Enabling Creative Chaos
The Organization Behind the Burning Man Event
- Contents
- Review Quotes
- Awards

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Introduction: The Perils of Under- and Overorganizing
2 Context: The Development of the Burning Man Event and Organization
3 “Do-ocracy”: Acting on Suggestions and Criticisms
4 “Radical Inclusion”: Attracting and Placing Members
5 “No Spectators”: Motivating Members to Contribute
6 “Immerse Yourself”: Managing Relations in the Pursuit of Legitimacy
7 Conclusion: Sustaining Creative Chaos
Appendix 1. Ethnography and Qualitative Research
Appendix 2. Interview Protocols
Notes
Reference List
Index“Katherine Chen immersed herself in the world of Burning Man, the fascinating community that gathers annually for a week-long arts celebration in the Nevada desert. Her marvelous portrait of this unusual collective provides a rich template for considering how organizations of all varieties strike a balance between flexibility and fairness and creativity and security. This is one of the best organizational ethnographies I've seen in many years.”
Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA): ARNOVA-Outstanding Book in Nonprofit & Voluntary Action Research
Won
ASA/Occupations & Organizations Section: ASA - Max Weber Award
Honorable Mention
Anthropology: Cultural and Social Anthropology
Art: American Art
Economics and Business: Business--Business Economics and Management Studies
Sociology: Collective Behavior, Mass Communication | Formal and Complex Organizations | Sociology of Arts--Leisure, Sports
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