We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: Pragmatic Adaptation in Large-Scale Creative Projects with Underspecified Product Concepts

Developing new creative products inherently involves ambiguity due to its focus on novelty. When organizations have high ambitions for novelty yet lack a specific product concept, they must coordinate complex work and manage possibilities alongside significant ambiguity. This longitudinal qualitative study of a video game project examines how a large-scale creative project team collaborated in the face of an underspecified product concept. I theorize how project teams employ two interconnected processes: an iterative compositional process that drives product development within periods, and a pragmatic adaptation process that shifts teams from creative idealism to realism across periods. The findings reveal three distinct but interrelated forms of work—product work, contribution framing, and adaptive psychological work—that enable creative workers to develop an ambitious product without a specified product concept. By examining both product work and the psychological experiences of creative workers across hierarchical levels, this research broadens our understanding of creative work beyond more exclusively product-focused perspectives.