Synchronicity: a post‐structuralist guide to creativity and change

Abstract

Synchronicity was coined by Jung in 1955 to refer to the meaningful and acausal, or chance, correlation between an inner and outer event. Insofar as creativity is dependent upon chance for novelty, then creativity and synchronicity may have a supportive relationship. This paper uses narrative to explore the role of paradox in meaning, in chance, and in creativity. The nature of synchronicity, the relationship between synchronicity and creativity, and the implications of this relationship for management are discussed. Such implications include encouraging multiple points of view, understanding the role of emotion in creativity, allowing for movement across metaphorical and physical boundaries, honoring the body, and maintaining a lightness (with humor zand joy) with which to adapt to inevitable “accidents”.

Citation

Durant, R. (2002), "Synchronicity: a post‐structuralist guide to creativity and change", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 15 No. 5, pp. 490-501. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810210440351