Business theatre in management studies: a structured literature review and future research directions

This paper aims to provide a structured literature review about business theatre in management studies to reveal potential gaps in the existing background and suggest directions for future research on this performing artbased training method. This is a conceptual paper whose analytical approach draws heavily on theoretical evidence published in management literature. Especially, it suggests: (a) to extend the research areas on business theatre to creativity, communication, generational change, marketing, corporate social responsibility and higher education; (b) to highlight the importance of theatrebased training for developing self-awareness, awareness of others and creative abilities in managers and students; (c) to create relationships among scholars and practitioners from different nationalities to extend the studies at an international level; and (d) to undertake qualitative and quantitative empirical studies as well as further conceptual research, through survey and interviews. Scholars can use this paper as reference to identify specific research areas that can be theoretically and empirically investigated to further advance knowledge on this topic.