The Organization Science Jazz Festival: Improvisation as a Metaphor for Organizing—Overture

Abstract

Introduction to a special issue of Organization Science . It is based on a rather unique event, a symposium, “Jazz as a Metaphor for Organizing in the 21st Century,” held at the 1995 Academy of Management National Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Symposiums at academic conferences usually feature panelists presenting their views and discussants critiquing the presentations and providing some synthesis, followed by a brief dialogue with the audience. This session on jazz improvisation and organizing included conventional scholarly presentations, but added a demonstration and discussion of jazz improvisation by panelists who were professional musicians, followed by a concert and social event during which these musicians regaled the audience with superb jazz.