From Dramaturgy to Theatre as Technology: The Case of Corporate Theatre*

Journal of Management Studies - Tập 41 Số 1 - Trang 37-59 - 2004
Timothy Clark1, Iain L. Mangham2
1Durham Business School, University of Durham
2The Management Centre, King's College, University of London

Tóm tắt

ABSTRACT This article examines a piece of corporate theatre. Although theatre has entered organization studies through the dramatistic writing of Kenneth Burke and the dramaturgical writings of Erving Goffman, this article is concerned with an approach variously described asorganizational, radical,situationorcorporatetheatre that treats theatre not primarily as a resource, an ontology or a metaphor but as a technology. This approach involves the deployment by an organization of dramatists, actors, directors, set designers, lighting specialists, and musicians to put on performances in front of audiences. Using frameworks derived from studies of theatre a particular piece of corporate theatre is described and analysed. It is argued that this form of theatre appears to be used to contain reflection and to promote the views of a particular group within an organization. It does not confront an audience but subtly suggests alternative ways of evaluating, construing and understanding issues. This may be achieved by anaesthetizing audience reaction by encouraging imaginative participation in the performance so that cherished beliefs and values do not appear to be directly challenged.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

AV Magazine(2000). ‘Live events: strong but mature.AV Magazine January 29–30.

Augustine N., 1999, Shakespeare in Charge: The Bard's Guide to Leading and Succeeding on the Business Stage

10.2307/1145834

Blau H., 1992, To All Appearances: Ideology and Performance

Blumer H., 1969, Symbolic Interactionism

Boal A., 1979, Theatre of the Oppressed

Boal A., 1998, Legislative Theatre

Brecht B.(1978).Gesammelte Werke XV in Dickson K. A. (Ed.) Towards Utopia: A Study of Brecht. Oxford:Clarendon Press.

Brissett D., 1990, Life as Theatre: A Dramaturgical Sourcebook

Brooker P., 1994, The Cambridge Companion to Brecht

Burke K., 1945, A Grammar of Motives

Burke K., 1969, A Rhetoric of Motives, 10.1525/9780520353237

Burke K., 1969, International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 445

10.4324/9780203205501

Case P., 2001, Critical Consulting: New Perspectives on the Management Advice Industry, 93

Clark T.andMangham I.(forthcoming). ‘Stripping to the undercoat: a review and reflections on a piece of organization theatre.Organization Studies.

10.1080/02642069800000002

10.1080/00335639209383980

Cole D., 1975, The Theatrical Event: a Mythos, a Vocabulary, a Perspective

10.1177/1350507698293006

Corrigan P., 2000, Shakespeare on Management: Leadership Lessons for Today's Managers

10.1017/CBO9780511897498

Duncan H., 1962, Communication and Social Order

Duncan H., 1968, Symbols in Society

10.4324/9780203426074

10.1016/0090-2616(92)90084-Z

10.2307/259098

10.1177/014920638801400210

Geertz C., 1980, Negara: The Theatre State in Nineteenth Century Bali

Geertz C., 1983, Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology

Giacolone R. A., 1989, Impression Management in Organizations

Goffman E., 1959, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

Goffman E., 1967, Interaction Ritual: Essays on Face‐to‐face Behaviour

Goffman E., 1974, Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience

10.1108/09534810110394895

Grove S. J., 1992, The service experience as theatre, Advances in Consumer Research, 19, 455

Hansen H.(2002). ‘The Construction of Organizational Stories: The Stories Behind the Stories’. Unpublished doctoral dissertation University of Kansas.

10.1086/228465

10.1007/978-1-349-18953-3

Ichheiser G.(1949). ‘Misunderstandings in Human Relations: A Study in False Social Relations’. Supplement to theAmerican Journal of Sociology 55.

10.1177/0893318901143006

Keene G.(1999). ‘How the conference changed its spots.The Independent on Sunday 9 May 7.

10.1177/017084069301400406

10.4324/9780203412282

10.1515/9781503617230

Lyman S. M., 1975, The Drama of Social Reality

10.1108/09534810110394903

Mangham I. L., 1983, Beyond Method, 219

Mangham I. L., 1987, Organizations as Theatre: A Social Psychology of Dramatic Appearances

Matravers D., 1998, Art and Emotion

Meisiek S., 2002, Situation drama in change management: types and effects of a new managerial tool, International Journal of Arts Management, 4, 48

Meisiek S., 1999, Unternehmentheater: Formen – Erfarungen – erfolgreicher Einsatz

Mitchell J. N., 1978, Social Exchange, Dramaturgy and Ethnomethodology: Toward a Paradigmatic Synthesis

Novitz D., 1992, The Boundaries of Art

Novitz D., 1997, Emotion and the Arts

Olivier R., 2001, Inspirational Leadership: Henry V and the Muse of Fire

10.4324/9780203359334

Perinbanayagam R. S., 1991, Discursive Acts

Pine B. J., 1999, The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre and Every Business a Stage

Pineault W. J.(1989). ‘Industrial Theatre: The Businessman's Broadway’. PhD dissertation Bowling Green State University.

10.1177/014920638501100205

10.1111/j.1467-6486.1988.tb00710.x

Rosenfeld P., 1995, Impression Management in Organizations: Theory, Measurement, Practice

Schechner R., 1988, Performance Theory

Schlenker B. R., 1980, Impression Management: The Self‐concept, Social Identity, and Interpersonal Relations

Schreyögg G.(2001). ‘Organizational Theatre and Organizational Change’. Discussion Paper No. 13/01 Institute für Management Freie Universität Berlin.

10.1007/978-3-322-90666-3

Shakespeare W., 1996, Hamlet

Smith R. W.(1997). ‘Hidden Theatre: Corporate Theatre in America’. PhD dissertation University of Missouri–Columbia.

Turner V., 1969, The Ritual Process

Turner V., 1974, Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors

Turner V., 1984, Rite, Drama, Festival, Spectacle: Rehearsals Toward a Theory of Performance

10.1108/09534810110394886

Wehner H., 1999, Unternehmentheater: Formen – Erfarungen – erfolgreicher Einsatz

Whitney J., 2000, Power Plays: Shakespeare's Lessons in Leadership and Management

Wilshire B., 1982, Role Playing and Identity. The Limits of Theatre as Metaphor

Young T. R., 1990, The Drama of Social Life: Essays in Post‐Modern Social Psychology

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Journal of Management Studies

Tập 41 Số 1

37-59

Thông tin tác giả