Organisational development in a picture: A management view

Kokoteksti

(1)UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies Business School. ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN A PICTURE: A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE. Master’s thesis, Innovation Management Anssi Leskinen 21.4.2020.

(2) Abstract UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND. Faculty Department Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies Business School Author Anssi Leskinen. Supervisors Päivi Eriksson, Eeva Aromaa. Title Organisational development in a picture: A management view Main subject Innovation Management. Level Master’s degree. Date 21.4.2020. Number of pages 80. Abstract The objective of this study is to explore how managers experience an art-based intervention in the context of a larger, strategic level organizational development process. Art-based methods can introduce more intuitive and creative approaches for organizational thinking, suitable for contemporary organizational landscapes where change is ever-increasing in speed, frequency and scale and traditional tools of logic in management might be too rigid to keep up. This study is based on existing theoretical background in three areas: arts-based interventions in organizational development, visual language and photographic techniques. Existing literature on these fields is visited and common features formed into a theoretical framework that also acknowledges the process nature of organizational development cases. The empirical research utilized a qualitative, intensive single-case study approach. The context was a large public service organization that had undergone a photographic art-based intervention as a part of a larger strategy process. I conducted eight semi-structured theme interviews with the organization managers and executives and got also intimately acquainted with the Neemo method. The data was qualitatively analyzed along the process dimensions of pre-workshop, workshop phase and post-workshop phase. The results of this study suggest that photography and art-based methods can be successful in completing strategic organizational tasks when applied skillfully. The art-based intervention was well received, enjoyed by participants and effective in achieving results. In addition to achieving the organizational task of determining new values for the upcoming strategy, many positive unplanned side-effects were reported. These included enhanced self-reflection, increased familiarity and empathy with their colleagues, improved team dynamics and a more open organizational athmospere, and can be considered as important as the actual task completion. Key words Art-based methods, organizational development, photographic methods, visual language 2.

(3) Tiivistelmä ITÄ-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO Tiedekunta Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja kauppatieteiden tiedekunta. Yksikkö Kauppatieteiden laitos. Tekijä Anssi Leskinen. Ohjaajat Päivi Eriksson, Eeva Aromaa. Työn nimi Organisaation kehittäminen kuvassa: johdon näkökulma Pääaine Innovaatiojohtaminen. Työn laji Pro Gradu. Aika 21.4.2020. Sivuja 80. Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoitus on tutkia kuinka esimiehet kokevat taidepohjaisen intervention laajemmassa strategisen tason organisaationkehittämisprosessin kontekstissa. Taidemetodit voivat tuoda organisaation ajatteluun luovempia ja intuitiivisempia lähestyskulmia. Nämä ovat sopivia nykyaikaiseen organisaatioympäristöön, missä muutokset ovat nopeudeltaan, tiheydeltään ja kokoluokaltaan kiihtyvästi kasvavia ja perinteiset loogiset johtamistyökalut saattavat olla liian jäykkiä pysyäkseen tahdissa mukana. Tämä tutkielma pohjautuu olemassaolevaan teoreettiseen kirjallisuuteen kolmella alueella: taidepohjaiset menetelmät organisaation kehittämisessä, visuaalinen kieli ja valokuvatekniikat. Näistä tutkimusalueista suoritettiin kirjallisuuskatsaus ja yhtenevistä piirteistä muodostettiin teoreettinen kehys, joka ottaa lisäksi huomioon organisaation kehittämisen prosessiluonteen. Tutkimuksen empiirinen osio toteutettiin kvalitatiivisesti intensiivisen tapaustutkimuksen keinoin. Kontekstina toimi suuri julkispalveluorganisaatio, jossa oli käytetty valokuvataiteeseen perustuvaa interventiota laajemman strategiaprosessin osana. Suoritin kahdeksan puolistrukturoitua teemahaastattelua organisaation ylemmän ja keskijohdon pariassa ja lisäksi perehdyin syvällisesti Neemo-menetelmään. Haastatteludata analysoitiin kvalitatiivisesti vaiheissa ennen työpajoja, työpajojen aikana ja työpajojen jälkeen, jotka kuvaavat prosessin etenemistä. Tutkimustulokset vaikuttavat siltä, että valokuvaukseen ja taiteeseen perustuvat menetelmät voivat olla hyvin sovellettuina tehokkaita ratkaisemaan strategisia kysymyksiä organisaatioissa. Taide-interventio saavutti tehokkaasti tuloksia ja oli osallistujien mielestä nautittava. Sen lisäksi että organisaation määrittelemä tavoite arvojen löytämisestä uuteen strategiaan saavutettiin, osallistujat kertoivat monista positiivisista suunnittelemattomista sivuvaikutuksista. Näihin kuuluivat kehittynyt itsereflektio, lisääntynyt tuttuus ja empatia kolleegoiden välillä, parantunut tiimidynamiikka ja avoimempi ilmapiiri organisaatiossa. Näitä voidaan pitää yhtä tärkeinä kuin varsinaisen kehittämistavoitteen saavuttamista. Avainsanat Taidemenetelnät, organisaation kehittäminen, valokuvamenetelmät, visuaalinen kieli 3.

(4) 1 INTRODUCTION. 5. 1.1 Artistic and visual methods in organizational development. 6. 1.2 The purpose of the study. 8. 1.3 Key concepts of the study. 10. 1.4 The Neemo method. 12. Structure of the thesis. 14. 2 THEORETICAL APPROACH. 15. 2.1 Artistic interventions and organizational development. 15. 2.2 Visual language. 25. 2.3 Photographic methods. 27. 2.4 Theoretical framework for organizational effects of photographic ABIs. 30. 3 METHODOLOGY. 33. 3.1 Qualitative approach to an art-based intervention. 33. 3.2 Data collection. 35. 3.3 Analysis of the data. 40. 4 FORMING ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES WITH AN ART-BASED INTERVENTION. 44. 4.1 The setting: Organization Alpha and the organizational development process outline. 44. 4.2 Pre-workshop phase: planning and expectations. 47. 4.3 In the workshops: developing organizational values with photographic methods. 52. 4.4 After the intervention. 57. 4.5 Summary of the research results. 61. 5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION. 64. 5.1 Summary of this study. 64. 5.2 Key results. 66 4.

(5) 5.3 Evaluation of this study. 70. 5.4 Implications for future research and practice. 72. REFERENCES. 73. 5.

(6) 1 INTRODUCTION. 1.1 Artistic and visual methods in organizational development Contemporary organizational environments have become dynamically complex, highly subjective, even chaotic (Sutherland, 2012). In these surroundings change is constantly ongoing - endemic and natural (Thomas, Sargent & Hardy, 2011). These circumstances continuously challenge organizations to find new ways of accomplishing their strategic business objectives and to increase stakeholder value. This can only be achieved by being agile and intuitive and acting innovatively and flexibly (Schiuma, 2011). Old ways of management, organizing and decision-making are not able to answer all demands that this pace of change in society and values sets on them. As Adler (2011, 209) puts it “Embracing creative solutions is no longer a luxury; it has become a necessity”. Traditionally management and business has employed tools of logic and rationality. Luckily, there exists a “fundamentally different way of approaching the world.” (Taylor & Ladkin, 2009, 56). This, maybe surprising, but promising avenue of help for leaders and managers comes from the world of arts. Adler (2006) lists 5 reasons why business is seeking aid from art and artists: Globalization, domination of market forces, increasing complexity of the organizational environment, increased possibility to experiment and the intrinsic human need for meaning, even when performing the most mundane of jobs. Even though the format and detail of art-based interventions, or ABI’s, in organizations can vary endlessly, the mechanism through which they aid in organizational development is always similar: they facilitate the development of people, that is, mainly employees, allthough other stakeholder groups can participate as well. From improving their spirit through positive experiences to teaching them new concepts and ways of working and perceiving their environment, their abilities and motivation increase. This makes them. 6.

(7) more productive assets, and from the organizations’ point of view, finally added value is created. (Schiuma, 2011) In this thesis, I will research a particular art-based intervention method called Neemo and a case where it’s applied to define organizational values in the strategy development process of a large organization. As Neemo uses photography as its chosen art form, photographic and visual methods are included in the theoretical approach. Bell, Warren and Schroeder (2014) write about the increase of visual elements in our environment and communication. Eyesight is the dominant sense of most people. While drawings are ancient and cameras have been around for a while, modern communication technology has just recently put a high-resolution camera and screen to virtually everyones’ pockets. Visual stimuli surround us in our everyday lives, from our waking moments throughout the entire day until the moment we close our eyes. This is also true at work and other organizational contexts: Interaction with all organizational stakeholders has been revolutionized by visually rich, digitally networked social media technologies (Bell, Warren & Schroeder, 2014). Images and visual artifacts not only support verbal texts in relaying information, but offer a distinctively different way to communicate, create meaning and present and store information (Mitchell, 1994; Kress & van Leeuwen, 1996; Wasserman, Rafaeli & Kluger, 2000; Kunter & Bell, 2006). Slutskaya and Simpson (2012) and Warren (2002) also suggest that some groups might be challenged in their verbal output, and visual forms of communication would produce improved results in mutual understanding and also level the playing field of communication. While the linguistic turn in social sciences has received considerable interest and attention from academic researchers, the visual turn of the actual society has all but missed their interest and certainly systematic academic scrutiny. Meyer et al (2013, 489) describe the visual as “undeniably omnipresent” also in organizational contexts, while the visual side of discourse and mutual construction of meaning 7. is left, to date,.

(8) under-theorized. Styhre (2010) holds visuality and vision as an under-explored subject in management studies literature. Kunter and Bell (2006) insist that therefore the visual should be of concern to everyone researching organizations, both as a focal point of social analysis and through the communicative potential it presents . As academics have approached organizational development both through art-based and visual avenues separately, I try to combine these frameworks by finding some shared elements with my research. This combination of theoretical backgrounds will lay the foundation for the empirical part, where participating managers of a photographic art-based organizational development process make sense of their experience. Both art-based and visual methods are rather contemporary and also called by academics (e.g., Warren, 2002; Berthoin Antal, 2012; Meyer et al. 2013) as in need of further research. Berthoin Antal (2014, 1) states about art-based methods specifically: “Although the field has grown rapidly, little empirical research has been conducted on what actually happens inside organizations during and after artistic interventions”. With this thesis, I intend to answer this call. Also, the particular art-based method Neemo is very recently developed, so I hope to create some novel knowledge with this thesis from that perspective as well. An additional point for the suitability of combining the theories of art-based methods and visual language is their fundamentally common avenue of effect on people, that is, they touch them through the ‘emotive’ mind. In close harmony with the ‘rational’ mind, it affects people’s behaviour (Ekman, 1999). Although it is unfortunately beyond the scope of this research to delve deeper into the neurophysiological science in the background, it does make the two (art-based methods and visuals) a working match for research.. 1.2 The purpose of the study By examining the theoretical discussion and by analysing the empirical findings, the purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of what happens when an art-based intervention takes place as a part of a strategic organizational development process in the 8.

(9) context of a large organization. As the particular art-based method is facilitated through photography, I plan to draw elements from both visual and art-based organizational development methods and then empirically study how managers understand them in the studied context. The primary issue I seek to clarify is the actual practicalities (as per Berthoin Antal 2014), perceived effects and experiences with an art-based intervention. This is important both from the viewpoints of organizations seeking to employ and practitioners offering art-based interventions. This study will generate new understanding about management experiences with an art-based intervention. With this aim in mind, the research questions are presented as: RQ1: “How managers experience an art-based intervention in an organizational development process?” RQ2: “How the effects of an art-based intervention manifest when it is implemented inside an organization?” To gain an answer to these questions, I recognized four objectives for this thesis: To examine the existing literature on art-based and visual methods in organizational development; to discover from these suitable, possibly collective elements for a organizational. development method. employing. photographic art; to gain an. understanding of the practical workings of an actual art-based method; and to examine them empirically in the context of this study. After the literature review, theme interviews for the empirical part are formed deductively, while also leaving open the possibility of inductively listening for some unforeseen themes. The answers to these questions should help in gaining a rich and comprehensive understanding of an actual art-based intervention process by comparing previous theoretical literature to the empiric data. The contribution of this research is a qualitative insight into managerial perspectives on why, how and what takes place inside an organization before, during and after an art-based intervention. 9.

(10) In addition to practical implications both for managers and artists or facilitators working with art-based methods, at least some new insights for future research on art-based organization development are generated, especially for methods employing visual arts. For the existing literature, the contribution comes in the form of combining elements of art-based and visual organization development theories. For the question about the actualities of an intervention presented by Berthoin Antal in 2014, a new case is presented. For the ongoing quest of clarifying the organizational values-added by art-based interventions (Schiuma 2011; 2009), hopefully some direction for future research is revealed. The particular art-based method used by the target organization in the empirical part is researched for the very first time from an organizational development perspective, so it gives the study an additional novelty value.. 1.3 Key concepts of the study The key concepts of this study are art-based intervention a nd visual language, w ith a distinct visual method of photoelicitation. These are the central concepts of my thesis as the aim is to understand how all of these are used in organizational development, sometimes in combination. Both art-based interventions and visual language are in this study approached from an organization development perspective and as such are seen to include organizational development as the main driver. Because many facets pertaining to organizational development mechanics and effects in all of the three key concepts are similar, art-based interventions are presented in greater detail and the presentation of photographic and visual methods point out only additional viewpoints or points unique to them. This also pertains to the theoretical approach chapter of this thesis.. The concept of art-based intervention or initiative is grounded in management studies. Schiuma (2011, 46) defines art-based initiative as: 10.

(11) “The use of the arts as an intentional managerial instrument to enhance organisational value-creation capacity is tied to the implementation of management initiatives that adopt art forms as a learning platform and/or as a device to develop organisational dimensions that affect business performance. From a practical point of view, this involves specific art forms being purposely deployed in order to improve organisational value-creation mechanisms, as well as to increase the value incorporated into organisational infrastructure. The use of any art form as a management action is represented by the concept of Arts-based Initiatives (ABIs).” Berthoin Antal (2014, 4) defines artistic interventions “...broadly and neutrally as processes in which people, practices, and / or products from the world of arts enter into the world of organizations…” Although the terms art-based intervention and art-based initiative (and several more, see e.g. Darsø 2004) are proposed in the literature as synonyms, “The word ‘intervention’ reflects the fact that the entrance of the arts into the work setting intervenes in the organization’s culturally ingrained routines and perspectives'' (Berthoin Antal, 2012, 45). As almost all of the interviewees in the target organization in the empirical part of this study viewed their art experience as something new and different, I believe it is logical to use the term intervention. It is important to note that in some definitions (Schiuma) intervention is classified as a one-off case, meaning a single-sitting event: In this work, all varied lengths of ABI processes are called interventions. Still, it is worthwhile to note that the word intervention does not by any means indicate that there would be an ongoing emergency situation at its’ target (Berthoin Antal, 2012). The second core concept of this thesis is visual language. W hen it comes to visual language, a single definition is much harder to come by. In their article, aptly named ‘Toward a Cohesive Theory of Visual Literacy’, Avgerinou and Petterson (2011, 2). 11.

(12) recognize the state of the art as one where several theorists from very diverse disciplines have approached the subject of visuality on their own terms, and situation stands as “...these theoretical pieces (of visual language) may provide us with a substantial amount of knowledge about the concept, but they are unable to organize and structure it, to direct any applications of it, to account for related phenomena, and to provide any predictions as to how the concept will behave under any given circumstances.” For the purposes of this thesis, I’m only considering still visuals. So video and other formats of moving visuals are excluded. Also where appropriate, multimodality of visuals is mainly considered as a combination of image and text, excluding i.e. sounds or other possible combinations. Despite the varied approaches to the theme, some commonly approved basic features of visual language include it’s equal status to verbal language, ability to portray things differently or in some cases better than verbal language and its connection to the emotive side of human mind (Bell & Davison, 2013; Meyer et al. 2013; Kunter & Bell, 2006; Warren, 2002). These traits are more deeply explained in the theory chapter of this thesis and this interpretation of visual language will help in achieving the goals of this research. Photoelicitation is the third central concept for this study. It can be seen to be situated theoretically under visual language or visual research methods, but deserves to be mentioned separately due to its central role in the empirical part of this thesis. The roots of photoelicitation are in different visual theories and disciplines. Photoelicitation refers to the practice of using photographs to ignite discussion or function as the artefact of meaning-making, for example in an interview or a group workshop situation (Slutskaya & Simpson, 2012; Bell & Davison, 2013).. 12.

(13) 1.4 The Neemo method The Neemo method is a photography and photographic art-based facilitation method for organizations and teams. It was developed by finnish conceptual photographic artist Nanna Hänninen, with Neemo Oy first operating in 2016. It was created with the basic idea that art could have more to give to organizations and communities besides decorational and recreational value, that is, to clearly influence for example organizational development or team-building issues. Neemo is an acronym for “new art-based method”. The method is deployed by trained facilitators called Neemo coaches, who mostly aren’t artists themselves. The art used in Neemo is the photographic art of Hänninen. The workshops are rather standard in format, if not in substance. Rather, they are always custom built to solve the specific organizational development task provided by the client. In the beginning, peacefully paced viewing of photographic art is used to set the emotional and cognitive stage for the participants. This is done to detach the participants from their possibly hectic working life and simultaneously to create space for creativity. The viewers view, write and discuss the art with the Neemo coach leading the workshop. This is a classic sample of the photoelicitation technique. The basic task of all facilitation is to make it possible for the participants to have quality discussions between themselves, and to that end, photographic techniques are formidable as discussed later in chapter 2.3. In the next step the participants then take pictures and talk about them between themselves in accordance with the organizational development goal. This practice can be seen to employ concepts of both photoelicitation and photovoicing. For the working space, a digital platform is used in conjuction with smartphones. This also makes it possible to have assignments and feedback prior, between and after the actual workshops. The workshops are ideally a few hours, or one half of a working day, long. Depending on the skill level of the coach, 10-20 people can participate at once.. 13.

(14) Neemo processes in organizations consist of one or more Neemo workshops. While the development tasks of the processes are organizational, many feel that the discussions in the workshops are sometimes (positively) about personal and emotive issues. The increased familiarity between the workshop participants, new and surprising perspectives offered by photoelicitation and the appreciative guidance of the discussion by the facilitator help the workshop participants solve organizational tasks. The photographic methods also increase the understanding of other people’s views, effectively preventing discussional dead ends. The deeply personal way that the results are achieved is one of the greatest assets of Neemo, as the participants readily remember the outcomes and often are already somewhat committed to putting them into practice. This can be seen to give a good starting point for the usual next (and many times considered the hardest) phase of implementation in organizational development processes.. Structure of the thesis Chapter 2 discusses previous literature on art-based interventions, different theoretical approaches to visual language and photographic methods. First, the general field of art-based interventions in organizational development context is presented. Then to understand the empirical case more thorougly, photographic methods and visual language are visited. Chapter 3 will introduce and justify the chosen methodological approach and study design of the empirical section. The qualitative case study is discussed. Moreover, the data collection method and the analysis of the data are explained in detail. Chapter 4 presents the empirical findings of this research. The chapter begins with the description of the context of the company and its strategy process, and then discloses the managers’ perception of the whole process.. 14.

(15) Chapter 5 finally gives the conclusions of this study and presents the empirical findings in relation to the theoretical discussion. Future research avenues are suggested, as well as managerial and organizational development implications. The limitations of this research are also discussed.. 2 THEORETICAL APPROACH. In this chapter, I will first discuss existing literature on artistic interventions and their contribution to organizational development. After that, various visual language theories are represented. In the third sub-chapter, theory on photoelicitation and other photographic techniques is visited. Lastly, I will represent the elements of these three fields that form the basis for my theoretical background. As the literature on art-based interventions stems mainly from management theory and is the most coherent in relation to organizational development theory, it is used as the backbone connecting other elements in this thesis. While visual language and photographic techniques offer similarly promising applications, they have been approached from a greater variety of scientific backgrounds, thus leaving a comprehensive theoretical state yet to emerge. Also, it can be seen that art as a collective term includes both visual and photographic art, so the theories of visuality and photographic techniques can logically be included in and under the theory of art-based interventions.. 15.

(16) 2.1 Artistic interventions and organizational development Art entering organizations in forms other than paintings on the wall is still a somewhat novel phenomenon. In her article comparing seven european artistic intervention residency programs, Berthoin Antal (2012) situates first artistic interventions to late 1990’s, when both private and public sector managers began to realize the potential of clashing the people, products and practices of traditional organizational setting with those from the world of arts. This was perceived to stimulate learning and initiate change within organizations. While traditional notions about stable and logically predictable organizational environments that can only introduce limited amount of surprises are deemed severely outdated, the arts are seen to serve the ideals of learning, creativity, openness, adaptability, empathy, innovation and improvisation, to name some (Taylor & Ladkin, 2009; Schiuma, 2011; Berthoin Antal & Strauss, 2013; Berthoin Antal, 2014). Nissley (2010, 9) writes: “Indeed, our world is shifting beneath our feet, and new thinking will be required to deal with the complexity and solve the more wicked problems that are now confronting us.” He sees that creativity and capability to innovate can be inspired by art, which it has done historically and continues presently to do. Further calling for more improvisation in practices, in his impressive work, Weick lectures management educators against sticking to their learned protocols. He does this by listing several real-world disasters, where adhering strictly to either tradition, habit or identity caused as dramatical consequences as loss of life: firefighters refusing to drop their tools, resulting in inability to outrun forestfires or sailors keeping their steel-capped safety shoes on, thus puncturing safety boats and sinking to the ocean. (Weick, 2007). Evidently, flexible thinking over learned protocols is required when situations vary beyond what can be prepared for beforehand, which is the organizational reality of today.. 16.

(17) Picture 1: Relationship of arts and business as suggested by Donna Sturgess (in Nissley 2010).. Donna Sturgess (Global Head of Innovation, GlaxoSmithKlein in Nissley, 2010, 11) suggests that the arts can help both science and business in gaining new perspectives (see picture 1) with problems of survival and progression. With stimulated imaginations and heightened awareness business organizations are able to go beyond norms and boundaries they might have previously established. To answer the situation at the level of education, some business schools offer art-based material in their curriculum for managers and executives (Taylor, 2009; Berthoin Antal, 2012). Pinard and Allio (2005, 51) introduce “The Creativity Stream”, an art-based program at Babson College as bestowing the students with “...increased confidence in their ability to express themselves creatively; willingness to accept ambiguity and the uncertainty of process as part of discovery; openness to alternative ways of seeing a 17.

(18) problem, solution, or scenario; and renewed trust in themselves and their potential as creative thinkers.” Sutherland (2012) researched the learning experiences of 24 MBA students, who took an orchestra-conducting masterclass, through their learning essays. He found that through aesthetic, de-routinising activites, the participants could reflect on their personal leadership development, resulting in “memories with momentum” to inform future practice. Medical students have also been shown to benefit from using art-based methods in their training. Dow et al researched in 2007 how clinical empathy towards patients can be taught with the methods of improvisation theatre. In another study, fine art history studies for medical students were shown to enhance their visual diagnostic capabilities through improved pattern-recognition (Dolev et al, 2001). As both organizations and artists or facilitators employing art are unique, their collaborations in artistic intervention processes can’t be typical either. Rather, they are endlessly diverse. Taylor and Ladkin (2009, 55) describe the situation: “Currently, it is very difficult to talk about ‘arts-based methods’ in any coherent way because a wide range of approaches that can result in a variety of different goals and outcomes are used.” Berthoin Antal (2014) sees art-based interventions varying greatly in all possible dimensions, including time, purpose and their possible connection to surrounding organizational reality. While some can take years and include multiple art forms and a deep relationship with company strategy, most commonly they last hours or days and make do with a single art form (Berthoin Antal, 2014). Analytical divisions can be made, for example, on the basis of whether works of art (pre-existing or custom made) or processes of art (artful creation or artful knowing) are employed and on the axis if the art is just spectated or participated in (Schiuma, 2011). In the scope of this study it is not possible or even useful to go that far: we will concentrate on the observed effects of ABIs’ in general. To sample the diversity, just simple leadership and personal development interventions can be facilitated for example through film (Bognar, 1998; Champoux, 1999), jazz-music 18.

(19) (Barrett, 1998), Shakespearean plays (e.g. Augustine & Adelman, 1999) or poetry (Grisham, 2006). And the list goes on: The goals, scales and particular art-methods used being the variables. For some insight, few cases of bigger and smaller interventions are presented here. First for some grander interventions, as in the cases of Ducati and Unilever. Between 1997 and 2004, Ducati, a sportive motorcycle manufacturer, engaged in a strategic level turnaround program. The vision was to transform from a mechanic into an entertainment company, producing art rather than machines. One big part of this was the re-designing of the factory, where instead of strict logistical optimization, the working places were set up as a stage in a theatre. This allowed for external visitors to observe the building of the motorcycles, and also created an engaging atmosphere for the employees, whose pride and passion with their work increased. (Schiuma, Lerro & Carlucci 2008). Unilever has committed for a strategic-level collaboration with the arts over several years. Schiuma (2011) describes a particular intervention process, where the aims were the strengthening of brand awareness, raising of the company’s identity among customers, the galvanization of organisational people and building of the company image around the new brand message. This was done by first having employees rehearse physical activities with a choreographer. Then they performed the word ‘vitality’ with their bodies at a football pitch, while being filmed from a helicopter. When this footage was shown to individual company members they could see how they were, at least symbolically, part of something bigger: the company and its mission. (Schiuma, 2011). On the more modest side of the spectrum, taking your employees to an art gallery or a concert can also be considered an artistic intervention, so long as it has some management motivation (Konlaan et al., 2000) of, for example, improving team spirits. Other more intimate ABIs might be crafting one's personal “leadership masks” of perceived internal and external leadership styles (De Ciantis, 1995) or buying young and upcoming artists’ work for the organization to create an atmosphere encouraging different thinking, risk-taking and learning (Darsø, 2004) 19.

(20) This diversity of practices and goals with different art-based interventions means that predicting outcomes, measuring results, and ultimately values-added for the organizations using them, is very challenging indeed. The creation of even a rude meter for measuring these is called as one of the most important research avenues considering ABI’s (e.g. Berthoin Antal, 2012). According to Schiuma (2009) measuring any arts experiences using money is extremely difficult or outright impossible, as all arts experiences meet different subjective needs which are related to both context and time. While some managers don’t seek full overlap of interests with the organization and the artist in the interest of sparking interesting interactions (Raviola & Schnugg, 2016), usually it is in the interest of organizational stakeholders to be able to quantify the results of any project (Schiuma, 2011; Berthoin Antal, Debucquet & Frémeaux, 2018). But while organizations yearn for predictability, from the viewpoint of the artists, projects that have a certain outcome might not even be worth doing (Berthoin Antal, 2012). Yet interestingly enough, companies seldomly undertake formal evaluations of the ABI’s effects but rather trust the informal observations of managers and participants (Berthoin Antal, 2013; Berthoin Antal, Debucquet & Frémeaux, 2018). This might stem from the fact that managers deploying artistic methods to achieve leadership goals are typically more senior (Zambrell, 2016). Also, it is speculated that maybe the mystery of the workings of art also contributes to its positively surprising solutions for organizational problems. Managers who have worked with artistic interventions tend to recognize the fact that in today’s organizational reality, attributing change to a single variable (in this case, an artistic intervention) would be unrealistic (Berthoin Antal, 2014; Berthoin Antal, Debucquet & Frémeaux, 2018). Next, I will present some theories on the working mechanisms and effects of ABIs’. These are also currently the best theoretical estimate on the value that these interventions might be able to create for organizations. Firstly, Schiuma (2011, 64) defines a useful starting point:. 20.

(21) “In order to understand how ABIs contribute to organisational development, it is relevant to point out that their impact starts and ends at the individual level. The adoption of an ABI is grounded on the fundamental assumption that organisations are made of people and work for people.”. Picture 2: Art-based intervention direction of effects. Applied from Schiuma, 2011.. From the individual, effects theoretically spread to teams (see picture 2), then to organisational level, and finally spill over to organizational environments. From there, a. 21.

(22) reversed direction of effect takes place, travelling from the organizational environment all the way back to the individual level (e.g. Schiuma, 2011). For planning and categorizing ABIs, Schiuma (e.g. 2009 & 2011) has formulated a framework called the arts value matrix. In this matrix (see picture 3), interventions are classified on the basis of their magnitude (low, medium or high) of effect on both the individual and the organization. As the measures are qualitative, it is not an exact tool, but can be used to create some order to the perceived ambiguity of ABIs.. Picture 3: Schiuma’s Arts Value Matrix. 22.

(23) In the first field of entertainment (impact on people:low- impact on organizational infrastructure:low), the ABI produces joy while it lasts, but no permanent change is achieved. When galvanizing (medium-low), a ready-to-act state of mind and energy is produced. Intervention achieving inspiration (high-low) makes the individual think and change. (Schiuma, 2011, 101-112) Fourth field is reputation (low-medium), where the image of the organization is altered through art. When the spaces of the working place are improved so that the employees experience heightened energy and moods, the ABI is in the field of environment (medium-medium). Learning (high-medium) is the field, where numerous so-called soft skills are learned. According to Schiuma, these are creativity, imagination, risk-taking, improvisation, observation, critizism, awareness, flexibility and energizing yourself and others. (Schiuma, 2011, 112-133). The seventh field is investment (low-high). Intangible value can be embedded into products or organizational infrastructure; or a more concrete investment in, for example, an art collection is also possible. Next one is networking (medium-high), where the goal of the ABI is to connect people and develop relationship capital. The ultimate effect is transformation (high-high), when the arts are able to stimulate a complete change e.g. in organizational culture. (Schiuma, 2011, 133-151). The nine fields of the arts value matrix are soft-bordered and overlapping. Most art interventions create several of these effects, and even practices aimed at a particular field often create future effects that can be seen to match other fields. Despite this, the matrix can be used as a management guide when planning or evaluating ABIs. (Schiuma, 2011). Although Berthoin Antal, Debucquet and Frémeaux note (2018) that the side-effects of an ABI experience are often seen by participating managers and employees to be at least as important as the effects the intervention was planned to produce. Another, simpler classification is proposed by Taylor and Ladkin (2009). They suggest a framework of four distinct ways that an ABI can make an impact. First one is skills 23.

(24) transfer, where artistic skills applicable in organizational context are transferred to individuals, e.g. the lessons learned from teamwork through playing in an orchestra. Projective technique, the second one, helps in working with abstract or personal issues through artefacts, facilitating individual and mutual understanding. An example of this is using LEGO bricks to build organizational strategies. Thirdly, illustration of essence reveals details and connections that more logical approaches might not. This is prevalent in the use of films or plays in facilitating the personal development of managers. Finally, making (as in physically creating something) can “foster a deep experience of personal presence and connection”, ultimately enhancing e.g. creativity. (Taylor & Ladkin, 2009, 56). Berthoin Antal, Debucquet and Frémeaux found (2018) that ABIs can give meaning to work, which can be seen to somewhat relate to the final proposition of Taylor and Ladkin. As demonstrated, organizational effects, benefits and values added are qualitatively multiple, decisive and varied, but unfortunately extremely hard to generally meter in any quantitative way. They might even be hard to agree upon intra-organizationally: In their 2011 article, Thomas, Sargent and Hardy outline the challenge of organizational change to be focused around collective meaning-making. There different organizational actors negotiate the meaning together and organizational positions of power and resistance play a part. This is an approach based on linguistic and somewhat logical presets, which somewhat simplifies the process. It would seem that artistic or visual methods could make this negotiation process happen more smoothly, and also result in a higher level of satisfaction with the result among the negotiators, as Taylor and Adkin (2009, 58) state, when talking via pictures “the resulting dialogue helps everyone see the issue from new perspectives and delve into the unspoken ways in which each perceives the situation”. So, in addition to igniting change processes in organizations, especially ABIs employing visual means could potentially make the processes themselves more acceptable and enjoyable to participants, which should lead to increased effectiveness.. 24.

(25) 2.2 Visual language “Simply talking about pictures rather than data is a new start point for fresh dialogue.” -Donna Sturgess, Global Head of Innovation, GlaxoSmithKlein (in Nissley, 2010, 11). Bell and Davison (2013) recognize that contemporary society has experienced an explosion in the presence of the visual, so much so that it permeates our lives every day. We are constantly, including the time spent working in organizational settings, receiving stimuli and cues that elicit feelings, value judgments and responses. These connect to our work, workplaces, colleagues and the organization as a whole. (Wasserman, Rafaeli & Kluger, 2000). In addition to plain text, included in this stimuli are according to Meyer et al. (2013, 490) for example “photographs, pictures, paintings, drawings, sketches, and other material forms of visuality, but also more abstract manifestations like color, typography, or charts.” Antonio Strati (2000, in Warren, 2002) concludes that while organizations are social and collective constructs, they are not exclusively created by cognition, but other knowledge creating faculties using all the senses are employed. Also Bell and Davison (2013) claim social reality to be constituted by the visual as well as the linguistic. So, in organizational settings, we see images and they have a different effect on us from the verbal. If you consider for example charts and graphs, the visual is not an entirely new idea - even to professions like accountants and lawyers. Mitchell (1994) insists that all media is mixed media. He claims that the desire to try to firmly separate word and image stems both from the needs of modernism and also the cultural background, where reading is for the elite and “spectatorship” (quotes in original) of television is for the masses. Rather, the differences are within and not between the representations, and all mediums have and will change in time. (Mitchell, 1994). Visuals speak their own language. They are not just add-ons to text, but can create and store more and different information. (Pink, 2001). Langer (1957) sees verbal language as a rather poor tool, especially for expressions of emotional nature. Similarly Warren 25.

(26) (2002, 9) calls verbal language, whether spoken or written, as “largely an inadequate medium… save for the gifted poets and novelists among us”. In his 2002 article, Warren researched work-place aesthetics. Even when concluding normal verbal interviews, he was told to ‘come and see for yourself’, because it was easier to do than explaining with words. Harper (2002, 13) explains why people perceive visuals differently from verbal communication. There exists “a physical basis: the parts of the brain that process visual information are evolutionarily older than the parts that process verbal information. Thus images evoke deeper elements of human consciousness than do words; exchanges based on words alone utilize less of the brain’s capacity than do exchanges in which the brain is processing images as well as words.” Images, then, are inherently interesting and powerful for people. Tversky has examined (1974) the relationship of eye-sight and memory. Interestingly, his test subjects fixated twice as much on images than on words - regardless of the researcher’s instructions. Visual elicitation refers to methods where visual data is used during research (or similarly, e.g. in an organizational development process), for the purposes of the research. This data can be generated either by the researcher or the research participants, or it can be pre-existing like e.g. commercial imagery, used then as a talking point in interviews or focus group discussions. (Bell & Davison, 2013). Having research participants freely photograph the research subject (Warren 2002; 2005) gives them great power and a high degree of control of what and how is represented. This is suggested to “enable expression of powerful emotions and unconscious thoughts that could not be expressed” verbally (Bell & Davison, 2013, 19). Using visual techniques might then be able to provide data and reveal insights that simply are not available using language-centred procedures and approaches (Raggl & Schratz, 2004). Still, Pink (2001). 26.

(27) argues that visual methods should only be used when appropriate, and that this might only be detectable afterwards. More on this on the next sub-chapter. In ethnography, the field where visual methods originated, Banks (2001) has made a division of visual methods into three broad categories: making, examining pre-existing and collaborating with social actors in the production of visual representations. As can be seen, for example the visual elicitation method falls into several of these categories.. 2.3 Photographic methods What was previously written about visuals, applies largely to the sub-category of photographs: where visuals could be any image or graph, photographic techniques are limited. by. definition. to. photographs.. Photoelicitation,. photovoicing. and. photodocumenting are some of the many distinct usages of photographs in organizational development, research and learning. These methods can also be employed in art-based interventions. The birth of the term photoelicitation is also illustrative of its usefulness. Collier, a professional photographer, was part of a multidiciplinary research team studying the effects of the environment on mental health. The researchers struggled with agreeing on the classification of housing conditions, when Collier suggested using photographs. This made it possible for researchers to agree on their previously taken-for-granted categories. Encouraged by this success with photographs, they decided to conduct associated interviews also with photographs. Compared to just verbal interviewing, the photoelicitation method “sharpened memory, reduced the area of misunderstanding, and compelled the informant to stick to the truth.” (Collier, 1957, 849). Collier also mentions that the process of working with photographs felt very natural. Photoelicitation refers to the method of using photographs as talking pieces in, for example, interviewing (Harper, 2002; Slutskaya, Simpson & Hughes, 2012) or 27.

(28) meaning-making situations, for example organizational workshops (Bell & Davison, 2013). Having its roots in anthropology and sociology, other disciplines are catching on to the usefulness of photoelicitation. Compared to verbal interviews alone, it allows for increased collaboration in the production of interpretations for improved mutual meaning-making process (Slutskaya, Simpson & Hughes, 2012). Photoelicitation is also the key method in the ABI that the empirical section of this thesis researches. Novek, Morris-Oswald and Menec (2011) describe photovoicing as a qualitative research technique of increasing popularity, where the participants, through photography, record and reflect on the research subject. As discussed in the previous sub-chapter, pictures always produce more and different information than just verbal inquiries (Warren, 2002). Methods like photovoicing are especially suitable when working with groups that might have limited verbal capability, and photovoicing has been used in research of, for example, working class men (Slutskaya, Simpson & Hughes, 2012), older people (Lewinson, 2017; van Hees et al, 2017), or homeless people (Wang, Cash & Powers, 2000). Another important feature of photovoice is that it lessens the real or perceived power difference between researchers and research subjects, or managers and employers in the organizational setting, producing more equal and participatory outcomes in processes where it is used (Warren, 2002; Harley, 2012). A sample case of successful use of both photoelicitation and photovoicing is the research done by Slutskaya, Simpson and Hughes in London. They studied butchers: a group of working-class men, typically not the most talented or educated in their verbal expression, also because of their in-group socialization. By having them take pictures related to their work. (photovoicing). and. afterwards discussing. the photographs with. them. (photoelicitation) they were able to dig into hidden and tacit information and emotions, while the more traditional interview approach that they began with failed. (Slutskaya, Simpson and Hughes, 2012). Although not the subject of this study specifically, the method of photodocumenting deserves a mention. It is not so obvious, that while the speed and availability of 28.

(29) information and communication technology makes advances in leaps and bounds, that the academic world would follow in sync. It is not so long ago that scientific texts were transported with floppy discs or e-mails, with limited data storage capacity. Also the reproduction of high-quality images on paper requires specialist printing machines. This naturally made photographic or cinematic reporting of research all but impossible for a long time and this concludes that the reporting follows practices that are more readily available and not necessarily optimal. (Warren, 2002; Kunter & Bell, 2006). The notions of Kunter, Bell and Warren have aged somewhat and the technologial barriers have been all but lifted, but the lack of media besides text is still very apparent in scientific publications in 2020. Some critique on photographs as a medium has to be stated. Photographs have for long (maybe because image manipulation methods have been in the disposition of very few) been taken to be more objective, real or truthful visuals than, for example, paintings. This might be because cameras work to a very minor degree like the human eye, and create an image very much like our eyes into our brain. This is both a blessing and a curse, because this means that photographs are taken at ‘face-value’, seen to some degree to be formidable evidence, but not to hold much tacit information. This of course fades many things out of consideration, including the context of the photograph and the conscious and unconscious choices made by the photographer. (Warren, 2002). Also, some ethical questions, if not unique, are certainly much more prominent and also complex while using photographs in researching and documenting. Anonymity, privacy and copyright are just the first ones on the list (Kunter & Bell, 2006; Novek, Morris-Oswald & Menec, 2012). The act of pointing a camera to your target of interest seems certainly to be more intrusive than making notes on paper. This might affect the situation under scrutiny (Warren, 2002) or even pose a danger to the photographer (Novek, Morris-Oswald & Menec, 2012).. 29.

(30) 2.4 Theoretical framework for organizational effects of photographic ABIs This section discusses the specific theoretical framework of this study, which I have built on previous research presented earlier in chapter 2. The framework is illustrated below in tables 1 and 2. I argue that as organizational development is a process and when applied, art-based interventions are a part situated somewhere in the process. Calling the intervention phase generally as workshops (in this definition meaning any form of working with art and/or artists), we can define the phases pertaining to an ABI as 1. Pre-workshop phase 2. Workshop phase 3. Post-workshop phase These analytical phases can be seen in table 1. By analyzing an art-based intervention along these phases allows us to situate the intervention to the broader context of the organizational development process. Table 1: Art-based intervention in organizational development process ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Pre-workshop phase. Art-based intervention workshop(s). Post-workshop phase. To be able to further analyze the empirical case, we need some sensitising concepts. The key methods in this study are photographic, visual and art-based methods and the research literature presents numerous effects pertaining organizational development for each of these. These effects are produced both during and after, and sometimes even before, the workshops. I have divided these effects into two categories of creativity and 30.

(31) collaboration. The categories could as easily be called innovation and cooperation. These two categories seem to logically fit most of the effects that the previous literature review mentions. The division is arbitrary, but still has an intrinsic logic of whether the effect could be realised by one person only (creativity), or if co-workers are required (collaboration). These effects can be seen in table 2.. Table 2: Organizational development effects of key concepts PHOTOGRAPHIC METHODS (Collier, 1957; Warren, 2002; Harley, 2012; Slustkaya, Simpson & Hughes, 2012) Creativity. -reveal new data & insights. VISUAL LANGUAGE (Harper, 2002; Warren, 2002; Raggl & Schhratz, 2004; Bell & Davison 2013). (Schiuma, 2011). -creates additional & different information. -learning -awareness -flexibility -change -creativity -inspiration -innovation -meaning. -reduce power & ability differences. -differs from verbal: emotive & engaging. -reduce misunderstandings. -equalizes & balances interaction situations. -empathy -openness -new perspectives -engagement -motivation. -express tacit knowledge & unconscious thoughts -surface emotional drivers. Collaboration. ART-BASED INTERVENTIONS. -increase participation. Some of the effects could be argued to belong to the other category and some to both simultaneously. This is not important: the idea is to present two broad categories of 31.

(32) effects gained by using photographic methods in an art-based intervention for organizational development. Using this framework, it is now possible to research the organizational development case in the empirical section. Although there are several researchers and theories that this framework owes to, I’ll repeat the key ones here for fast reference. For art-based interventions, the work of Giovanni Schiuma (2008; 2009; 2011) was vital. Schiumas theories on the organizational development potential of ABIs laid the groundwork and the notions of Adler (2006; 2011), Berthoin Antal (2012; 2013; 2014; with Debucquet & Frémeaux, 2018), Taylor and Ladkin (2009)(the order here is merely alphabetical) helped to round up some edges. Conserning theories on visual language, the works of Banks (2001), Bell (2006; 2013), Kunter (2006) and Warren (2002; 2005) were the most influential. With the state of visual language research, I believe there could have been several others with contributions - although it could have just made the framework more complicated than necessary. On photographic techniques, the original article of Collier (1957) and the later one by Slutskaya, Simpson and Hughes were influential (2012). Theoretical work of Warren (2002; 2005), and yet again several others, helped in deciphering the details.. 32.

(33) 3 METHODOLOGY. 3.1 Qualitative approach to an art-based intervention The aim of the empirical study in this thesis was to understand the experiences of managers who had gone through an art-based intervention and also to produce a wide description of the organization’s strategic development process as a whole. Qualitative methods were the chosen approach. By illuminating research subjects’ perceptions, experiences and opinions, they offer information and understanding specifically on participant behaviour (Kvale, 2007). In addition to participant experiences, I aim to produce a holistic understanding of the reseached subject case in its social and cultural context, thus justifying the choice of qualitative over quantitative approach (Baxter & Jack, 2008; Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015). Therefore, the chosen approach is extremely suitable for the specific research questions set in the introductionary chapter of this thesis. As the aim of this research is to understand, describe and interpret a unique, single event in its particular context, the research approach is intensive case study (Eriksson & Koistinen, 2014). Intensive case studies use several sources on information. In addition to the interviews, I learned the Neemo methood intimately. This experience is described at the end of this section. I believe the context to be of great importance. In addition, the boundaries of the researched phenomenon (in this case, the art-based intervention) and the context (strategic organizational development process) are somewhat, if not very, unclear (Baxter & Jack, 2008). According to Andersen (1998, p. 161) “...case studies are a useful way to systematically look at a specific case, collect data, analyze and interpret findings within their context and report results. The emphasis is on understanding and no value stance is assumed.” In the particular art-based intervention, this thesis studies a specific, theoretically clearly defined single case. I am also approaching the empirical case with a very explorative mindset and flexible view towards theory, as the phenomenon of ABIs as an integrated part of organizational 33.

(34) development context has not been widely studied (Berthoin Antal, 2012 & 2014). So, the point is to understand the case itself, not to test pre-existing theoretical propositions (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015). Following Yin’s (for example 1984) proposed categorization of case studies into overall themes of exploratory, descriptive and explanatory types, it can be said that the approach in this thesis is descriptive, as my goal is to describe the data as it occurs. When the state of the research field is far from considering causal explanations but rather still looking for working logics, qualitative case study is a sound option as a research approach (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015). Case studies are also seen to be “...excellent in generating holistic and contextual in-depth knowledge through the use of multiple sources of data” (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015, 131). As intensive case studies call for multiple sources of data (e.g. Baxter & Jack, 2008; Yin, 2014; Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015), I also researched the view of the company facilitating the ABI. When looking at a single case through the different lenses that several sources of data give, you can reveal different sides of the case (Baxter & Jack, 2008). For another viewpoint and further insight into the process, I learned the artistic intervention method used in this spesific case. This was done by acquiring the providing company Neemos accreditation for the facilitation of such interventions. I was participating in one of their taster workshops, a short demo for potential customers, when this possibility presented itself. This “coach training” was a three-month endeavour, including five days of contact instruction and several days worth of independent studies in the form of book referates and essays. The contact instruction focused on the facilitation of the Neemo workshops, with practical exercises. The independent studies included art and photographic history and theory, and also organizational learning and general facilitation lectures. Even though this type of involvement could be seen to pose a challenge for the impartiality of this research, I feel that the increased understanding gained massively outweighs this concern. While the theoretical background offers one view and the interview data a second insight into the case, the practical qualification with the method offers an important third viewpoint. Making sense of the intervention was 34.

(35) much simpler with this experience. It is worth to note that two people implementing the ABI inside the case organization received this same coach training before the intervention.. 3.2 Data collection For the main way of collecting data, I used interviewing. When researching “facts” (quotes in original), or gaining insights into or understanding e.g. opinions and experiences of participants, interviews are generally used. Interviews might also be preferable tools of data collection, when the people in key positions to understand the case under research are busy and as such unlikely to answer other forms of inquiry, like questionnaires. (Rowley, 2012; also see Qu & Dumay, 2011). As my research was focused on management perceptions on an art-based intervention, the identified informants were all managers. I also preferred senior leadership positions in my informant selection. With this in mind, it was safe to assume that they were all busy. The interviews were semi-structured. Semi-structured interviews were chosen, because they offer the flexibility needed to approach respondents with a differing role and view on a common subject (Noor, 2008), which was exactly the case in this research. Semi-structured interviews present broad themes that the researcher is interested in, aided by pre-meditated questions and probes. The semi-structured interview is popular when researching social phenomena, because it is exible, accessible and intelligible. Even more important is its ability to disclose relevant and often hidden sides of human and organizational behaviour. (Qu & Dumay, 2011). For the interview questions, I reviewed the theory on art-based interventions and visual language. Still, the backbone of the interview was questions relating to actual practices and personal experiences of the interviewees with the ABI process, allowing for unforeseen issues to come up. All the questions were presented in open-ended format, trying to minimize the amount of one-word answers. I first asked the informants for a free 35.

(36) timeline narrative account of their experience with the art-based intervention, keeping an open approach to the subject. I then returned to the three main themes and possible interesting things that had emerged for more elaboration (Qu & Dumay, 2011). The themes were in chronological seld-evident order (Rowley, 2012): 1. Planning and acquiring the art-based intervention 2. The art-based intervention in practice 3. The effects and afterward assessment of the art-based intervention The first theme included background guestions of the informants relationship to the organization and to the intervention process. Questions about the perceived need, planning and acquisition of the intervention were asked. Previous familiarity and experiences with art-based methods and expectations for the process were mapped. Also, I asked questions about the initial introduction and spreading of the idea in the organization. The second theme concentrated on the actual workshop phase. In addition to the gathering of information about the practicalities, it included questions about the level of participation in, and the difficulty of, the process, the meaning of the artist and the photographs, perceived (or in the case of the executives, claimed) executive support for the process and general feelings toward the intervention. I also inquired if different participatory groups participated somehow differently and if the process included something surprising. Lastly the third theme had questions about the perceived positive or negative effects, their perceived duration and at which organizational level the effects took place. I also asked about organisations internal follow-up and if there was still something happening in the future because of the intervention. Moreover, whether the informants had their expectations toward the intervention met or saw any possible future uses for the method in the organization, was discussed.. 36.

(37) I had some twenty subquestions for each theme to ensure everything would be covered. In actuality, there was no need to ask every informant every question, as some covered the topic in their initial narrative very thoroughly or in some cases couldn’t clearly answer the question due to their relationship with the process (see table 3 further below). This being said, the map of the interviews was still largely similar with every informant. After the first interview, there were two or three questions added because of interesting issues that arose; after that, there was no need for further revisions. To disclose, those additional questions were about interesting background issues, but covered internal organizational information that is decidedly not addressed in this research. It can be pondered whether a test interview would have revealed these beforehand, but due to the nature of the issues, I believe it wouldn’t have. To the last interview I kept an open mind to notice any new themes or issues emerging, but mainly, just new or concurring views on the existing themes were presented. For my choice of informants, I aimed at interviewing the most senior managers possible, with the idea that they would possess the clearest view of the strategy process and the art-based intervention as a part of it. This is called purposeful sampling (Silverman, 2010). Also, the acquisition of the ABI process, usually a senior management responsibility (Zambrell, 2016), was of interest to me. As the research permission stated that an intermediary in the target organization would relay the research and interview invitations, I could only assure the anonymity of informants in all other practices. With this in mind, the data was coded with numbers only and all quotes are presented in the report with just a number tag to tie a specific interviewees answers together. The informants received an e-mail depicting the research agenda and ethical considerations beforehand, allowing them a chance to ask any questions or indicate concerns (Qu & Dumay, 2011.) The interviews were held in interviewee dictated spaces (except one that I booked at the request of the informant) at the target organization. By having the interviewees choose the location I believe they were more at ease with the situation. The interviews were held. 37.

(38) in december 2019 and january 2020. This is roughly 6 months after the arts intervention was concluded, although the overall strategy process still continued. While interviewing, I took care not to feed theoretical concepts into the discussion (Rowley, 2012). I focused on listening and just encouraged the informants to tell more. Because finnish was the first language of all informants, the interviews were held in finnish. Also, the transcribtion, coding and analysis was done in finnish to ensure minimum change to original meaning. Only the quotes in this research report were translated to english. I conducted eight in-depth interviews at the target organisation. The eight interviewees had 115 years of service within the organization between them and averaged over 14 years. This value is of importance for this study, because the organization uses strategy periods of four years. Therefore, most interviewees had previous experience about the planning and implementation of strategy in the organization, in addition to this latest cycle that employed the researched art-based intervention. All interviews took between 42 and 63 minutes, with an average length of 51 minutes. Rowley (2012) agrees that with the resources of a novice researcher, six to eight interviews of about an hour is sufficient. The interviews were recorded with a dictation device, producing six hours and 48 minutes of audio. Those audio files were then transcribed into textual form, creating 251 pages of text. The amount of data is also available in table 3. As can be perceived, the talking speed of people varied quite a lot, so there is no linear logic between recorded minutes and transcribed pages. In the transcription, the dialect was extremely minimally cleaned out to facilitate better understanding: no meanings were altered. If the cleaning would have risked the change of meaning, it was not done.. 38.

(39) Table 3: Amount of data collected Data collected. Date. Duration/ minutes. Pages transcribed. Interview 1. 10.12.2019. 48. 28. Interview 2. 17.12.2019. 50. 25. Interview 3. 19.12.2019. 47. 28. Interview 4. 20.12.2019. 57. 38. Interview 5. 7.1.2020. 43. 41. Interview 6. 8.1.2020. 52. 35. Interview 7. 10.1.2020. 48. 27. Interview 8. 16.1.2020. 63. 29. Total time. Total pages 251. 408 minutes. The interviewees had somewhat differing relations to the subject matter. 3 were more senior executives, who had been part of the decision-making process that led to the acquisition of the ABI, 1 of whom had previously run a very identical intervention at an adjacent project (Adjacent Project Beta). The rest were middle managers, who were part of the workshops and also responsible for the further distribution of the intervention to their respective working units. This is demonstrated in table 4.. 39.

(40) Table 4: Interviewee roles and participation in relation to the art-based intervention Role. amount. Participated in the ABI acquisition. Participated in the ABI workshops. Senior executive. 1. x. x. Senior executive. 1. x. Senior executive. 1. x. Middle manager or comparable. 5. Run a similar ABI in an adjacent project. x x. This spread of viewpoints on the process eventually produced a rich and complete picture of the whole intervention process and the surrounding context of strategy work. While I initially had designed to interview only senior executives, the mix of people that had planned and directed and then other people who participated in and implemented the art-based intervention produced a more holistic view of the process.. 3.3 Analysis of the data After transricbtion, the material was read two times. Then coding was imposed on the data. Coding is the act of classifying similar instances and themes in the data with a label, called a code (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015). All coding was done manually. The codes indicated the substance of the discussion: What was talked about. The codes can be seen in table 5. This coding was content-driven, but can be interpreted to also be somewhat theory-driven in the sense that theory dictated the interview questions in the first place.. 40.

(41) As in many other studies, this analysis method was both inductive and deductive, being informed by theory and practice simultaneously (Rowley, 2012). This means that on the other hand, concepts from the theoretical approach were taken and evidence to comment on them was searched for in the data, and also vice versa, the practice of sensitizing issues that emerge in the data with existing theory was used (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015).. 41.

(42) Table 5: Codes Code. Sample. Code 1: Strategy work. “Well I would say that in this new strategy work that Neemo-process shows, clearly the values that are in there are chosen in some way.” -interviewee 2. Code 2: Participation. “Then indirectly this touched more people, because we all took it to our own teams and a team can have from ten to twenty people.” -interviewee 2. Code 3: Expectations. “But is it easier then to have the effects anchored to everyday life when they are born from cooperation, it remains to be seen.” -interviewee 6. Code 4: Effects. “Yes yes I believe that most people were surprised that this is kind of fun and a totally novel method, which kind of was the idea that let’s try if this works. And then I remember the people who attended the workshops sending the photographs to each other on social media and they were like ‘look what we got to do’”. -interviewee 4. Code 5: Follow-up. “At this stage we haven’t done any inquiries about the process, the process is still ongoing in the sense that…” -interviewee 5. Code 6: Executive support. “I felt that it was an independent process, that there really wasn’t much directing from the organization. The administrative director used a very short statement about what the organization wants from this Neemo process when we started, but even she didn’t use a single word to direct…” -interviewee 7. Code 7: Challenges. “There weren't any difficulties. It was challenging maybe because things like this, where you are constantly giving something from yourself and discussing and being focused on what you do, are rather heavy. So the workshops are rather heavy but otherwise there were no challenges.” -interviewee 2. Code 8: Photographs. “Yes yes then even an obscure issue that might not generate any chatter like say something like trust as our value, well maybe that would generate chatter but but the photograph gives so much of these new dimensions and the kind of that wouldn’t otherwise come to mind so yes it was undeniably important.” -interviewee 1. 42.

(43) The coded parts were split into their respective themed documents, containing only data with the single code. Next, the uncoded raw text was read for a third time for improved general familiarity. As a detail, on this reading I read the interviews in reverse order to break the pattern of always seeing the data in the same order. The fourth reading was done on the coded, separated data. Here I tried to find instances, where a code possibly also included other codes, and add it to those themes as well. The goal here was to emptively find all data pertaining to the individual codes. Finally, multiple readings of the split codes was done to answer the next and final level of analysis: How the themes were talked about, and most importantly, why? This data was enriched with the other acquired lenses of observation of the theoretical approach and the Neemo training, which converged to add strength to the findings through increased understanding of the case (Baxter & Jack, 2008). The results are presented in the next chapter in a format combining both cronological and thematic order (Eriksson & Kovalainen, 2015), mirroring the thematic order of the original interviews and the cronological order of the case as it unfolded. This presentation order is logical and should also be simple to follow.. 43.