Circular changes between focus on perfection versus focus on others

LEHNER, Johannes and Eva BORN. Circular changes between focus on perfection versus focus on others. In the 38th EGOS Colloquium "Organizing: The Beauty of Imperfection", Sub-theme 26: Embracing and Nurturing Imperfections for Resilient Individuals, Organizations, and Societies, Vienna. 2022.

Basic information

• Original name: Circular changes between focus on perfection versus focus on others
• Authors: LEHNER, Johannes and Eva BORN.
• Edition: the 38th EGOS Colloquium "Organizing: The Beauty of Imperfection", Sub-theme 26: Embracing and Nurturing Imperfections for Resilient Individuals, Organizations, and Societies, Vienna, 2022.

Other information

• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Each system, each organizational arrangement is necessarily incomplete, each rule implies exemptions, even in a highly abstract realm, such as in mathematics, famously shown by Kurt Gödel. As outlined in the call for this sub-theme, such imperfection gives rise to failures and calls for resilience. In this paper we explore improvisation as the individual, group, or organizational process to cope with imperfection and failure. In particular, we conceptualize improvisation as a circular process moving from a focus on perfection, represented by common practices such as rule following, drill, or goal-oriented behaviour, to a focus on adaptation to others, including listening to others, reacting, and coordinated action, implying the simultaneous abandoning of the search for perfection and replacing the focus on the self. As a first empirical test of our circular process model, we employ an agent-based simulation to compare it with non-circular behaviours.