Innovation at Work: A Narrative Approach to Ambiguities of Experience
: Garud Raghu, Turunen Marja
: Academy of Management
: United States
: 2015
: Academy of Management annual meeting proceedings
: Academy of Management Proceedings
: Academy of Management Proceedings
: 2015
: 1
: https://doi.org/10.5465/
: https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2015.15191abstract
DOI: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2015.15191abstract
: https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2015.15191abstract
: https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2015.15191abstract
Innovation, while important for organic growth, is not easy to sustain. Extant research shows that innovation processes are associated with ambiguity, which is problematic in organizations operating on the basis of certainty, consistency and clarity. Attempts to separate exploration from exploitation fail to harness the innovative potential contained in ambiguity. We explicate a narrative approach on how ambiguity can serve as a resource in this paper. This inquiry suggests a new way of organizing to facilitate innovation at work, which is based on temporal, relational and performative properties of narratives. These hold implications for theory and practice that we discuss.