The Guru, the Outside, and the Underneath: Exploring Innovation Sandboxing with Innovation Theater

Abstract

Innovation sandboxing describes a set of entrepreneurial practices that have become popular in creating those confined atmospheres in which creativity and imaginative freedom—regarded as key ingredients in the processes of innovating—can unfold freely and undisturbed by the complexities of the outside world. While sandboxing—in the sense of focusing on distinct realities while disregarding others—might be inevitable in any innovation process, social researchers have criticized that the popularization of sandboxing methods has come without the necessary reflection on how what happens in the sandbox relates to and ultimately impacts the outside world. In this article, I share insights from the Enacting Innovation project. I showcase what participatory theater performance and artistic research can offer for our understanding of innovation sandboxing and the related processes of opening up to and secluding from the outside world. Moreover, I propose potential entry-points for the initiation of responsible re-thinking and re-design of sandboxes based on the learnings from developing and staging Enacting Innovation.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Sandboxing describes a set of innovation practices that have become popular in creating those confined atmospheres in which creativity and imaginative freedom can unfold freely and undisturbed by the complexities of the outside world. In one form or another, sandboxing might be inevitable in any innovation process. However, social researchers have criticized that the popularization of sandboxing methods has come without the necessary reflection on their relation to and impact on the outside world. In this article, I share insights from the project Enacting Innovation and what it can offer for our understanding of innovation sandboxing and the possibilities of taking responsibility issues into account. Enacting Innovation is an artistic research project in which, in a team of theater makers, creative coders and researchers, we transformed insights from social research on imitative innovation behaviors into a participatory innovation theater show which has been staged at a renown international electronic arts festival. Enacting Innovation makes us wonder whether specific sandboxing methods and tools have become popular because of their actual effectiveness in innovation processes or rather because of reasons of uncertainty, legitimacy, or because we have learned that this is how innovating works. Enacting Innovation sparks hope that sandboxing can be re-imagined and re-learned in a more responsible way. What role does the innovation guru play in this endeavor? And what if the applied anthropologist herself could become an innovation guru?

Keywords:

• innovation theater
• isomorphism
• artistic research

Acknowledgments

I would like to cordially thank my collaborators Sarah Buser, Friedrich Kirschner, Mónica Rikić, Leoni Voegelin, Tomás Montes Massa and Laura Zoelzer for joining the production of Enacting Innovation with so much passion, openness and endurance. Moreover, I thankfully acknowledge financial support provided by the Linz Institute of Technology (LIT) of the Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU).

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Judith Igelsböck

Judith Igelsböck is a social researcher of emerging technologies and innovation. She has worked in various research areas, including human computer and human robot interaction, work studies, science and technology studies, and innovation and organization studies. Judith approaches her research projects in a post-disciplinary and experimental mood and enjoys working with artists. One of her current obsessions is the fusion of theatrical play and innovation research. You are welcome to reach out to Judith via email.