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Going Mobile: Aesthetic Design Considerations from Calder and the Constructivists

Author

Listed:
  • David Barry

    (School of Economics and Management, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua Marques de Fronteira 20, 1099-038 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Claus Rerup

    (Richard Ivey School of Business, OB Group, University of Western Ontario, Office 1N70, 1151 Richmond Street North, London, Ontario N6A 3K7, Canada)

Abstract

Design thinking has long tried to join form, function, and aesthetic appeal. In cars, furniture, architecture, typography, clothes, or photography, good designs regularly solve problems of movement, massing, and balance in attractive and inspiring ways. The field of organization design is comparatively young in this regard, having mostly focused on questions of efficiency and expediency rather than aesthetics; nevertheless, designers are increasingly being called on to create organizations that “sing” rather than just “work.” Here, we consider how aesthetically sophisticated design thinking from the arts might be applied in organizational design. Specifically, we consider the case of Learning Lab Denmark---a research institute that has experimented extensively with aesthetically informed organizational design---in light of the mobile art of Alexander Calder and other constructivist artists who championed flexible design. We conclude that in such organizations, (1) designers must strike an ongoing, interactive balance between centric and acentric design orientations and practices, (2) aesthetic consideration is fundamentally important when it comes to crafting effective design, and (3) designing processes should be given as much attention as design solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • David Barry & Claus Rerup, 2006. "Going Mobile: Aesthetic Design Considerations from Calder and the Constructivists," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(2), pages 262-276, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:17:y:2006:i:2:p:262-276
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1050.0165
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jack A. Nickerson & Todd R. Zenger, 2002. "Being Efficiently Fickle: A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Choice," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(5), pages 547-566, October.
    2. Steven S. Taylor & Hans Hansen, 2005. "Finding Form: Looking at the Field of Organizational Aesthetics," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(6), pages 1211-1231, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Philipp Tuertscher & Raghu Garud & Arun Kumaraswamy, 2014. "Justification and Interlaced Knowledge at ATLAS, CERN," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(6), pages 1579-1608, December.
    3. Trenton Alma Williams & Dean A. Shepherd, 2021. "Bounding and Binding: Trajectories of Community-Organization Emergence Following a Major Disruption," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(3), pages 824-855, May.
    4. Dvora Yanow & Haridimos Tsoukas, 2009. "What is Reflection‐In‐Action? A Phenomenological Account," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(8), pages 1339-1364, December.
    5. Daniel Levinthal & Claus Rerup, 2006. "Crossing an Apparent Chasm: Bridging Mindful and Less-Mindful Perspectives on Organizational Learning," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(4), pages 502-513, August.
    6. Gaim, Medhanie & Wåhlin, Nils, 2016. "In search of a creative space: A conceptual framework of synthesizing paradoxical tensions," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 33-44.
    7. Meisiek, Stefan & Barry, Daved, 2014. "The science of making management an art," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 134-141.
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