Organisational theatre as polyphonic enterprise: ambiguity & process in health care transformation

This paper presents a longitudinal, qualitative study of the polyphonic character of an organizational theatre intervention at an Australian cancer care hospital. In agreement with fragmentationist views of organizational culture as ambiguous, multi-leveled, and contradictory in character, the paper reveals the uncertain, contested and shifting nature of the goals and outcomes of the intervention. In contrast to the claims of both supporters and critics of organizational theatre, it is argued that such goals and outcomes are complex, shifting and inherently contestable. A key component of the study is a detailing of the multiple ways in which the different stakeholders shaped and interpreted the purpose of the intervention over time. Drawing on Bakhtin's concept of polyphony, and its metaphorical transfer into organizational studies, the paper details both the multi-vocal character of the intervention and the complex and contested nature of any assessment of its role in facilitating the harmonious expression of this multi-vocality. It is argued that recognition of this phenomenon is a key requirement for a polyphonic interpretation of the nature and purpose of organizational theatre within academic research.