This study builds on the growing body of knowledge of organizational aesthetics. I worked with two regional theatres in Atlanta, Georgia: The Jewish Theatre of the South and Alliance Theatre to discover what business organizations could learn from theatre ensembles and companies to strengthen systems alignment and high performance. I maintained a systems perspective throughout, considering the entire entity, its organizational interdependent elements, remaining mindful of how these elements interact. The data were collected employing two qualitative methods. I observed rehearsals from the first meeting to opening night, and the experiences of actors and technicians in their natural setting to discover, understand, and describe the factors that make for performance success. I conducted 15 face-to-face interviews with actors, directors, producers and technical staff to learn the implicit and explicit characteristics of theatre and theatre members that enable them to successfully align around a common goal - the performance.

Thematic analysis of the data revealed four dominant themes: engagement, culture, theatre roles and protocols, and alignment. While findings were congruent with current literature, new insights emerged. The difference between theatre and typical business cultures is dramatic. Ultimately, it is culture that inhibits engagement and alignment in business. This study concludes that talent identification and talent management are critical factors in business success; when people are doing something they love, are good at, and are rewarded for, an environment of collaboration, trust, flexibility, accountability, creativity, experimentation, candor, and fun can prevail.