Newly relocated employees have to assimilate a new culture and responsibilities and start working effectively in a very short space of time. Therefore it is no surprise that investment in pre-departure training has proven to be money well spent. What is perhaps more of a surprise is that IHR managers have found a new way of helping to ease relocated managers into their new shoes – dancing shoes!

The benefits of exercise are well known; it improves concentration, mental agility and physical co-ordination, confidence and self-esteem. In Japan the concept of bringing some form of exercise to the workplace has been going on for years. Managing Director of Framos Electronics Julian Parfitt, who has worked for Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi, confirms that a daily exercise routine to music is announced over a Tannoy at 10 am and 3 pm every day in Japanese companies.

Movement as metaphor

There is no record of this being used in Britain but the potential of combining consultancy with dance was apparent to Claire Russ, a choreographer, and Andrea Bugari, an independent consultant and change facilitator. Russ and Bugari joined forces to create 'Companies-in-Motion'. The initiative combines traditional consulting techniques with exercises and physical metaphor as a way to help employees understand the company’s dynamics.

Companies-in-Motion uses the same improvisation exercises that dancers use when putting together stage productions. Groups are led by a choreographer and exercises are debriefed by a consultant who puts the physical metaphors into a business context.

"There is a move away from linear solutions in consultancy and a lot of talk about complexity," says Bugari. "Approaching these concepts in a physical way helps people to see this complexity in a tangible, simple way."

When clients work with a partner this is used as a metaphor for shared leadership. Each takes turns to lead the other around the room, just by touch. This exercise demonstrates that if the initiator is vague with his directions, his intention will not be understood. This highlights the importance of using good, clear communication at all times.

On international assignments, an employee will work effectively when he feels comfortable with his new role and has the support of his colleagues. Companies-in-Motion assists clients with team integration after mergers, leadership development and in-house changes. Their Task Force Jump Start program is ideal for helping new teams to hit the ground running. Here a choreographer and consultant would not sit down and discuss issues, instead they would break boundaries by getting the team onto the dance floor.

"If you can unlock the body, you can unlock mental processes," says Russ, who believes that British reticence can be reduced by encouraging the Brits to start moving. Movement helps to create trust and a bond.

"People realise that despite any differences, we all have our human body in common. Using our body to explore complex business concepts helps people to open up and to gain a rapid understanding of the business; for example, If I lift my arm, I can see the ways it affects the rest of my body and metaphorically, this concept can be applied to the business," continues Russ.

Companies-in-Motion already boasts a string of satisfied corporate clients. As Rebecca Wyatt of Capital One says, "It’s refreshing to illustrate concepts such as resistance, shared leadership and barriers to real communication without having to labour through presentations. Somehow, this gets much quicker to real, embodied learning."

The synergy of salsa

Speaker, trainer and salsa teacher, Susan Whisker is also aware of the metaphorical power of dance and now promotes the benefits of using dance as a means of unlocking potential within a business.

"We need to apply the same principles to the working environment that we apply to dance," says Whisker, "And aim to get everybody working in time and in tune with one another. There is a synergy that can be drawn from dance, potentially creating choreographed businesses which flow with grace, ease and understanding all over the world."

The magic of merengue

Writing as someone who was forced to dance the merengue in a room full of strangers during a workshop about transitioning between cultures, I fully endorse the idea that music and movement have a valuable role to play in intercultural training sessions.

Never have I felt so uncomfortable, so visible and so stupid, doing something I found unfamiliar among people I neither knew nor understood. The parallels between dance and business are profound.

For more information, visit:
www.companies-in-motion.com
www.susanwhisker.com

A special thanks to Rebecca Law for contributing her research to this article.

Freelance journalist and speaker Jo Parfitt is the author of 'A career in your suitcase', a book which focuses on the career of the accompanying spouse (http://www.career-in-your-suitcase.com).