Reimagining Sustainable Organization: Perspectives on Arts, Design,

Birgit Helene Jevnaker is Professor of Innovation and Economic Organization at BI Norwegian Business School, Norway. Her research focuses on strategic sustainable design, entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration, organization development, arts, knowledge and learning, and leadership in action.

Johan Olaisen is Professor in Information and Knowledge Management at BI Norwegian Business School, Norway. His research focuses on information and knowledge management, philosophy of science and research, corporations and organizational change, leadership and project management.

1 Introduction: Tomorrow is Already Here

From the start, this book is zooming in on complex management knowledge and sustainability issues at work in everyday renewal and research practices of organizations. What intrigues the authors is dealing with both promising potentials and problematics in managing real world organizations. We thus address how and why interesting knowledge and sustainability issues may be "created", "found", or "lost" among the knowledge workers, managers, owners, users or community representatives, media and other stakeholders. Facing current turbulences or uncertain prospects in our living habitat, how are we actually coping with knowing as well as what is not-yet well represented or partially unknown?

In this chapter, we first introduce our interests for knowing and non-knowing in dynamic enterprise practices at work with our habitat. We next reflect on how potentially valuable ingredients for the actual and possible futures are already here. The "futures" are in part unfolding somewhere in the local practices or more widely diffused. Ideas and ingredients of new thinking are also spreading such as through influential sites and institutions. That said, to "know" or learn from the emergent or changing practices may be challenging. From organization research, we know that we need to believe to become able to "see" imaginatively. To look closer and self-reflect are important, because innovation practices or ingredients can easily be ignored or meet skepticism by groups as well as individuals, which we explore in the book.

For the reader's learning journey, the introductory chapter offers an overview over the book's content and the authors' exploration in three parts:

· First, we address the puzzles of how and why some management ideas tend to travel and spread widely, whereas the actual knowledge creation as explored through selections of annual management research presentations include recurrent, severe limitations.

· Secondly, in facing the emergent needs in management practices and research, we specifically search for alternate ways learning from exemplary past, present and future practices: How can we work with what we don't know that we know and what we don't know that we don't know?

· Thirdly, the final part provides their implications and we synthetize interpretive findings. On this background, the book proposes a radical green theory for management and leadership.

Part I FACING THE UNKNOWN

2 Traveling Leadership Ideas as a Business Virus

'Traveling ideas' denotes that virtually identical management ideas crop up more or less simultaneously in similar organizations globally. The encounter between thought and practice may be lasting; beliefs may affect training and practice. Leaders in organizations may play a more active role than the one often depicted in management fashion theory. The ideas represent a trade-off between business strategy, leadership, and employees. We keep acceptable and adequate ideas while we drop unacceptable and inadequate plans. The ideas work like a sensitizing concept of directions along which to look for temporary order and stability. Adopting a business idea is like a virus spreading worldwide, leaving an enormous strength through global corporations and societies. The same ideas might reach public institutions like universities and hospitals. In public institutions, they might present as a form of New Public Management or merely a way of managing universities and hospitals through a magic business virus, creating what looks like similar strategies found in private businesses.

We identified a recurrent set of ideas at Telia (Sweden) and Telenor (Norway), two large telecommunication concerns. The ideas came up both top-down as strategic intentions and bottom-up as the direction of work or by the COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, we found that most of the 60 largest corporations at the Scandinavian stock market practice the same ideas. We have thus concluded that strategic and leadership concepts work as traveling ideas. The related buzz words go to almost any private business forming the way of thinking and working as a traveling virus. We argue that this article's empirical test supports our belief that a virus-inspired theory gives a more vibrant picture than the fashion theory. Our analysis shows that four of our six hypotheses, derived from the virus-inspired theory, are strengthened by Telia and Telenor's empirical explorative story. Telia and Telenor have decided upon what is adequate and acceptable as their business ideas and beliefs, similar to other corporations globally as a virus infection. The virus might hit the corporate culture in different ways. Virtually identical ideas crop up globally more or less simultaneously in similar organizations. A primary idea virus is running in every larger organization with a smaller differentiation than anticipated.

3 The Missing Links in Management Research

How and why can we cope with transitions to new or other ways of leading and managing? In the pandemic virus and climate change revelations of dealing differently with challenges and uncertainties, it is of interest to inquire into our knowledge basis and our assumptions for reorienting organizations in action. Accordingly, how can we improve our knowledge and knowledge management basis through scientific research including self-reflective abilities among researchers and the related communities of practice?

Our research questions for this conceptual and empirical chapter is: What is the philosophy of science characteristics of academic research papers presented at exemplary knowledge management conferences? What is the philosophy of science requirements to make design, innovation, and knowledge research more creative, engaged, and relevant? How can we make design, innovation, and knowledge research more creative, engaged, and greener? After analyzing hundreds of papers in knowledge management research, the authors draw implications for more diverse practice-oriented research. The chapter provides several pluralistic frameworks that can help reorient our re-search and capture the new complexities in leadership and management.

See some excerpts enclosed from this science philosophy as well as empirically grounded chapter.

Part II LOOKING FOR LIVING PRACTICES

4 Management as Power and Politics in Projects

The work of a project manager is virtually always affected by processes around organizational power and micropolitics. Course and result of a project are dependent on stakeholder's informal agendas and interactions. However, the underlying scientific theories are not commonly present. Hence, an efficient and systematic influence of the "game" in favor of the project does not take place. The goal of this chapter is to analyze the theoretical background behind the subjects, and it investigates how far the theory is validated in a working situation at a large concern (Statoil). Based on the findings, practical techniques that support the daily work of a project manager shall be provided. In this regards, a review of the scientific literature about power and micropolitics in business organizations is carried out. Results are transferred into a questionnaire and interviews with 4 project managers are carried out. A subsequent discussion then leads to the following findings:

. The theory can be comprised into a simple model to analyze the environment (games and actors) of a project

. In line with the theory, it is confirmed by project managers that informal power and micropolitics play a huge role in Statoil projects and are principally more important than the formal framework. The demand for training was expressed.

. A democratic and consensus oriented culture opens up for powergames and micropolitics rather than hedging them. Actors with expert- and information power are the main beneficiaries. Compared to a more hierarchic organization this means a high potential to significantly prolong and complicate decision processes and hence reduce efficiency and competitiveness.

As a conclusion, a practical model is created, which allows project managers to analyze their projects respectively. Based on the findings, guidance is provided how to understand and control powergames and micropolitics better.

5 Striving With What We Don't Know: Lessons from Arts and Design

This chapter discusses arts as practice for business and society studies. Given that arts are necessary to develop business and society, how can valuable arts practices be learned? This conceptual chapter is investigating how collective knowing develops in business contexts using art by unconventional painters such as Edvard Munch and Hakon Bleken as examples of this process. The necessity of art is giving us a societal meaning of the process of knowing or a scripted story for enterprise action based upon the knowledge of art.

The reflection and dialogue based on art might contribute to creativity and innovation in the living enterprise process. The chapter develops a theoretical framework and theory for how this might work. Dynamic art, design and innovative processes are processes where the past, the present and the future melt together. Understanding these processes might be crucial for the creation of sustainable businesses and societies. Understanding the dynamic tacit and explicit knowledge processes might be mutual beneficial for art and innovative businesses.

6 Eco-logical Business: Coping With What Might be and What Might Not Be

How do leaders and representatives from some relevant industries deal with ecological thinking and principles?

Looking to some industries and enterprises in transition, we offer insights into their particular ways of dealing with ecological thinking and practices. At its roots, Eco is in fact referring to our dwelling place, our habitat. We propose this concerns the constant circulation including exchanging, householding, and reusing resources in our living practices. We draw on exemplary enterprises to help us understand how and why their practices were capable of taking steps towards eco-logical managing in triad ways; on both what might be and what might NOT be. The third aspect concerns what might be "good, right and beautiful" to do in uncertain and messy situations involving aspects of "the bad, wrong and ugly" commonly present.

Specifically, we thus reflect on what can this challenging triangulation mean for their further value creation and sense making. By revisiting some relevant real-world practices working locally and/or internationally, their experiences allow us to explore our theoretical perspectives and interpretations. Reorientation and new practices can take quite a long time before they do excel in practice, but beginnings as well as continuous diverse work are important. In contrast to prevailing management beliefs, probe and learn with some constraining search criteria in creative developmental efforts can become beneficial for leveraging sustainable practices.

Part III ADVANCING THEORY AND PRACTICE

7 Towards a Radical Green theory of Leadership and Management

In this chapter, drawing on both management theorizing and examples from remake, reuse and recycle practices, we synthetize our contribution to ecological doings and sayings, that is, managing as practices. Faced with numerous new challenges, knowing "what" to do is not enough. We will have to innovate and recurrently simulate an experiment to a much higher degree. Various levels of complexity and innovation require different research approaches. Pluralism is thus important in acquiring various ways of knowing and reorient management to catch different aspects of reality.

On this background, we offer a radical green theory of ecological management, that is, radical in its emphasis on possibilities and practices of skillful creation and continuous cultivation with and for others in their living habitats. Consequently, the chapter highlights a process of valuing differences, new initiatives, realizing experiments and continued efforts in radical collaboration with knowing, non-knowing and ignorance, dialogue and positive surprise. We provide exemplary inspiring insights e.g. from food restaurant businesses as well as from the design, building and waste industries as well as from lifelong learning.

8 So what? Implications

So what? Although management concepts tend to spread like virus in international networks, ecological thinking may rarely be privileged practices in the daily research or operations of enterprises, whether public, private, or voluntary organizations. It is also challenging for higher- education institutions to offer new and adequate insights. How can research groups and enterprises overcome this paradox? Faced with the identified potentials and limits in the state of the art of knowledge management research, we call for engaging with and improving both our practice-based search and re-search. Overall, our book's conclusion is a plea for the necessity of assembling more diverse, rich experiences and thus gaining both broader and deeper insights into working in varied ways with hopefully more ecological practices.

· On this background, we offer the implications as a new part synthetizing this book, drawing on both management-relevant philosophizing and sharing fresh examples from work with sustainability thinking. At its roots, eco-logics concern the interactive resourcing and constant transformations in co-living practices and habitats.

· In spite of the current exponential expansion of information and data science, knowing "what" is not enough - for interacting with a living web of new or moving challenges. We will have to act and recurrently simulate an experiment or try things wisely out, slowly or rapidly, to a much higher degree. We also need to recognize the limits and dangers of constant, sometimes foolish idea work, innovations or practice interventions, and rediscover living principles in indigenous survival practices.

· Various layers of complexity such as innovating in or across organizational silos and their environmental routine or non-routine operations require different research approaches. Pluralism is thus important in acquiring richer ways of knowing/not-yet-knowing and reorient management to catch different aspects of reality. A richer experiencing may offer sensitizing ways to look for working greener, smarter, and healthier in the everyday managing and future organizing.

A further elaboration of the book's Traveling leadership ideas as a business virus (example paper to be reedited as Chapter 2) and excerpts from the philosophy part of Chapter 3 are enclosed for the interested reader.