Insights from Our Work with London Business School
Leaders spend most of their time handling situations they never get to practise for: pressure, uncertainty, shifting priorities, complex conversations. Technical expertise gets them into the role, but their success depends on skills that require more than knowledge — they need time, space and structure to experience them.
This principle sits at the centre of our evolving collaboration with London Business School, which began quietly in 2022 and has since expanded across the UAE and KSA. The partnership is anchored in a simple, shared idea: leadership development should be lived, not memorised.
How improv became a leadership tool
When LBS introduced their Next Level Leadership programme to Dubai in 2023, they invited us to redesign a core experiential day — Leadership in the Moment. In London, this module is delivered by an improv theatre company. For the Middle East, they asked us to adapt the approach for leaders working in this region’s unique cultural and organisational landscapes.
Improvisation works in leadership training because it exposes habits quickly. It shows how people respond when plans shift, when someone challenges them, or when clarity disappears. In the studio, leaders experiment with:
- adapting under pressure,
- communicating with intention,
- reading a room rather than controlling it,
- collaborating when the path forward is unclear,
- and navigating conversations they usually avoid.
These sessions aren’t theoretical. They are lived, often revealing, and occasionally uncomfortable — which is exactly why they are effective.
Expanding the collaboration
The success of the early cohorts led to additional deliveries in Dubai and, later, Riyadh as part of the school’s growing regional leadership academy. The work broadened further into leadership projects within the school’s client ecosystem, including programmes for one of the largest European-based food and beverage companies, a leading Saudi financial institution, and other major regional organisations.
One of the most extensive collaborations has been a multi-year leadership initiative for a large Saudi-based cultural organisation, running from 2024–2026. Across more than twenty cohorts, we co-facilitated experiential modules for both early-career and mid-career leaders, integrating improvisation, actor-led role-play and practical communication tools.
Across countries, industries and job levels, one pattern has been consistent: leaders want structured environments where they can practise the interpersonal side of leadership before they face the real-world stakes.
Why this work resonates
Theatre-based learning offers something rare in corporate development — a place where the stakes feel genuine yet the consequences aren’t permanent. Leaders can experiment, adjust and try again without the pressure of organisational visibility or real-world impact.
This combination of realism and safety builds confidence in a way that classroom teaching rarely achieves. It also opens the door to more honest reflection. People see their own habits clearly, which makes change easier to approach.
The partnership with LBS has continued to grow because this method consistently produces meaningful shifts in behaviour. Their academic frameworks and leadership expertise align naturally with our experiential approach, offering participants a rounded and practical learning journey.
Looking ahead
With confirmed NLL cohorts in Dubai for 2026 and discussions underway for additional programmes in KSA, the collaboration continues to evolve. What began as a single programme has become a regional relationship shaped by curiosity, experimentation and a shared commitment to developing leaders through lived experience.