In a conference gathering, we used collage to facilitate reflection about the experience and impact of extending compassion to others in the context of work.

Rendered in 2-D or 3-D, we often don’t know a great deal about our work colleagues. Imagining colleagues as works of art invites us to experience a very different way of seeing and appreciating each other in the workplace.

There is an experience of organization life that lives outside of words — the felt experience, implicit rules, unexpressed emotion, and more. What if art is uniquely equipped to expose and explore this layer of organization life and leverage that knowledge to create a more thriving workplace?

Artifacts hold individual and collective memory. In the workplace, artifacts can be intentionally used to support and sustain an organization’s values and culture.

“Art expands what we can imagine, and thereby expands what we can do.”‍ Art can help us explore complexity and find ways to navigate the world with greater insight and skill.

The language of our lives is animated by metaphors and symbols. These images can play a powerful role in understanding organization life.

Anyone interested in organization culture will attest to the many ways this term is defined and discussed. It can be quite overwhelming. Some useful theories and frameworks certainly exist but knowing how to apply this wisdom is an art and a skillful practice. Imagining work as art is an imaginative way to approach this work. How might the workplace be like a work of art? How might seeing work in this way unlock different ways of of being and working in organizations?