Prof. Seymour Papert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says: "We need to produce people who know how to act when they are faced with situations for which they were not specifically prepared."
To what extent are organisations preparing people for the unexpected?
The reply lies in the numerous conflicts that arise in all the organisational strata. The economic crunch is stiffening business targets to keep competition at bay, threatening jobs and causing disengagement and attrition.
Managers have their days counted if they do not excel and innovate. Their stress is often shown in unethical behaviour with employees, who do not tolerate disrespect and arrogance. Good managers know that team spirit can make the difference between surviving and striving.
Many organisations are embarking on a team-building programme to motivate their staff and strengthen work relationships for better performance. The majority opt for the conventional types of learning event, either in class or outdoors.
However, one needs to investigate to what extent these models of training yield long-term results. Classroom learning is suited to impart declarative knowledge, but soft skills, such as team spirit, are rooted in implicit knowledge, the same kind of knowledge required to ride a bicycle or tie shoelaces.
On the other hand, outdoor activities favour employees on their physical ability, which can pose a serious and potentially unlawful threat to diversity at the workplace.
What is improvisation-based training?
Improvisation training offers a variety of games and exercises which are different enough from real life as to offer freedom to experiment, and close enough as to relate to existing situations. This is a potent way to learn soft skills without relying on a particular set of traits or beliefs.
The practice gives each participant the experience of distributed leadership, switching from leader to follower roles dynamically and proactively, and embracing both points of views in turn. This allows them to experiment with the way they relate and collaborate with others and in turn increases self-awareness and sociability.
London-based training company Imprology has developed interactive techniques, tested in the field and delivered by facilitators, to give participants an awesome, useful and memorable experience.
The form of communication widely used throughout the training is gibberish, which invites everyone to look and listen more carefully, making it harder for dominant characters to hijack the exercise and easier for introvert people to give it a try.
It's not always easy to explain to extrovert people that they need to leave some space for others if the team is to give its best. Gibberish does that effortlessly, as it requires participants to emotionally invest into a shared space.
During the exercises, players are overexposed in an enclosed space and not too sure about what's coming next. This can be tough, especially the first time. It is one of the reasons why improvisers laugh so much. Laughter is an efficient way to release tension. But laughter is not necessarily a given, and we are not as quick to 'laugh with' as we are to 'laugh at'.
Some people will react to the stress by retracting into their own thoughts; others by trying to take control in every way they can. Carving a safe space around us becomes the priority and negation of the tool of choice. 'No' comes easy to us, as a call for attention, a declaration of autonomy or a way to buy time. 'No' is safe. 'Yes' is dangerous.
Saying 'yes' turns us into followers, which sounds a bit like losers. Our instinct tells us that 'no' will make us count for something. So we'd rather say 'no' and see what happens... usually nothing much, because if we say 'no' in a scene, we've got nowhere to go next. So players are quick to realise that 'yes' is the most interesting and fruitful thing to say...
What are the learning outcomes of improvisation training?
Such training enhances listening skills, assertiveness, negotiation skills, problem-solving skills, presentation skills and self-management skills. It promotes the emergence of a team culture to support execution and facilitate innovation.
Improvisation helps people become better communicators. This seems awkward because we have all been improvising since birth. Learning to improvise sounds as irrelevant as learning to breathe. Improvisation is something we do every minute of our lives without giving it a second thought, and something we feel we shouldn't have to learn.
Yet, under the right guidance, improvisation can teach us to be all that we can. It is an incredible journey of self-discovery and a transformational school of humility, forgiveness and efficiency. Improvisation teaches things one doesn't know.
The return on investment is to be found in the channelling of energies into a productive and co-operative space.
Imprology UK is back in Malta on May 22 for a taster from 1-5 p.m. and a beginners' course on May 23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. One can attend either the taster or the course, or both.
For more information, e-mail mariapia@onvol.net, call 2141 2652 or 9940 3102 or visit www.imprology.com
Mr Bertrand is principal and senior facilitator, Imprology UK.