The contributions collected in this volume emerged from the First International Symposium on Process Organization Studies held in Cyprus in June 2009" -- P. 2.

The teaching of organization theory and the conduct of organizational research have been dominated by a focus on decision-making and the concept of strategic rationality. However, the rational model ignores the inherent complexity and ambiguity of real-world organizations and their environments. In this landmark volume, Karl E Weick highlights how the `sensemaking' process shapes organizational structure and behaviour. The process is seen as the creation of reality as an ongoing accomplishment that takes form when people make retrospective sense of the situations in which they find themselves.

Process, Sensemaking, and Organizing is the first in a series of volumes which explore perspectives on process theories, an emerging approach to the study of organizations that focuses on (understanding) activities, interactions, and change as essential properties of organizations rather than structures and state - an approach which prioritizes activity over product, change over persistence, novelty over continuity, and expression over determination. Process and sensemaking may be seen as mutually interlocking phenomena and, as such, are cornerstones in process thinking, This volume brings together contributions from an international group of scholars energized by process organization studies. The collection offers perspectives from different disciplines, insights from diverse theoretical traditions and contexts, and parallels made with a range of cultural forms, including art, poetry, and cookery. At the same time, the chapters exhibit a clear emphasis on a process ontology, process theorizing, and narrative thinking. Across this rich and varied collection recurrent themes emerge that distinguish process theorizing from the more logico-scientific, variance-oriented research that dominates organization studies today. This book will appeal to academics, researchers, and graduate students in management, organization studies, and sociology who wish to better understand the emergent, changing, and flow-like character of organizational life and expand their understanding of the nature of sensemaking as a basis for organizing.

Making Sense of the Organization elaborates on the influential idea that organizations are interpretation systems that scan, interpret, and learn. These selected essays represent a new approach to the way managers learn and act in response to their environment and the way organizational change evolves. Readers of this volume will find a wealth of examples and insights which go well beyond thinking and cognition to explain action. The author's ideas are at the forefront of our thinking on leadership, teams, and the management of change. “This book engages the puzzle of impermanence in organizing. Through rich examples, evocative language, artful literature citing, and imaginative connecting, Weick re-introduces core ideas and themes around attending, interpreting, acting and learning to unlock new insights about impermanent organizing. The wisdom in this book is timeless and timely. It prods scholars and managers of organizations to complicate their views of organizing in ways that enrich thought and action.” - Jane E. Dutton, Robert L. Kahn Distinguished University Professor, University of Michigan

Headed by the slogan "Design Thinking", a debate has unfolded over the last ten years about design methods, which goes far beyond the specialist boundaries of design disciplines. Executives and business owners today recognize the potential for economic innovation lying in the creative and analytical mindset of designers. The extensive literature available on "Design Thinking" focuses on the methodology of the design process, while the conditions necessary to spark innovation processes in the first place, have long remained more or less unnoticed. This book starts here and asks how established innovations arise from a simple idea. What criteria are mostly likely to be the basis from which the ideas of an individual can take hold in a social system? What are conditions, under which they can become incorporated into a diverse group of people? What topics induce managers to choose and then to invest in a specific idea? Questions such as these are pursued in international contributions by renowned experts, using the first digital camera as a case study. They identify the individual and social processes associated with the exchange and implementation of new ideas.

Organization takes place in a tangled world, intermeshed by changing markets, products, standards, technologies, institutions and social groups. Coming to grips with the complexity and fluidity of organization and management is a persistent problem for scholars and practitioners alike, which is why process issues have received renewed interest in r

Despite the wide acceptance of Lean approaches and customer-development strategies, many product teams still have difficulty putting these principles into meaningful action. That’s where The Customer-Driven Playbook comes in. This practical guide provides a complete end-to-end process that will help you understand customers, identify their problems, conceptualize new ideas, and create fantastic products they’ll love. To build successful products, you need to continually test your assumptions about your customers and the products you build. This book shows team leads, researchers, designers, and managers how to use the Hypothesis Progression Framework (HPF) to formulate, experiment with, and make sense of critical customer and product assumptions at every stage. With helpful tips, real-world examples, and complete guides, you’ll quickly learn how to turn Lean theory into action. Collect and formulate your assumptions into hypotheses that can be tested to unlock meaningful insights Conduct experiments to create a continual cadence of learning Derive patterns and meaning from the feedback you’ve collected from customers Improve your confidence when making strategic business and product decisions Track the progression of your assumptions, hypotheses, early ideas, concepts, and product features with step-by-step playbooks Improve customer satisfaction by creating a consistent feedback loop