Human–AI Distributed Organizational Improvisation in the Age of Generative AI

This paper explores how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) may reshape organizational improvisation, particularly how organizations develop knowledge and respond to unexpected situations. Drawing on existing research, it proposes a framework of Human–AI Distributed Organizational Improvisation, in which cognitive work is distributed between humans and AI while human judgment, decision-making authority, and accountability are retained. The framework positions Representational Integration as the central process connecting human contextual understanding with AI-generated possibilities. Three complementary mechanisms support this process: Cognitive Augmentation, which expands available knowledge and options; Human Governance, which preserves human control and accountability; and Dialogical Vetting, through which AI-generated content is questioned and refined before use. The paper advances organizational improvisation theory by conceptualizing how human and AI contributions may be integrated during real-time responses and proposing four theoretical propositions for future empirical research.