Improvisation as a Training Method to Develop Effective Teams in the Workplace with a Focus on Promoting Confidence, Interpersonal Skills and Relationship Building.

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the usefulness of improvisation training (improv) as a training method to develop effective teams in the workplace with a focus on promoting confidence, interpersonal skills and relationship building. Most adults spend the majority of their working life in the workplace and for most organisations employees are structured in teams across all levels of the organisation. As a result, the effectiveness of the team unit is critical to organisation success. Improv as an art form has grown in popularity over recent decades as a form of training in the workplace, with participants claiming benefits in areas such as innovation, risk taking, collaboration and team building. As popular as it has grown, research into its ffectiveness into the workplace has not grown at the same rate with much research focussed on areas such as innovation. Much of the existing research focuses on one organisation, whereas this study conducts research across a number of different organisations across different industries. With this research, the researcher is taking an in-depth study on three key soft skill components considered critical for an effective team; confidence, interpersonal skills and relationship building, and the impact improv training has on the development of these skills. The conclusion of the research not only found that improv training has benefit team effectiveness but also that participants considered it to be the most positive team development training or team building undertaken.