Abstract:

<B>Purpose</B> - To explore a musical metaphor in making organizational change a potentially pleasurable experience to participants. <B>Design/methodology/approach</B> - The paper begins by challenging ideological assumptions behind classical change metaphors. To build an alternative, the paper employs musical semiotics to understand the core dimensions in a musical experience. <B>Findings</B> - The paper discusses the dynamics of tension and resolution in the different dimensions of musical experience. <B>Originality/value</B> - The discussion regarding the dynamics of tension and resolution in musical experience helps the reader to make sense of how an individual organizational member can understand, structure and control the experience of organizational change.

Keywords: Metaphors; Music; Organizational change

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1108/09534810710740236