Improvisational theatre as team development intervention for climate for work group innovation

• Main Authors: Burgert Kirsten, Ronel du Preez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AOSIS 2010-11-01
• Series: SA Journal of Industrial Psychology
• Subjects: innovation; group climate; group performance; improvisation; team-building
• Online Access: https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/862
• ISSN: 0258-5200; 2071-0763

Orientation: Changes in business environments have resulted in a need for the development of innovative teams. Improvisational theatre as a technique could contribute to the understanding of how individuals can work together and be innovative. Research purpose and motivation: This study evaluates the influence of a team development intervention utilising improvisational theatre exercises on innovative work group climate. Research design, approach and method: A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design was employed with an experimental group and a control group from a healthcare managerial division. Main findings: Repeated-measures ANOVA results indicated that for innovative work group climate as a whole, as well as for three of its factors, namely participative safety, vision, and task orientation, the experimental group’s scores improved significantly (p < 0.05). Support for innovation did not show significant differences. Practical/Managerial implications: This research has shown that improvisational theatre is a team development tool that can be used to assist work teams in creating a climate for innovation. Contribution/value-add: This study extends the body of knowledge in the field of team building and highlights the contribution that improvisational theatre can make toward the development of work teams.