006 Ideas Method Improv

MIS394The Ideas Method: Improvisation

Dr Norita Ahmad :: MIS 394

Outline

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1 Recognizing and Defining Improvisation.

Individual Improvisation.2Cognitive and Process Characteristics of Improvisation.3Team Improvisation.4Applied Improvisation.5

RECOGNIZING AND DEFINING IMPROVISATION


Defining Improvisation

Roots: Improvisation is from the latin word,

“proviso” which means to stipulate beforehand or to foresee. “im” means “not” Hence, improvisation = unforeseen.

Definitions: The ability to make effective real time decisions in new and complex situations using current information and appropriately chosen (or modified) routines, scripts, and patterns.

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Improvisation In The Management Literature

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Improvisation

Management Theory

• Organizational Learning • Structure and Strategy • LeadershipTheory

Management Practice

• Crisis Management • Teamwork • Innovation • Leadership • Planning • New Product and • Venture Development

Management Education

• Creativity • Performance


Critique Of Common Definitions

“The popular definitions of improvisation that emphasize only its spontaneous, intuitive nature…are astonishingly incomplete.

This simplistic understanding belies the discipline and experience on which improvisers depend, and it obscures the actual practices and processes that engage them.

Improvisation depends…on thinkers having absorbed a broad base of ….. knowledge, including myriad conventions that contribute to formulating ideas logically, cogently, and expressively.”

(Weick quoting Berliner 1994, p. 492)

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Areas Recognized For Improvisation

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Area Sub-area Design(Composition) Improvisational Behaviors

Performing arts

Music Classical JazzTheatre Opera Improv TheatreDance Ballet Jazz

Comedy Comedy shows ImprovVisual arts Art Finished works of art Doing art studies, sketches

Literary arts Novels, poems, essays Telling storiesEngineering Buildings, products Building models

Management New product development; e.g., iPod

Responding to crisis; e.g., Tylenol Problem solving

Medicine Routine procedures “Unexpected” and complex surgeries

Great Improvisers


Dimensions of Improvisational Context

Degree of Structure. • The degree (unstructured to structured) that a problem solving domain can

be conceptualized and that procedures, methods and decisions aids be developed to support decision maker.

• Example: Frequently performed surgical procedures tend to become structured problem spaces overtime as the surgery is refined and standards evolved.

Degree of Risk of Actions Taken (Magnitude of Consequences) • The likelihood of outcomes that bear consequences for direct recipients

and other stakeholders. • Examples: In surgery, the recipient is the patient and the family.

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Typology Of Improvisational Contexts

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High Structure/Low Risk

Examples: 1. Traditional Jazz

Music. 2. Business

Simulations.

Low Structure/Low Risk

Examples: 1. “Free” Jazz

Music. 2. Free Form

Brainstorming.

Low Structure/High Risk

Example: 1. Emergency

Management. 2. Fixing the World

Financial System.

High Structure/High Risk

Example: 1. Surgical

Procedures. 2. Military

Operations.

High

Low

Stru

ctur

e

HighLowMagnitude of Consequences


Consequences Of Enabling Improvisational Capacity

• Increased ability to handle discontinuities and changes in the environment. • Improved adaptation. • Improved client services. • Improved crisis management. • Improved problem solving. • Increased efficiency through improved utilization of resources. • Improved coordination and communication. • Improved quality of working life.

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COGNITIVE AND PROCESS CHARACTERISTICS OF IMPROVISATION


Antecedents Of Improvisational Behaviors

• Unexpected problems. E.g., Apollo 13

• New or revised goals. E.g., duties or survival

• Environment. E.g., time constraints; resource limitations.

• Structure of the problem space. i.e., limited structures or routines.

• Knowledge limitations. i.e., limited or no knowledge by agents.

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Illustration Of The Change In Antecedent Conditions In Case Of Apollo 13

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Condition Before After

Unexpected problems None Numerous

Structure of the problem space Well known Limited structures or routines

New or revised goals No Yes

The environment Stable Turbulent

Knowledge limitations Well articulated base of knowledge

Limited or no knowledge by agents

Constraints Within range Time and resource constrains

http://youtu.be/kAmsi05P9Uw


Degrees Of Improvisation• Improvisation involves the modification of a referent.

• A referent is declarative or procedural knowledge, or schema, that guides/constrains improvisers choices. • It can be a score or a set of procedures, routines or scripts.

• Improvisation is classified by the amount of Variation. • Replication (i.e., no improvisation). • Interpretation. • Embellishment. • Variation. • Improvisation.

• Paraphrased. • Formulaic (the use of licks). • Motivic (the use of motifs)

• Each “performance” is unique realization of the referent. • Performance may contain episodes of improvisation alternating with the performance of

scripts and routines.

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Degrees Of Improvisation

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Improvisation

Variation

Embellishment

Interpretation

Replication

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INDIVIDUAL IMPROVISATION


Developing Your Improvisational Capacity

1. Prepare. • Pick a domain. • Develop an understanding of deep knowledge about the domain.

2. Practice. • Learning words, sentences and patterns that can be spoken in real time. • To become so adapt at these patterns that can be modified to meet changes in conditions as

necessary.

3. Perform. • Use the knowledge and skill base into a real time setting.

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Necessary Elements For Improvisation• Goals.

• Goals are selected to respond to antecedent conditions. • Agents.

• One or more agents. • Agents are brought together to achieve goals; e.g., perform a musical piece; contain an emergency

situation; perform a surgical operation. • Each agent must possess knowledge of the task and of the norms that govern team behavior. • Each agent accepts risk and uncertainty of task setting.

• Set of Courses Of Action (COA). • Agents will choose appropriate COA’s from available set to meet goals.

• Referents. • A referent is a cognitive tool that constrains the task and COA’s. • In music, it is the harmony or score. In organizations, routines, Standards Operating Procedures

(SOP). • “Can’t improvise on nothing; you got to improvise on something.” (Weick 1998 citing C. Mingus

appearing in Kernfeld 1995, p. 119). • Opportunity to Perform.

• Each “performance” is a realization or variation of the referent that is unique to that situation.

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Improvisation Is A Form Of Real Time Dynamic Decision Making (RTDDM)

Four primary factors define RTDDM: 1. Tasks require a series of decisions. 2. Decisions are inter-dependent. 3. The environment changes autonomously and as a result of the decisions

taken by members. 4. Decisions are made in real-time.

(Lerch and Harter 2001 referencing Brehmer 1990, 1992; Edwards 1962)

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Improvisation As RTDDM

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RTDDM Improvisation - Jazz Example

Tasks require a series of decisions Yes. Team must decide what tune to play, its style, the tempo, the order of soling, etc.

Decisions are inter-dependent Yes. As each player performs, he or she is influenced by the Courses of Action (COA’s) by other players

The environment changes autonomously and as a results of the decisions made by

membersYes. Each player can interject new musical events at any time

during performance, forcing the other players to respond.

Decisions are made in real-timeYes. Each performance is completed within minutes. At a

tempo of 120 beat/min, notes are chosen at the rate of 0.125-0.5 per sec


RTDDM Task Parameters During Improvisation

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RTDDM Task Parameter Improvisation - Jazz Example

Clarity of goalGoal is clear: produce a quality performance. Measures of success

include audience/client feedback, communication between members, error detection/correction during or after performance

Structure of task Task is structured by referent and norms of performance mitigated by familiarity of members with each other and experience in task

Task complexityComplexity is variable depending on underlying referent and experience of players. Causal relationships are fairly well understood by experienced

members.

Level of uncertainty Uncertainty is a function of the experience of the members, familiarity, training, availability of referents (e.g., SOP’s), audience

Time Pressure Notes are typically chosen at the rate of 0.125-0.5 per sec and even faster in some cases.

TEAM IMPROVISATION


Necessary Qualities For Agents To Improvise Effectively

• Ability to Communicate. • Improvisation in a team is a conversation.

• Requires excellent listening skills. • Agents must have a “vocabulary” of “words/phrases” to communicate.

• Relationships of Trust. • Agents must trust each other to promote free and open communication

• Ability to Self-Monitor (Weick 1998). • “If you are not affected and influenced by your own (notes) when you improvise then you’re missing the

whole point.” (Weick 1998 using Konitz cited in Berliner 1994, p. 193). • Requires ability to self-monitor and listen to self; i.e., engage in retrospective and real-time sense-making.

• Knowledge Base. • Agents must have complementary bases of knowledge and expertise. • Agents must share a common base of knowledge related to task environment. • Requisite variety of knowledge helps handle discontinuities.

• Working Memory. • Agents need extensive working and/or external memory to perform.

• Shared Leadership. • Leadership must be shared among the group members.

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Clip from “Whose Line is it Anyway?”


Contextual Factors Affecting The Degree Of Improvisation

Magnitude of Consequences of COA’s. Tolerance for Errors.

Problem Space Structure. Availability of existing routines and procedures.

Expertise and Knowledge of Agents. • Each agent must posses knowledge of the task.

Level of Real-Time Goal Attainment. Degree that agents are achieving intended goals in real-time.

Agent Trust. • Agent must trust each other to promote free and open communication

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Proposed Model Of Factors Influencing Degree Of Improvisation

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Degree of Improvisation

Magnitude of Consequences

Level of Real-Time Goal Attainment

Problem Space Structure

Expertise and Knowledge of

Agents

Agent Trust+

+

+

-

-

APPLIED IMPROVISATION


Application Of Theory To Practice

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Degrees of Improvisation

Me Team Organization

I love to improvise and am encouraged to do so on a

regular basis.

The team improvises frequently and we support each other by

“passing the baton”.

Organization encourages improvisation and agents are

highly skilled.

I improvise when I need to; e.g., in crisis or when there

is a problem.

The team improvises when there is a problem, faced with a lack of resources, or we just don’t know

what else to do.

Organization has a modest improvisational capacity.

I am discouraged from improvising and required

to follow rules and scripts.

The team follows the rules and scripts and is discouraged from

improvising.Organization is rigid and

improvisation is forbidden.

High

Mod

erat

eLo

w


In-Class Exercise (Group)

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Goodie Bag


Basic Improvisation Guidelines

1.Make a connection.

2. Listen – do not interrupt. Be attentive,

3.Say “Yes, and…”

4.Be in the moment…be flexible. 5. There are no bad ideas (avoid preconceived ideas & respect other’s choices).

6. Listen to your inner voice & follow your intuition.

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Documents

006 Ideas Method Improv