Beyond Hope and Fear: The Effects of Organizational Theatre on Empowerment and Control

Beyond Hope and Fear: The Effects of Organizational Theatre on Empowerment and Control

  1. Richard J. Badham1
  2. W. Richard Carter2
  3. Linda J. Matula3
  4. Sharon K. Parker4
  5. Paul L. Nesbit1
  1. 1Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
  2. 2Australian Institute of Management, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  3. 3University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  4. 4The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
  1. W. Richard Carter, Australian Institute of Management, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Email: drwrichardcarter@gmail.com

Organizational theatre interventions have become established as a pervasive and influential arts-based method of dialogic organizational development, yet their effects are controversial and contested. While they have been praised for their potential as a tool of empowerment, they have also been criticized for their possible use as a more or less insidious form of control. This article explores and evaluates such claims and counterclaims, supported by an in-depth longitudinal quasi-experimental field study of customer service staff in a regional Australian bank. The results of the field study not only indicate that organizational theatre interventions may increase both empowerment and control but also suggest that the outcomes may be more lightweight than supporters have hoped and critics have feared. The article outlines the implications of these findings for future research and practice.

This article is a valuable read to understand some of the ways professionals are consdiering the use of drama in organisations at present.

For the whole article please click here.