Skip to main content
Log in

All the world's a stage

- using drama theory to resolve confrontations

  • Article
  • Published:
OR Insight

Abstract

Drama Theory is a general theory of human interaction which uses the metaphor of drama to illuminate how situations develop through the deliberate choices made by participants. This article sets out the key concepts of the theory and presents the core technique of confrontation analysis. Through examples it shows the dilemmas posed by rational choice behaviour, and discusses their resolution. A number of short case examples are provided to encourage the management scientist to adopt drama theory as an analytical approach.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Authors

Additional information

*Jim Bryant is Professor of Operational Research and Strategy Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University. Drama theory and its applications in organisational settings is his principal research focus. He also maintains a web-page on the topic (http://www.drama.u-net.com) and has developed the STUDIO software suite for drama theoretic analysis and presentation.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bryant, J. All the world's a stage. OR Insight 10, 14–21 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1057/ori.1997.18

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/ori.1997.18

Navigation