Visualizing Embodied Experiences: Drawing as a Form of Reflective Inquiry Informed by Gestalt Art Therapy

This paper addresses the burgeoning interest in management studies concerning methodologies that generate societal or organizational impact. While much research has focused on tackling major societal and environmental challenges, less is known about how management research can benefit research participants. A promising approach involves developing novel methodologies that prioritize theoretical contributions through self-reflections by both researchers and participants. Drawing, as a participatory methodology, holds considerable potential since it can express feelings and embodied experiences that may be hard to put into words. This study advocates for a participatory visual methodology using drawing, inspired by Gestalt art therapy, as a means to create a caring relationship with the participant and promote self-reflection. The study offers three contributions that broaden the methodological scope of management studies: explaining the interplay between drawing, reflecting and theorizing; demonstrating how visual analysis can integrate the individual and their environment by drawing on Gestalt therapy's concept of contact boundary; and explaining how drawing can promote accountability in research with participants. To illustrate the contributions, the paper draws on two research projects that highlight the significance of self-reflection in relation to embodied experiences and explain why it is important for both researchers and participants.