I'm working on designing new conference formats, and some months ago I
put RHYTHM to my list of design principles - so I find this discussion
very interesting!
I haven't explored the concept that much yet (thanks for the
references!), but I found rhythm relevant for my work for several
reasons:
I've been looking into attention psychology, and it seems that the body
runs in two hour cycles regarding attention: humans switch between being
introvert attentive and extrovert attentive during a day (I don't know
if these are the right words in English).
So to me, rhythm (or: a good rhythm) can also be conceived in terms of
accommodating bodily needs during a conference day, if that makes sense
;-)
Next, I think that variation is a key to keeping attention, and again
rhythm offers a good way of thinking along these lines (introducing A,
repeating A, breaking the routine by introducing B, and repeating A
again - which also breaks the routine, yet is familiar to the audience).
Finally there is something about rhythm and timing/planning. In a
conference setting, the perceived time is often very different from real
time - time can fly by and time can stand still. It can be difficult to
plan that all speeches for example should only last 30 minutes - since
some speeches will be perceived as lasting 10 minutes and some as hours.
So you want to make sure that the rhythm is in alignment with the
perceived time - and how do you plan that?!
Just a few thoughts - which of course doesn't answer David's interesting
question about cultural differences in rythms... Haven't thought of
that, but sure will do ;-)
Cheers,
Nicoline
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Nicoline Jacoby Petersen // PhD student
www.dpu.dk/about/njp
LEARNING LAB DENMARK
The Danish University of Education
Emdrupvej 101
2400 Copenhagen NV
Denmark
email: [log in to unmask]
phone: (+45) 8888 9983
mobile: (+45) 606 505 44
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-----Original Message-----
From: Aesthetics, Creativity, and Organisations Research Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Weir
Sent: 10. november 2006 10:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: call for help_rhythm and organizing
-Hi guys;
Here are some questions that bother me. For example, do different
cultures have different rhythms? Do different organisation structures?
Different occupational systems? How do we study this?
If different musics embody different accounts of time!space, why is
this? How are these rhythms transmitted? Are different cognitive
structures involved?
Why is Jimmy Giuffre's "Train and the River" about a train and a river?
How is Takemitsu about "the thing we call Time"?
Please answer within one hour as we are discussing this topic right now
in class.
Thanks to all.
Rock On,Dudes!
David
---- Start Original Message -----
Sent: Fri, 10 Nov 2006 09:18:58 +1300
From: "Bathurst, Ralph" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: call for help_rhythm and organizing
> Hi Enrico
>
>
>
> Yes we have spent time talking about this issue. Our critique of
Albert
> and Bell was fairly muted. Our reserve about their analysis was based
> on the notion that musical rhythm is much more complex than A & B
> indicated. The trouble is that it requires much more sophisticated
> musical knowledge to tease out those complexities.
>
>
>
> It seems to me that to do this within the organisational studies
> discipline is going to involve devising a language that retains
> musicological integrity while at the same time is accessible to
> non-musicians.
>
>
>
> For instance even defining rhythm is tricky. We could think of it at
> the level of pulse (or beat) which is where A & B focus, or we could
go
> deeper and think of elements like harmonic rhythm which are more
complex
> but much more interesting. Our critique of A & B signalled this
latter
> notion of harmonic rhythm but this is where musical knowledge is
> crucial.
>
>
>
> I am happy to engage in conversation about this with you and other
> interested people if you want.
>
>
>
> Cheers
>
>
>
> Ralph (Bathurst)
>
> _____
>
> From: Daved Barry [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Friday, 10 November 2006 1:52 a.m.
> To: 'enrico maria piras'; [log in to unmask]
> Cc: Bathurst, Ralph; [log in to unmask]
> Subject: RE: call for help_rhythm and organizing
>
>
>
> Ralph (Bathurst) and Lloyd (Williams)-didn't we talk about this at
> Krakow? Seems to me there were some rhythm discussions there. Anyway,
in
> addition to the work that Ralph Kerle suggested, you should look at
> Cadences at Waco: A critique of "Timing and Music" by Stuart Albert
and
> Geoffrey Bell (2002) Academy of Management Review, 27(4): 574-593. (as
> well as the original Albert and Bell piece). They really started the
> whole idea of rhythm and organization and are the only ones I know
> who've gotten very far with the concept. Hope this helps! Daved
>
>
>
> _____
>
> From: Aesthetics, Creativity, and Organisations Research Network
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of enrico maria piras
> Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 7:08 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: call for help_rhythm and organizing
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Acorners,
>
> I'm right in the middle of writing a book section on an aesthetic
> perspective on workgroup cohesion.
> The key concept in my analysis will be "rhythm", which I will use to
> explore how micropractices are built. So far in my literature review I
> haven't found many references. I mean, many articles and authors use
the
> word "rhythm" but only on an evocative level and there seems to be not
> much theory attached to this word. At the moment I'm referring to some
> reflections on art and especially music. I'd like to find out how this
> concept has been used in organizational theory.
> I'm sure some of you has come across this concept or something similar
> to it in your research. Could you help?
>
> best
> Enrico
>
----- End Original Message -----
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