternatives; single level improvisation (SLI); and multi‐level improvisation (MLI). Practical implications The article will demonstrate the core competences of a jazz band: musical knowledge; role definition; quasi‐autonomous leadership; open communication; and self‐reflexivity. It will discuss how these competences are directly transferable to market oriented organisations. Originality/value The article provides a new definition of market orientation, which posits improvisation as a central element.
... The concept of improvisation, specifically improvisation in jazz, has been used in management literature for 30 years (Hadida et al., 2015). Improvisation is used to illuminate and inform discussions on organisational theory (Weick, 1998), organisational strategy (Hatch, 1997;Hatch & Weick, 1998), organisational learning (Barrett, 2001), innovation (Vera & Crossan, 2005), and leadership (Newton, 2004). In this article, I use the notion of improvisation to talk about ethics. ...
My thesis in this article is that Christian improvisation is a helpful way to understand the practice of Christian leadership ethics. We sometimes find ourselves in ethical situations with no clear script or guideline to prescribe actions. In such cases, the ethical practice is analogous to that of improvisation. I argue that Christian theology and practices can help form a character prepared for improvisation. Moreover, Christian theology can foster an imagination useful for improvisation as it helps us interpret the ethical situation in light of a greater story and creatively imagine new ways of responding.
... Persoonlijke groei wordt gerealiseerd door routines, solo's en alle mogelijke zinnen van een bepaald thema of arrangement te overwegen en te oefenen. Repeteren kan gezien worden als de ultieme voorbereiding voor musici op elke mogelijke context en situatie (Bash, 1991;Newton, 2004). Musici moeten het arrangement, de akkoordopbouw, de melodie en de stijl van een stuk vooraf kennen. ...
... This led me to explore a range of interrelated theoretical perspectives. The metaphor of 'the jazz band', for example, provided insights into the improvisatory nature of organisations (Hatch, 1997) and has informed our understanding of leadership (Newton, 2004), schools (Stoll et al., 2003) and even the meaning of life (Eagleton, 2008). Piaget's (1990) view of intelligence (what you use when you don't know what to do) highlights the improvisatory nature of learning, an idea that has been explicitly developed to inform metacognitive approaches to pedagogy (Claxton, 1999(Claxton, , 2002Deakin Crick et al., 2004;Deakin Crick, 2006). ...
... Jazz improvisation has been used as a metaphor for organising for creativity and innovation in recent organisation theory (Hatch 1999;Kamoche et al. 2003;Newton 2004;Weick 1998). More specifically, the metaphor of jazz improvisation has applied to situations in organisations in which there are no formal structures and control mechanisms, or that these fail to support organizational activity. ...
... Strong leadership at the top of the organization served as the shaping force for new values and culture (Weick, 1998). According to Newton (2004) good leaders in schools improvise, suggesting further that improvisation in leadership is a learned skill, and as such can be developed. Our respondent deans learned that developing leadership at different levels of their school organization provided continuous fuel for a synergistic system, enabling their community of educators to co-construct school reforms in their local contexts (Datnow, 2002). ...
... This ability can be learned, and can therefore be taught. Many authors have established an analogy between the teaching of musical improvisation in jazz and the teaching of improvisation abilities in decision making inside organisations by their leaders (Vendelø, 2009;Newton, 2004;Vieira Da Cunha, Kamoche, & Pina E Cunha, 2003). ...
This article describes the process of designing and creating six computer-based simulations for school leadership training programmes, in the context of the Chilean school system. For the design and construction of the simulations, six scenarios were selected from case analysis of principals with formal training and experience in different contexts. These scenarios were turned into stories with decision branches, and scores were assigned to the decision-making events according to national and international leadership standards. Finally, the scenarios were coded and installed onto a platform, which was adapted to capture quantitative and qualitative data. The simulations were applied to principals and candidates for school leadership positions. The process of creating and implementing the simulations demonstrated that it is possible to introduce a tool specifically designed to improve the decision-making abilities of school principals and leaders, replicating the Chilean educational context. This is a step forward in efforts to facilitate learning experiences based on decision-making situations contextualised and relevant to the training of school leaders. Finally, the use of computer-based simulations has great potential to scale the exchange of knowledge and make it universally accessible as a complement to other training opportunities in the careers of school leaders. Si quiere descargar este artículo puedes hacerlo desde: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/real/issue/54210/733356
... For example, Holbrook (2008) draws parallels between the jazz genre and principles of improvisation to management and marketing. Further comparisons with the jazz model are discussed in the areas of improvisational behaviors (Hatch 1998;Hatch 1999;Weick 1990;Hadida, Tarvainen, and Rose 2015), product innovation (Kamoche and Cunhae 2001;Kamoche et al. 2003;Akgün et al. 2007), organizational innovation (Crossan 1997;Bastien and Hostager 1998;Pasmore 1998;Holbrook 2008), actors within an organization (Kao 1996), strategic decision making (Eisenhardt 1989), market orientation (Dennis and Macaulay 2007), service performance (John, Grove, and Fisk 2006) and leadership within organizations (Walzer and Salcher 2003;Newton 2004). Herzig and Baker (2014) developed a seven-factor model for group creativity based on the jazz jam session. ...
... Personal growth is realized by considering and practicing routines, solos and all possible sentences of a particular theme or arrangement. Rehearsing can be seen as the ultimate preparation for musicians in every possible context and situation (Bash, 1991, Newton, 2004. Musicians must know the arrangement, the chord structure, the melody and the style of a piece in advance. ...
The dynamics within governance networks increase with shifting structures and concepts, fragmentation leadership and control. Since governmental bodies are one of the main actors in these dynamic networks, subjectivity to these fundamental shifts in responsibilities in a more 'liquid' environment rather than a stabile structure leads to a complex environment for civil servants. It is this complexity that requires a new role for civil servants which creates a number of challenges. The tension of vertical responsibility and horizontal participation within networks means a reoccurring (re-)assessment of considerations, reviewing the importance and interest of procedures as well as power and control by civil servants. Equipping civil servants for fragmented responsibilities and power in this complexity is deemed necessary as more and more services and policies are formed and developed in networks. This paper explores jazz improvisation as a possible coping mechanism for this complexity using its definition in five cohesive preconditions: 1) knowledge, expertise and skills, 2) group dynamics, 3) rehearsal, 4) leadership, 5) composition and arrangements to reflect on possible adaptive form in which craftsmanship can be arrangement for an optimal performance in policy making. As in jazz improvisation highly trained professionals operate in dynamic environments and encounter a continuous demand of constant and swift assessments on public responsibility, leadership, control and in the end, achieving a qualitative performance. The individual qualities, interrelationships, repetitive nature and strong leadership found in jazz improvisation are of added value, generating the flexibility to anticipate and react on current and changing conditions that these complex governance networks demand. It also showed the possible interpretation of options to express creativity through the medium of established works and rules in compositions and arrangements. The lessons drawn from jazz improvisation create opportunities and challenges on the possibilities and effectiveness of renewed skills for civil servants. This, to the extent of the base of 'rhythm, melody and harmony' till the strategic flexibility and adaptability of a professional assessing a policy situation with qualitative expertise and knowhow in different circumstances. In accordance with active managerial and decisive leadership, high end relationships in the performing group with extensive rehearsal / dialogue.
... Jazz has been identified as the dominant metaphor in theory development for organisational studies (Kamoche et al. 2003). Jazz has also been increasingly ubiquitous in a range of management literature dealing with strategic fit ( Neilsen, 1992),organisational development (Lewin, 1998), new product development (Moorman and Miner, 1998;Kamoche and Cunha, 2001),leadership (Newton, 2004) and organisational networks, (Pavlovich, 2003). The metaphor, however, has to date only very limited attention in the general marketing literature, (Dennis and Macaulay 2007). ...
The article discusses how the metaphor of jazz music making is used to facilitate visualisation and application of strategic thinking and creativity in the strategic marketing course. The evidence shows that students adapt well to and enjoy the metaphor, and find that it facilitates their learning of the subject.
... Thus, although existing research has identified positive influences of OI on leadership (e.g., Bastien and Hostager 1988;Gagnon et al. 2012;Newton 2004;Vera and Rodriguez-Lopez 2007), it has not investigated so far the relationship between the mental models of leaders and OI. An analysis of the nine cells in Table 2 with a focus on mental models could shed new light on OI. ...
Organizational improvisation is increasingly recognized as a relevant area of management research. However, the cumulativeness of research on improvisation in organizations remains low. This paper organizes existing contributions on organizational improvisation within a new consolidating framework combining degrees (minor, bounded and structural) and levels (individual, interpersonal and organizational) of improvisation. The proposed degree/level framework allows for reviewing the existing literature on organizational improvisation in the management disciplines of strategy, organizational behaviour, organizational theory, innovation and marketing in a systematic manner. It also exposes potential areas for future research across management disciplines, research areas, organizational settings and industries, and beyond existing metaphors, most notably of jazz and improvisational theatre.
... This lends to the jazz metaphor's appeal for use in today's more globally populated classrooms (as opposed to metaphors based, for example, on sporting, business, or other contextually based images). Jazz has also been identified as an important metaphor in theory development for organizational studies (Kamoche, Cunha & Cunha, 2003) and has also been seen in a range of management literature dealing with strategic fit (Neilsen, 1992), organizational development (Lewin, 1998), new product development (Kamoche & Cunha, 2001;Moorman & Miner, 1998), leadership (Newton, 2004), and organizational networks (Pavlovich, 2003). The narrative descriptions generated by the participants also highlighted the role of reflection and language in bridging two disparate disciplines (arts and school leadership) and enabled the transfer of learning (Catterall, 2005) from one to the other. ...
... Often improvisational practice in organizations and leadership have been explored as an inventive competence and responsive, performing action, which takes place in a spontaneous and intuitive fashion under specific circumstances (Crossan, 1998), and discussed as oxymoron, paradox or a legitimate way of achievement (Leybourne, 2007;Cunha et al., 2003). Newton (2004) demonstrated how practicing improvisation can be used to develop leadership skills. In a recent study, Gagnon et al. (2012) showed how improvisation can help the learning of an affiliative leadership, which is characterized by openness to multiple perspectives, trust and shared control. ...
This paper offers phenomenological perspectives on leadership as an embodied material and relational practice. Based on Merleau-Ponty’s understanding of embodiment and practice, leadership is interpreted as an emergent process of the inter-practice of leading and following. For showing the enactment of this embodied inter-practicing as a creative one, improvisation is explored as an exemplary media. Finally, some practical, political, theoretical and methodological implications and perspectives on embodied inter-practices of leadership will be outlined.
... He contended that "when supported by a research account which makes clear the context of the statement and the evidence justifying it, the fuzzy prediction provides a powerful and user-friendly summary which can serve as a guide to professional action". 6. Improvisation Newton (2004) gave an interesting parallel comparison between leadership and jazz improvisation. He suggested that good leaders in schools improvise. ...
Why should Contingent Leadership be included in educational leadership training and how? This paper begins with a narrative demonstrating the impact of workload context on choice of strategies. What is the cost of being pluralistic? The divisive opinion tendency in a pluralistic society, the subjective interpretation of changes and fluctuating collective emotions, leads to chaotic changes. Being pluralistic also means a redistribution of power. We need to equip practitioners with an understanding through the Dynamical Systems Theory and with better preparation to face changing contexts, including improvisation along the journey of change and orchestrating strategic intent, instead of relying on control upon prescriptive change strategies or any single model of leadership. Contingent Leadership is the summative term to address such readiness, and has always been looming behind other dominant leadership models. This paper closes with a tentative list of training items appropriate for training towards Contingent Leadership.
... 4. Fourth, there is a successful history and a growing body of literature on the application of the jazz metaphor to business. For example, jazz has been identified as an important metaphor in theory development for organisational studies (Kamoche et al. 2003), and has also been seen in a range of management literature dealing with strategic fit (Neilsen, 1992),organisational development (Lewin, 1998), new product development (Moorman and Miner, 1998;Kamoche and Cunha, 2001),leadership (Newton, 2004) and organisational networks, (Pavlovich, 2003). The metaphor, however, has to date only very limited attention in the general marketing literature, (Dennis and Macaulay 2007) and has not been applied to the marketing research discipline. ...
The marketing research course is often a very challenging one both for students and instructors. This article discusses how the jazz metaphor can aid the instructor in both facilitating students’ learning of the more basic as well as the more specific skills that make up the course, in addition to contributing more to student enjoyment of the marketing research subject. Reflective, experiential learning-based classroom illustrations and suggestions for jazz metaphor implementation by students and instructor are also provided.
No one would dispute the fact that education policy-makers are greatly concerned with how learning happens continually throughout a person’s lifetime. In virtue of this, they seek leaders who are thought to be qualified to facilitate the process of creativity that informs learning particularly when competition becomes the order of the day. In the discourse of leadership education, contributors are gradually coming to recognize that leadership without partnership is vulnerable.
This paper uses the metaphor of jazz music-making to contribute to the growing literature concerning the need for a more holistic approach to research, and to suggest directions for research implementation. It suggests researchers can work towards an ‘effortless mastery’ of their craft, and posits potential new forms of evaluation criteria useful in evaluating research (and researcher) quality.
This chapter explores creativity as a question for the field of educational leadership. It examines creativity discourses in the educational leadership journal literature. The chapter suggests that creativity inquiry in the field of educational leadership would benefit from thinking creativity from a different place. Creativity (and educational leadership) instead can be thought from plural worlds, from the taking-place of immeasurable singular plural existence. In a study, the authors found few peer-reviewed or editor-reviewed articles with any direct focus or substantial emphasis on the topic of creativity in the major professional journals that focus on educational leadership. In school curricula, people can turn toward the patency (opening, expanding) of the pluriverse, rather than toward the securement of innovative patents by budding entrepreneurs. The chapter offers openings for the field of educational leadership, instead of providing conclusions or setting aims that must be achieved.
The main aim of this review article is to understand and discuss the concept of improvisation as a professional skill for teacher educators. The literature review suggests that five academic traditions are especially relevant to examine: Rhetoric, music, theatre/ drama, organizational theory and education. The dialogic, open-scripted, interactive and responsive aspects of improvisation are common features for all the traditions we have examined and could provide a common basis for improvisation as a key curricular concept in teaching, and hence teacher education. Every day teachers are challenged to act in accordance with the situational needs and requirements arising in different pedagogical situations. We have identified four different aspects of improvisation, which appear to be of crucial importance in any discussion about improvisation as a key concept in education: (1) Communication and dialogues: Communication in improvisation can be described along a continuum of two positions: From the internal process of communication itself to the external intended result of it. The purpose can also vary from emphasizing the effect on the audience to emphasizing the process of exploration. (2) Structure and design: All traditions claim that to be a good professional improviser, you have to be aware of and be skilled in planning and structural thinking. (3) Repertoire: Learnable repertoires, shaped by content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, are an underlying prerequisite for improvisation in education. (4) Context: Professional improvisational practices are context dependent and domain specific to a great extent.
Purpose – Recently, organizational theorists and business thinkers have discovered the jazz metaphor and have employed this trope as an analogy to infer and describe best practices in the areas of organizational innovation and business strategy. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – The present paper extends and amplifies this insight in the area of marketing practice and compares the marketing manager to the jazz musician with special attention to the problem of introducing new offerings during the mature stage of the product life cycle – namely, the strategic issue that concerns most marketing managers most of the time. Findings – Ultimately, the author is struck by the rather profound ways in which – true to the jazz metaphor – the marketing manager during the mature phase of the product life cycle resembles an improvising musician. Originality/value – The present paper pursues this theme in connection with one particular aspect of marketing strategy – namely, the design and introduction of new offerings during the mature phase of the product life cycle.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a viewpoint about how the jazz metaphor can be applied to marketing/management education, in light of the article by Holbrook (2015). Design/methodology/approach – This commentary examines the jazz metaphor from the author’s perspective as a jazz musician and management educator and hopefully provides the reader with a brief snapshot into the intricate workings of a jazz group. This commentary also investigates the lessons to be learned from Miles Davis’s approach to leadership and innovation. Findings – The jazz group can provide a valuable model for modern organisations. The core competencies of a successful jazz group, e.g. collaboration, trust, dialogue and innovation can be employed to bring about a culture of creativity within an organisation. Research limitations/implications – It may be possible to extend the jazz metaphor and investigate how different aspects of business practice could be aligned with particular genres of jazz. Originality/value – This commentary expands on Holbrook’s discussion of the marketing manager as Jazz musician and provides examples of how these metaphors can be used in order to augment the marketing/management learning material to offer alternative perspectives to the learning communities and enhance the pedagogical practice
This article reflects the personal experiences of its author: a musician, teacher and current leader in the secondary independent sector. It provides an initial exploration of the link between leadership and musicianship, pivoting on the concept of performance and how specific socialised and embedded skills and experiences developed through musical performance resonate with notions of leadership in education. The intention is to raise awareness of the positive attributes of musicianship which are sometimes lost in the mist of artistic endeavour. Setting technical mastery aside, a raft of experiences, including presentation, formality, organisation, collaboration, a blend of aesthetic and academic enrichment and emotional sensitivity equip a capable musician with skills that transpose seamlessly into the role of leadership. Many of these experiences apply to other artistic fields within education and perhaps this debate will encourage those who appoint leaders to reconsider the attributes of artistic experiences. Bourdieu’s conceptual lens provides a theoretical foundation highlighting habitus and field as useful tools to filter leadership experience in a musical context.
This paper uses the metaphor of jazz music-making to contribute to the growing literature concerning the need for a more holistic approach to research, and to suggest directions for research implementation. It suggests researchers can work towards an 'effortless mastery' of their craft, and posits potential new forms of evaluation criteria useful in evaluating research (and researcher) quality.
This paper assesses the cultural diversity of improvisation. More specifically, it focuses upon the empowerment as jazz metaphor by highlighting a two-way process considering what marketers (including managers and empowered direct contact staff) and improvising jazz musicians can learn from each other. It examines the apparently polarized concepts of freedom and constraint by identifying how jazz guitarists differ on a hypothetical continuum in terms of the divergence of their performances, as demonstrated by the level of preconceived structuring and pre-composition evident in their work. The metaphorical link highlights the value of making scripted responses appear more customized and spontaneous in order to create the impression of a more personalized service encounter. It urges increased opportunities for employees to be creative and imaginative, but considers the extent to which the freedom to make real-time decisions may be a nebulous and partially illusory ideal for both the empowered service provider and the improvising jazz musician.
Background: Researchers and trainers from many professions and settings have emphasized the importance of explicit training in interprofessional collaboration (IPC), but interest in and best practice for training for IPC remains unknown.Methods and Findings: A 33-item Internet-based survey was completed by 486 practicing professionals and students from the sectors of health and education. The survey assessed experiences and knowledge of IPC as well as interest in and barriers to further training in IPC. Overall, there was agreement among respondents regarding the importance of IPC. Satisfaction with IPC was associated with higher self-ratings of knowledge and skills related to IPC. Interest in further IPC training was high, especially for one- or two-day workshops or web-based modules. Qualitative analysis of responses to an open-ended question about IPC skills and knowledge revealed seven networks of common themes that can serve as a framework for training and theory development.Conclusions: IPC training should provide knowledge about IPC models and research, leadership styles, team stages, and conflict management, while also ensuring that training applies to the workplace or practicum placement. Efforts should be made to promote awareness of the need for training in areas where trainees already feel competent.
A metaphor based on the nature of jazz as a musical genre in general and on the sociopsychological process of jazz improvisation in particular has frequently surfaced in recent accounts of product innovation, brand positioning, team coordination, and organizational leadership from various areas of research on management and marketing strategy. As typically applied, this "jazz metaphor" appears unnecessarily limited in its scope. In this light, the author suggests a need for refining, extending, and enlarging the jazz metaphor to cover a broader range of music-, management-, and marketing-related themes. Toward this end, the author "plays the changes" on this perspective by developing a typology of jazz musicians based on different kinds of musical offerings and by elaborating this typology to propose a classification of management and marketing styles based on parallels with the jazz metaphor.
Medical practices are in a complex industry and require the expertise of both physician and business leaders to be successful. Sharing the leadership between these two professionals brings with it challenges that are best met if the environment is supportive. This support comes in the form of external aspects such as selection, role definition, organizational hierarchy, time, and process. Critical to shared leadership is communication, both frequency and quality. Conflicts are likely to occur, and how they are resolved is what determines the strength of a shared governance relationship. Reality is that finding the balance in shared governance is diffcult, but with effort and commitment, it can provide the organization with the performance it hopes to achieve.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007.
Theatre as representation (TAR) is a teaching medium that employs a live performance or reading of an original dramatic scenario (either in a full out theatrical performance or in a reader's theatre setting) based on a true-life incident. Its purpose is to serve as a professional development tool for in-service and pre-service education administrators for such viewers and participants to reflect their own personal praxis onto that depicted in the scenario. This paper presents the background, script and general audience reactions to one such TAR usage in an educational administration graduate foundation course. It is entitled ‘The Incident’.
Sumario: What culture is and does -- The dimensions of culture -- How to study and interpret culture -- The role leadership in building culture -- The evolution of culture and leadership -- Learning cultures and learning leaders
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