The Imaginary and Improvisation in Public Administration
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12450586 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Susan Fitzpatrick (Virginia Commonwealth University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 635-654 |
| Publication date | 2002-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Administrative Theory & Praxis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1084-1806 • E-ISSN: 1949-0461 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10841806.2002.11029381 |
| OpenAlex | W2527882953 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 14 |
This paper will demonstrate that Wolfgang Iser's concept of the imaginary as described in The Fictive and the Imaginary provides a theoretical basis for understanding the way the imaginary can work in organizational settings. First, Iser's insights suggest that the imaginary can be engaged but not controlled. The imaginary reveals itself through play, but the context in which play takes place influences the degree to which the imagination is free. Fictionalizing is a form of play that allows us to stage an endless number of ideas about the human condition. Second, I turn to the arts to describe a technique that has long been used to engage the imagination-improvisation. Third, I examine the notion of improvisational processes in public administration, including barriers and drawbacks. Improvisational processes both draw upon the imaginary and institutionalize meaning by adding to an organization's knowledge. Fourth, I describe the use of improvisation games as a way for organizations to fictionalize and stage ideas, noting that in order for such games to be effective, the rest of the organizational setting must value imagination. Finally, I suggest that discourse about public administration can be seen as a series of improvisations that substitute small narratives for metanarratives
Aesthetics · Art · Context (archaeology · Epistemology · Improvisation · Literature · Meaning (existential · Narrative · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · The arts · The Imaginary · Visual arts · History · Information Systems Theories and Implementation · Management and Organizational Studies · Philosophy · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,14 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2022 (11) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |