Experiencing Organisations

Experiencing Organisations

‘Organisations’ are prevalent in our everyday lives. We engage with them at almost every turn,as clients, customers, employees or just as citizens.‘Organisations’ range from the smallest SMEs to multi-national conglomerates, and include public, third sector and state institutions, those delivering educational and cultural activities and civil associations. 

The large commercial corporation has become the dominant model of ‘organisation’, and such has been its hegemonic power that public, political and cultural organisations (hospitals, universities and even churches) have been modelled on it. But, partly as a result of the recent financial and economic crises, considerable re-thinking is now going on, much of which uses art and culture as models of thought, mechanisms of reflection, frameworks for critique, and as means by which to understand the challenges of organisational life.

Experiencing Organisations – New Aesthetic Perspectives offers new understanding of organisations and of the experiences of the people inside them. Written for both specialist and generalist audiences, in purposively general terms the book addresses the way we encounter and engage with these different organisations, and argues that key to understanding is how we experience them in these interactions.

The twelve chapter authors, all experienced and internationally-recognised, have either worked in industry or consultancy, or are still active in creative practice of one form or another, although they now hold university positions. They advance a diversity of ways of understanding and analysing organisations and offer an accessible introduction to new ideas, concepts and theories about how experience works in organisations.

The book offers a range of ideas and perspectives which help reflection on the fundamental dynamics of organisational life as a distinct realm of experience, emotion and perception. It addresses big issues, promoting re-thinking on a broad conceptual level and accessible to a broad audience  

An eye-catching, creative, and visually appealing volume, Experiencing Organisations – New Aesthetic Perspectives is required reading for senior executives, especially those from the creative industries and active in entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.

About the editors

Ian W. King has published widely and was also General Editor of international peer-reviewed journal – Aesthesis (2007–2010). Ian is presently Professor of Aesthetics and Management at the University of the Arts, London.
Dr Jonathan Vickery is Associate Professor in the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies, University of Warwick. He has been a Henry Moore research fellow, a director of The Aesthesis Project, editor of the journal Aesthesis, and reviews editor and regular contributor to Art & Architecture Journal.