Productive Irritation
Disrupting routines to make transformation possible.
Organisations rely on established routines and shared assumptions to maintain stability and efficiency. Yet these same structures can prevent adaptation, reproduce outdated practices and limit innovation. Drawing on Michel Serres' philosophy of the parasite and sociological systems theory, Productive Irritation understands friction as a catalyst for organisational learning. Unexpected perspectives, critical interventions and constructive disagreement can expose hidden contradictions and create opportunities for change.
From practice: stoff♻wert
This understanding has been shaped by experiences such as stoff♻wert, where we challenged the conventional waste cycle by retrieving illegally dumped plastic and reversing the logic of retail: instead of paying for a product, customers received money to take responsibility for its disposal. The experiment revealed how changing a single economic incentive can expose broader systemic contradictions.
For your organisation
Surfacing the assumptions your team no longer sees, before you invest in solving the wrong problem.
Facing a complex challenge, developing a new venture or looking for a different perspective?
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