Improvisational Training in the Workplace and Beyond
Corporate improv training is becoming a popular and effective method for enhancing a host of workplace skills such as leadership, communication, problem solving, collaboration, and adaptation. However, there is a lack of empirical research looking at the cognitive impacts of improv training in the workplace. As such, I am proposing to conduct a twelve-week improv training program with a targeted group of Vancity employees, with two specific objectives in mind. First, using measures of actual workplace performance, I want to determine whether these positive claims regarding improv training are indeed valid. Second, using basic assessments of cognitive functioning, I want to identify the potential underlying means by which improv training can in fact facilitate workplace performance. I hypothesize that posttraining: 1) employees will show improvement on cognitive measures of flexibility such as adaptation to change and creativity, and 2) both employees and managers will report positive changes in workplace performance.