TRANS-FORMATIONAL QUALITIES OF THE DYS-&-FUNCTIONAL – THE INTERPLAY OF THE QUESTIONING SENSES OF REAL, THE QUEST FOR A SENSE OF THE POSSIBLE AND ENACTING A SENSE OF THE DOABLE – NON-LINEAR PERSPECTIVES ON SPIRALING MOVES

Abstract

The paper outlines some critical, imaginative and utopian as well as pragmatic dimensions and qualities of art and aesthetics that are of transformative value for organisation and leadership studies and practice. In particular, the transformational potential of artistic and aesthetic processes refers to their capacity to question the ‘sense of the real’ and yielding a ‘sense of the possible’ – as described by Musil in his book ‘Man Without Qualities’ – supplemented by a ‘sense of the doable’. With their critical capacity to call into question the locked senses of what is ‘real’ and offering imaginative, utopian, perspectives on what is or might be possible, creative qualities of art and aesthetics can function critically and liberating. Both can be complemented with a more pragmatic sense of what can be done concretely differently, and all together provide transformational qualities that are highly relevant for realities and practices of leadership and organisations. Based on these senses and related to art and aesthetics then linearity and linear lines are problematised and the role of twisted, chiasmic lines and cycles outlined. By concluding some implications and perspectives are discussed.