Methods of Musement: Cultivating Serious Play in Research on Business and Organization

We explicate the value and practices of ‘serious play’ in historical and organizational research. In particular, we draw on the philosophy of Charles Peirce to consider why and how playful methods are effective for abductive inference. Introducing the papers in this special issue, we highlight four playful practices: (a) creating and categorizing new sources, (b) seeing a new, (c) sensing connections, and (d) entertaining new representations. We discuss how each of these practices contribute to the generation of new hypotheses. Finally, we conclude by highlighting research and methodological practices with the aim of cultivating a more playful future.