"Internationalization
and Integration":
Cooperation in an international department
Starting situation
50 employees of a internationally distributed
department gathered for their annual review and
outlook. The subject of “internationalization and
integration” was in focus for two reasons: first,
the employees had been working in international
teams for some time, and second, a merger between
their corporation and an American company began
around this time.
Objective
The theatrical work was intended to visualize
experiences and attitudes which in day-to-day
business were discussed in informal conversations at
best and to analyze them as a group at the end.
Friction points in day-to-day business were thus to
be put into focus in a playful manner.
Course of action
As an introduction to the one-day seminar,
warm-up exercises loosened up both the staff and the
atmosphere. The participants formed silent tableaux
which gradually obtained sound and movement. Small
scenes were developed in this way. This exercise
helped introduce the participants to theater step by
step.
This was followed by scene-based work in small
groups. The groups were given a time limit and some
theatrical rules to provide some orientation. They
could choose between four scene titles relating to
the seminar topic. The scene “name of the
corporation” provided the most stimuli for acting
and made the significance of the topic clear. This
scene concealed a number of core questions: In what
form will the companies fuse with one another? What
form will integration at employee level take? Is it
a merger or a takeover?
The performance at the seminar and discussion of
the scenes rounded off the evening.
Benefit
As is often the case with scene-based work, the
participants identified strongly with events because
their own interests were being played out. A group
dynamic arose in this animated atmosphere that
infused sensitive topics with theatrical levity.
The joint theatrical work had a lasting impact.
Even months later people were speaking about the
theater evening; the scenes performed formed a
common point of reference for participants even when
new teams were formed and offices reorganized.
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