Organizational Improvisation
Organizational improvisation is the spontaneous, real-time composition of novel responses to unexpected events within an organization. It occurs when planning and execution converge in time, requiring teams to create solutions without pre-existing scripts. The field draws on both jazz and theatrical improv as metaphors for organizational behavior.
Further Reading
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The Improv Mindset
Change Your Brain. Change Your Business.
Gail Montgomery; Bruce T. Montgomery
The Routledge Companion to Improvisation in Organizations
Miguel Pina e Cunha; Dusya Vera; António Cunha Meneses
The Applied Improvisation Mindset
Tools for Transforming Individuals, Organizations, and Communities
Theresa Robbins Dudeck; Caitlin McClure
The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual
Matt Besser; Ian Roberts; Matt Walsh
Business Unscripted
Business is Improv
Ben Winter; Tara Hedberg
Getting to Yes And
The Art of Business Improv
Bob Kulhan; Chuck Crisafulli
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Organizational Improvisation. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/applied-improv/concepts/organizational-improvisation
The Improv Archive. "Organizational Improvisation." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/applied-improv/concepts/organizational-improvisation.
The Improv Archive. "Organizational Improvisation." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/applied-improv/concepts/organizational-improvisation. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.