Empirical Challenges in Organizational Aesthetics Research: Towards a Sensual Methodology

Abstract

1Empirical challenges in organizational aesthetics research: towards a sensual methodology Abstract Despite growing scholarly interest in aesthetic dimensions of organizational life, there is a lack of literature expressly engaging with the methodological mechanics of 'doing aesthetics research'. This article addresses that gap. It begins with an overview of the conceptual idiosyncrasies of 'aesthetics' as a facet of human existence and maps out the challenges these pose for empirical research methodology. A review of methodological approaches adopted to date in empirical studies of organizational aesthetics is then presented. The remainder of the article draws on the author's experiences and suggests methods and techniques to address both conceptual and practical challenges encountered during the execution of an organizational aesthetics research project. The article calls for a firmer focus on the aesthetic experiences of organizational members in addition to those of researchers and concludes with some suggestions as to the future of such 'sensual methodologies' Keywords BiographySamantha lives on the south coast of England with her husband and two sons and is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Management at the University of Surrey where she teaches research methods and organizational behaviour. Her current research interests include organizational aesthetics, processes of material and cultural aestheticization, visual research methods and artsbased management initiatives. She is an executive board member of SCOS, a member of the editorial collective of the journal ephemera: theory and politics in organizations and has guest edited special issues of Consumption, Markets and Culture and the Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal.Word count 8,862

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