Abstract
In Appetite for Innovation: Creativity and Change at elBulli, M Pilar Opazo explores processes of innovation with a focus on the role of organizations in transforming the fields to which they belong. Through her ethnographic analysis of the organizational, institutional, relational, and discursive practices at elBulli – the Spanish restaurant that introduced a new culinary paradigm and revolutionized the field of gastronomy – Opazo argues that ‘innovation cannot exist as free-floating, independent materials or actions’ (p. 236), but rather must be understood as the result of purposeful action’ (p. 12; emphasis in original) and ‘concrete practices’ (p. 8). Although this overarching argument is supported by extensive ethnographic research and a discussion that incorporates theoretical arguments, the account provided in the book and the author’s claims are accessible to a general audience. The reader does not need to be well-versed in research methods or organizational or sociological theory to understand the mechanisms through which she argues innovation is made possible. Although readers interested in the theoretical arguments that support her analysis will find familiar names and claims, the casual reader will find ample evidence and clear explanation of the ‘purposeful action’ and ‘concrete practices’ that support her central argument that ‘innovation can be systematically mobilized in and by organizing systems’ (p. 8; emphasis added).
Drawing on extensive ethnographic research including in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document and archival analysis, Opazo walks the reader through the decades-long process through which elBulli and its leaders transformed the field of gastronomy. In this process, she takes the reader inside elBulli, introducing them to the restaurant’s daily and yearly mode of operation; however, she strategically never allows the reader to lose sight of the fact that the organizational structure and creative processes at elBulli are both affecting and affected by the wider institutional environments in which they occur. It is this dynamic relationship that is the focus of Opazo’s research, and her analysis is generally well-supported by her analyses of on-site observations at elBulli; attendance at elBulli meetings; attendance and observation at culinary conferences and events; in-depth interviews with 95 culinary professionals in Spain and the United States, some with direct connections to elBulli, and others whose work and understanding of their craft is influenced by elBulli’s practices and processes; and elBulli’s organizational archives. Through her fieldwork, she is thus able to dissect both the ‘internal framework’ and the ‘external context’ (p. 124) that enabled elBulli to engage in work that is truly innovative – that is engage in ‘purposeful action’ that, most important, ‘[has] a social impact and [is] recognized by a community’ (p. 12).
Before detailing the process through which elBulli and its leaders sparked industry-wide changes, Opazo devotes her attention in the introduction and in Chapter 1 (aptly titled ‘Context and vision’) to defining innovation; describing the conceptualization of creativity embraced at elBulli as one focused on innovation and revolutionary change; presenting the organization’s history and trajectory, including its recent transition from a restaurant to a culinary research center; and introducing the organization’s charismatic leader – co-owner and head chef Ferran Adrià – who spearheaded the creative process at elBulli and managed the relationship between the organization and the wider gastronomic field in which it operates. Giving attention to the cultural environment, structural arrangements, and organizational practices that shaped elBulli’s creative process and focus, Opazo demonstrates that organizational members understood that creativity is not to be found in new products, but rather in a new language for cuisine and an altogether new mode of conceptualizing culinary practices. Throughout the book, the author leans heavily on this observation to demonstrate that elBulli was not engaged in evolutionary change, but rather revolutionary, innovative change. Indeed, she argues at the outset of the book that innovation is not to be found in its outcome – that is, not in a product – but in a process. She thus locates the innovative nature of elBulli – as does the elBulli team – not in its novel cuisine, but rather in the actions and practices of organizational actors that were focused on reconceptualizing acceptable practices in their field. Thus, she moves her focus beyond the confines of the focal organization of her study and toward the organization’s relationship with a host of external actors. As the book proceeds, she makes a transition from a discussion of how change was encouraged, enabled, and structured at elBulli, to a discussion of (to borrow from the title of Chapter 3) the ‘diffusion and institutionalization of innovation’ (p. 115).
With a focus on professional networks, networking processes, and discursive practices, Opazo demonstrates that elBulli and its leaders were engaged in ‘missionary work’ designed to not only spread, but also to institutionalize its practices, processes, and products (p. 165). It is here that the author demonstrates that elBulli was spearheading true innovation, as the organization was not simply working to call attention to its novel cuisine, but rather to bring about ‘a new standard’ within the field from which itself and its peers would be judged. Through her depiction of the ways in which the elBulli team was deliberately and systematically redefining cuisine, publicly showcasing their new culinary techniques and products, and enacting networking processes that spread these new definitions and techniques, the author provides ample evidence supporting her primary argument that ‘innovation can be systematically mobilized in and by organizing systems’ (p. 8; emphasis added). It was, she argues, ‘the reproduction of elBulli’s ideas throughout a community of followers that made it possible for the organization’s vision, knowledge, and practices to consistently trickle down into restaurants around the world and thereby gain the strength of a gastronomic ‘revolution’ that continues still today’ (p. 178; emphasis in original). This revolution, she observes, includes significant alterations to not only the culinary products of high-end restaurants worldwide, but also to the organizational model, creative processes, culinary techniques, and evaluation criteria embraced within the contemporary gastronomic field.
In Appetite for Innovation, M Pilar Opazo provides a clear description of elBulli’s organizational trajectory and that of a changing institutional field. She presents the reader with a clear overview of the innovative practices – indeed, the ‘purposeful action’ – occurring within elBulli and engaged in by its team. The author supports this analysis with a clear use of evidence from her ethnographic fieldwork and brief comparisons to observations from other contexts such as the fashion and high-tech industries, the cultural fields of art and music, and even the field of academia. Moreover, her analysis is well supported by diagrammatic depictions of the organization’s practices and processes, and the field-level dynamics and relationships that are central to her claims. Although the analysis is well-supported by these claims and representations, providing clear and clearly supported interpretive work, the book lacks a clear theoretical framework that underlies the analysis. Although some narrowed observations and theoretical claims of well-known sociologists (such as Robert K Merton, Georg Simmel, and Max Weber) and organizational scholars (such as James G March, Herbert A Simon, and Karl E Weick) support specific observations and interpretations, the author neither presents a broad theoretical framework structuring the analysis and interpretations at the outset, nor offers one in conclusion. Although the book stays true to presenting the case of interest, detailing the trajectory of an organization and field, those reading with an eye toward its theoretical contributions may find the presentation lacking; nonetheless, regardless of how theoretically engaged the reader may be, Appetite for Innovation is a stimulating read for those who, like the author, are ‘intrigued by those seemingly insignificant yet systematic actions that make an organization’s production of innovation possible’ (p. 1).