Abstract
This paper introduces microhistory as an epistemological and methodological framework for studying the past experience of innovative architecture and design in organizational research. The relevance of microhistory for organization research goes beyond the focus on the small scale, as its methods involve tracing the sources, particularly ego-documents, that allow us to reconstruct the lived experience. We use the Bauhaus School as a case study to illustrate how microhistorical methods and historical imagination can reconstruct the perception and impact of novel design solutions in their historical context. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the methodological practice of narrative construction through historical imagination and the difference in the notion and criteria for rigour between historical narratives and organizational theorizing. We suggest that microhistory and historical imagination can enrich our understanding of design as a driver of organizational and social change and provide a more diverse and inclusive notion of the meaning and relevance of theory for management and organizational history.