From Cooking to Consensus: Using Analogy to Build Shared Vision in Inter-Organizational Innovation Projects

Developing a Shared Vision is a critical yet underexplored challenge in the management of complex, inter-organizational Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) projects. While early-phase alignment tools exist, few methods support shared sensemaking at the project’s midpoint - when shifting goals and emerging insights demand renewed alignment. This paper presents and evaluates an Experiential Analogy to Mid-Project Visioning, tested within a European rail innovation project. A Cooking-based Workshop was designed to help diverse consortium members reflect on project dynamics through a familiar, hands-on experience. The approach integrated Analogical Reasoning, Design Thinking tools, and Experiential Learning to spark creative insight, foster alignment, and enhance collaboration. The intervention produced three main outcomes: (i) a visual representation of the Shared project Vision; (ii) Strategic Insights that reinterpreted key project components; and (iii) Design Knowledge to inform subsequent development. The results underscore the potential of analogy-based experiences to support mid-course alignment, particularly in RDI settings. Future research should examine the applicability of alternative analogies to validate whether metaphors beyond cooking can yield similar benefits. It should also explore the benefits of integrating creative, experiential and empathic methods - such as those rooted in Design Thinking - into Project Management (PM) practices. This study contributes to PM literature by offering a novel, Human-Centered approach to fostering mid-project visioning in inter-organizational innovation settings.