CREATIVITY FOR MANAGEMENT - 1

Creativity for Management is part of the Master’s degree in Innovation and Management for Culture and Creativity and is dedicated to the development of creative competences for organisational contexts. The course contributes to the training of students who can work in cultural and creative sectors and in traditional companies by bringing concrete languages, practices and expressive tools into organisational, communicative and relational processes. The course is divided into two modules, Business theatre and Creative writing. This structure makes it possible to approach creativity not as an abstract category, but through specific languages and practices. The course is based on learning by doing: students use two expressive tools directly in order to explore, construct and test narratives connected to organisational contexts. Creative knowledge is therefore also approached through critical thinking, without necessarily celebrating corporate identity or organisational functioning. The Business theatre module introduces theatrical language as a way to explore and represent organisational dynamics. Work on presence, body, voice, listening, improvisation and the collective construction of scenic situations allows students to understand how theatre can be used in corporate and institutional contexts for training, communication, relationship development, team building and organisational storytelling. Theatre is therefore treated both as a practical tool for organisational intervention and as a critical tool for making visible the roles, behaviours, conflicts, routines and forms of coordination that shape organisational life.

By the end of the module, students are expected to recognise and use basic elements of theatrical language, with particular reference to physical presence, posture, movement, use of the voice, management of stage space and relation with other participants. They will be able to identify essential components of theatrical action, such as entrance, exit, position, gesture, rhythm, pause, listening and response. They will also be able to take part consciously in exercises of improvisation, situation building and scenic interaction, understanding how a scene takes shape through the relation between body, voice, space, intention and behaviour. Students will acquire the ability to develop a short performative narrative from a given subject, translating it into a sequence of scenic actions and interactions. They will be able to contribute to the individual and collective construction of a scene, working on rhythm, narrative coherence and the relation between characters, space and situation. Finally, students will develop an understanding of the main ways in which theatre can be used in organisational contexts, with reference to training practices, development of relational skills, communication and event construction. Within this framework, they will be able to recognise the potential of theatre as a tool for reading and critically representing organisational dynamics.

No previous experience in theatre or performance is required. Curiosity, openness, availability and willingness to take part actively are, however, necessary. The module requires active participation in workshop activities involving the body, the voice and relations with others. It is therefore not a course in which students can simply listen and take notes.

The module begins with a short introduction to the managerial aspects connected to the use of theatre in organisations. The theatrical metaphor is presented as a way to read organisational dynamics, with reference to roles, interactions, representations and situations. The main uses of business theatre are also introduced, including training and development, practices aimed at strengthening relational skills and emotional intelligence, activities connected to safety and behavioural training, team building initiatives, communication projects and events. This part provides the basic framework for understanding the meaning and fields of application of the practices developed in the module. The main part of the course is organised as a workshop and introduces students to the foundations of theatrical language through progressive practical exercises. Work begins with awareness of the body, posture, movement and presence in space, and then moves towards voice, listening, relation with others and management of attention. Students experiment with essential elements of scenic action, such as entrance, exit, position, gesture, rhythm, pause, intention and response. Improvisation activities help students understand that a theatrical situation does not arise only from a text, but from the relation between behaviours, bodies, words, silences and space. The workshop therefore works on the construction of situations through actions, interactions and reactions, with attention to the coherence of scenic action and to the gradual transformation of an idea into a short performative sequence. Starting from these competences, the course guides students in identifying a subject or situation to represent and in translating it into an essential theatrical form. The process includes brainstorming, development of ideas, construction of short scenic sequences, definition of characters and organisation of space and interactions. The work develops progressively through rehearsals, exercises and revisions, with attention to both the individual and collective dimensions of scenic construction. The module finally includes the production of a short performative work, individually or in groups, through which students put into practice the competences acquired. The course is practice oriented: it does not require or provide a systematic study of theatre theory, but is based on direct experience and classroom work.

There are no compulsory reference texts. Additional readings may be suggested during the module.
It may be useful to read: Brook, Peter. The Empty Space. London: MacGibbon & Kee, 1968.

Assessment is mainly based on workshop work and on the production of a performative output, which accounts for 75% of the final grade. Within this component, 40% is assigned to active participation in the workshop, with reference to attendance, involvement in the activities, willingness to take part and ability to contribute continuously to the development of the work. The remaining 35% is assigned to the final presentation of the performance, assessed in relation to the coherence between idea, development and realisation, as well as the ability to use basic elements of theatrical language consciously and to explain the choices made. The remaining 25% is based on an individual written test on the managerial aspects addressed in the module, with particular reference to the use of theatre in organisational contexts, the theatrical metaphor as a way to read organisational dynamics and the main applications of business theatre in training, communication and development processes.

written and oral

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

Grades are assigned according to the Italian scale out of 30, as follows:
18–21: basic understanding and limited analysis.
22–25: fair understanding with some attempt at synthesis, but uncertain presentation.
26–28: good critical level and coherent application of concepts.
29–30: very good analytical ability and well developed theoretical reflection.
30 cum laude: excellent originality, conceptual depth and rigour.

The module combines a short frontal introduction to managerial aspects with a mainly workshop based activity. The initial part provides the basic coordinates on the use of theatre in organisational contexts, introducing the theatrical metaphor and the main applications of business theatre. The central part of the course is organised as a workshop and includes structured theatre exercises adapted to students without previous experience. Activities include physical and vocal warm up exercises, guided work on presence and use of space, listening and attention exercises, pair and small group activities to develop relation and coordination, and improvisation sessions based on simple prompts. Students work on short practical tasks, such as building a situation, entering and leaving a scene, maintaining a coherent action, responding to a partner, and managing rhythm and pauses. The teaching process is organised through progressive exercises, moving from individual activities to the construction of short collective scenic sequences. The work includes rehearsal, feedback and discussion, in which the activities carried out are observed, commented on and reworked. The approach is based on learning by doing, with students directly involved in all phases of the work and immediate translation of the elements introduced into scenic practice.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development