Improvisation and Learning: Soulmates or Just Friends?

Turbulent environments are forcing organizations down two seemingly contradictory paths: reflection/learning and action/speed. This article argues that, instead of looking for an optimal trade-off between both, each can be pursued to their fullest extent through organizational improvisation. We define improvisation as the conception of action as it unfolds, drawing on available cognitive, affective, social and material resources. We further present its major variations, related constructs and a way to measure it. We build on these to argue that learning is not limited either to a consequence or to a cause of improvisation. Both are consequence and cause of each other and, what is more, they are intertwined to such a degree that they occur in an iterative and almost simultaneous fashion. In the organizational arena, improvisation and learning are, in this view, deemed to be more than friends - they are soulmates in the sense that one's existence is seriously hampered if the other is not present. Improvisation without learning is outright impossible. Learning without improvisation, although possible, is a luxury that fewer and fewer organizations are able to afford, in an increasingly competitive - and fast - environment.N/