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

DOIhttps://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.



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