Leadership lessons from jazz improvisation

Abstract

The ability to improvise has often been viewed as a semi‐instinctive set of skills that result from an innate gift or talent that allows the improviser to respond to changing conditions. In the past, this was the contention of jazz improvisers and jazz aficionados alike. In recent years, however, the entry of jazz studies into the academy has demonstrated that jazz and improvisation can be taught and, more importantly, it can be learned. Organizational theorists have suggested that jazz and improvisation are useful metaphors for leadership and leadership development. This article explores jazz improvisation as a model for the development of improvisation in leadership, which includes the concepts of leadership patterns, theory, leading by ear, and risk taking. The second part of this article conceptualizes leadership in terms of jazz accompaniment, which is a unique model that incorporates the models of shared leadership and leadership as support.