Research-based Theater as a Facilitator of Organizational Learning

Abstract

The authors address key questions: whether polyphonic learning space can be constructed by combining theater techniques and applying them to that space, and what kind of knowledge creation process might arise from that endeavor. In polyphonic learning spaces a key element of change and organizational events is seen as a continuous, emergent process. This perspective makes learning a collective and interpretive action process in which the members of an organization construct meanings together and change itself is a pattern of endless modifications in day-to-day work and social practices. By means of aesthetic distancing, which posits that narratives encourage engagement, the authors demonstrate how to focus on the social infrastructure of an organization. The study and intervention presented in this chapter show that it is possible to gain knowledge by interpreting personal experiences. The role of management thereby changes from the setting of goals to the shaping of directions.