Poetic Organizing: Ontology of Practice, and Sensemaking in Craft-based Firms

Abstract

This paper offers philosophical insights into the ontology of practice of production which provides theoretical grounding to the ideas on the poetic organization. To conceptualize the poetic, we turn to examining craft manufacturing, which, in its pure form, displays the principles of poetic organizing. We draw on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger to distinguish the deep reasons behind craft- and industrial manufacturing, illuminating the building blocks of the ontology of practice. Equipped with these tools, we show that once we have a better grip on understanding the ontology of practice, we can have a more nuanced comprehension of organizational processes, including sensemaking. We argue that the different ontologies of practice, whether steeped in the poetic or not, shape the sensemaking regimes in organizations. By using the Heideggerian lens to consider the ontology of practice of craft, we offer philosophical underpinnings to the nascent theory of craft approaches to work.