Sub-Plenary 2-2

Aesthetics in and of (Creative) Work [hybrid]

 

Friday, July 4, 2025, 16:00–17:30 EEST

Room:  Pierce-PC 1050–1051


Chair:
Marc Stierand, EHL Hospitality Business School, Switzerland

Panelists:
Giada Baldessarelli, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden
Yoann Bazin, Université Paris Nanterre, France
Steven S. Taylor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA
 

The term aesthetics is rooted in the Greek term ‘aesthesis’, meaning perception from the senses. When we are attracted by the smell, touch, taste, sound, or looks of some ‘work’, we are, philosophically speaking, directed toward its beauty or artistic qualities. This sensory reaction is generally referred to as aesthetics. By the very nature of our senses, we can react to anything in our immediate lifeworld: people, settings, processes, artifacts, and practices, to name just a few.

In management research, the study of the perceptive-sensorial capacity of organizational life is called organizational aesthetics and spans, as a phenomenon, beyond the beautiful or artistic (Gagliardi, 1996; Strati, 1992, 1999). In a recent review of ‘The Aesthetic Dimension of Organizing’, published in the Academy of Management Annals, Baldessarelli, Stigliani & Elsbach (2022) – the first two authors, also panelists in this sub-plenary – argued that aesthetics is studied by three broad perspectives: (1) as a directed stimulus, (2) as a knowledge tool, and (3) as an open-ended outcome. The review provides a very comprehensive and detailed account of these perspectives. Here, and for immediate intuitive understanding, these perspectives are summarized as follows:

  • The first perspective understands aesthetics as a sensorial perception of 'things' (e.g., products, artifacts, work settings) and how it makes organizational actors more committed to their jobs or engaged in learning.

  • The second perspective views aesthetics as a form of knowing necessary for creativity and entangled with organizing (creative work).

  • The third perspective sees aesthetics as a personal, subjective experience of physical settings that could lead to open-ended outcomes.

These three perspectives will be used as an underlying roadmap during the sub-plenary. However, the idea is to leave the terms ‘aesthetics’ and ‘organizational aesthetics’ as unlocked and exposed as possible so that the attendees and panelists alike can hook onto these terms from their personal understandings and research experiences, sharing their struggles and joys with this beautiful but incredibly complex phenomenon. After all, the sub-plenary aims to foster intellectual curiosity and provide insights for (research) practice, encouraging more EGOSians to engage with aesthetics in their work.
 
The panelists’ presentations will cover a broad spectrum of research on aesthetics, including empirical accounts of aesthetics in and around organizing beyond creative work, the aesthetics of editorial work when making sense of draft chapters for a research handbook on organizational aesthetics, and experiences of personal aesthetic imprinting of creative products in haute cuisine.
 
The panel discussion will then wander into the ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘who’ of future aesthetics research in organization and management studies. The discussion of the ‘what’ may cover aspects of stimuli and sensory perception of or in (creative) work, including study contexts that are generally missing in publications today but may reveal new and essential aspects of aesthetics. The discussion of the ‘how’ may touch on various topics of humanness, such as the emotions, intuitions, and reflections attached to aesthetics. Finally, the discussion of the ‘'who’ will engage in diverse viewpoints of individual and collective responses to aesthetics in and of (creative) work, including shared sensory knowledge.
 
The format of the sub-plenary includes a short introduction by the Chair (5 minutes); a presentation by each panelist (including the Chair – 60 minutes in total); and a moderated discussion between the panelists and the audience
(25 minutes).
 

References

  • Baldessarelli, G., Stigliani, I., & Elsbach, K.D. (2022): “The aesthetic dimension of organizing: A review and research agenda.” Academy of Management Annals, 16 (1), 217–257.
  • Gagliardi, P. (1996): “Exploring the aesthetic side of organizational life.” In: S. Clegg, C. Hardy & W. Nord (eds.): Handbook of Organization Studies. London: SAGE Publications, 565–580.
  • Strati, A. (1992): “Aesthetic understanding of organizational life.” Academy of Management Review, 17 (3), 568–581.
  • Strati, A. (1999): Organization and Aesthetics. London: SAGE Publications.
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Biographies

Giada Baldessarelli is an Assistant Professor at the House of Innovation of the Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden. Her research explores how social interactions and digital artifacts influence the dynamics of creative work and how aesthetics affects collective efforts to advance creativity.
 
Yoann Bazin is a Full Professor of Strategy and Ethics at the Université Paris Nanterre, France. His research interests are organizing dynamics in extreme and liquid contexts (e.g., fashion shows, refugee camps, homelessness), business in society issues (sustainability, CSR), and business ethics at large.
 
Marc Stierand was a chef in Michelin-starred restaurants and is now a Full Professor of Service Management and the founding director of the Institute of Business Creativity at EHL Hospitality Business School, Switzerland. His research explores how creativity, aesthetic experiences, and leadership drive innovation and excellence.
 
Steven S. Taylor is a Full Professor of Leadership and Creativity at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Business School. He is the founding editor of the journal Organizational Aesthetics and a Director of “The Art of Management and Organization”. Steve is also an internationally performed playwright.