Abstract
Drawing from the traditions of arts, craft and aesthetics, both organizations and business schools are ‘broadening their sights’ to studio practices for creative and innovative ways to enhance knowledge. Studio methods engage participants in collaborative artistic methods that involve materializing artifacts to generate new perspectives on management and organizational issues. Research is needed to complement the growing interest in studio activities. This paper suggests that the field of organizational aesthetics opens up nuanced philosophical, theoretical and practical understandings on studio-making practices. Since ‘business studios’ are typically based on assumptions of physical co-presence, virtual studio inquiries require ‘broadening our senses’. The current study explores my own experimentation with online MBA studio practices. Studio accounts from two online Organizational Behavior course iterations are studied through the lens of aesthetics. Excerpts from students’ accounts reveal both artistic-aesthetic challenges and ‘learning-by-making’ insights associated with virtual studio-based management education. Practical implications, conference theme connections and suggestions for future research are considered.
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