Implementing Theater in Management Education: A Roadmap for the Soft Skills Trainer
The IUP Journal of Soft Skills, Vol. V, No. 2, June 2011, pp. 39-50
Posted: 8 Feb 2020
Date Written: April 2, 2012
Abstract
The term ‘soft skills’ has come to be seen as an integral component of management education. There has been a paradigm shift in the instructional methodologies of general management concepts, as inquisitive students persistently question the absolute applicability of these concepts unless validated through personal reflection. This paper makes a pitch for learning soft skills in management through the medium of theater. The underlying principle behind this approach derives from the dramaturgical approaches to social exchanges propounded by Kenneth Burke and Erving Goffman. This is essentially the fundamental approach to Corporate Theater as well, practiced in many organizations to unlearn and relearn values embedded in individuals. Theater arguably transcends the constraints imposed by mere theorizing that may curtail any real learning in terms of personal reflection. This facilitation of self-reflection and the transformation of spectators to spectactors is the quintessence of theater-induced learning. The author also gives a roadmap to deploy the concept effectively in the classroom.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation