Clues, cues and complexity: unpacking the concept of organizational surprise

Miguel Pina e Cunha, Ken Kamoche and Stewart R. Clegg

Nova SBE Working Paper Series from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics

Abstract: We discuss why surprises, defined as events that happen unexpectedly or expected events that take unexpected shapes, are important to organizations and should be considered in the organizational literature. The concept of organizational surprises is unpacked on the basis of a typology built around the (un)expectedeness of issue and process. This typology uncovers the several types of surprising events that organizations may face, and contributes to the literature by suggesting that different surprises require distinct approaches.

Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2004
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-cbe and nep-hpe
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unl:unlfep:wp453

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