Cultural Diversity in the workplace was the topic of conversation at a recent Executive Secretary and PA Convention in Sandton, and the organisers, Marcus Evans Conferences used Industrial Theatre to brilliantly highlight many of the diversity issues in the workplace today.

On the 22nd and 23rd August 2001 a convention was held at the Hilton Hotel aimed at equipping secretaries and personal assistants for the challenges of the modern workplace. Delegates attended from all over South Africa as well as Tanzania, Malawi, Botswana and Zambia.

The conference dealt with the changing role of the secretary and personal assistant and looked at issues such as handling stress in the workplace and at home, interpersonal skills and conflict resolution and assertiveness and time management. The organisers also felt a need for some indication on how to cope with cultural diversity.

Many eminent speakers were invited to speak to the 80 + ladies on these topics, but in order to graphically illustrate the problems regarding cultural diversity, Industrial Theatre was chosen as a vehicle and The Learning Theatre Organisation was called upon to produce a piece for the occasion.

The Learning Theatre Organisation specialises in providing dramatic solutions to business problems, and have worked with some of South Africa’s biggest companies on a variety of issues, such as Change and Transformation, Leadership development, Strategic Business planning, Implementation of new technology (Information management), e-business and e-commerce, Marketing and Promotion and of course Cultural Diversity.

This innovative industrial theatre company decided to create a one-man show for the occasion and the called upon the acting talents of Johan Bothma, an accomplished actor and director from Pretoria. Johan portrayed the character of Lulu Smith, a six year old girl who spends a lot of time at her mommy’s office and watches the passing human parade with interest. She uses her dolls to demonstrate and explain the way in which the various people at her mommy’s work interact, fight, argue, love, etc. Her remarks are concise, witty and casts a clear spotlight on some of the most problematic diversity issues in the South African workplace today. Lulu was brought to life by Johan Bothma with great aplomb to the great delight of the audience.

The play was prescreened a week before the conference at The Unit for Diversity Management (University of Pretoria). A group of post graduate students and various experts attended the colloquium. Some were asked to comment on the content and impact of the play. “It clearly portrays the situation in many South African organisations and makes one think about what interventions can be implemented” said one student. “There are no easy solutions and although the play is presented with a lot of humour, the tough issues are expressed as exactly that – tough issues. We need to all decide how we are going to react to these situations”.

Another of the guests was Ivan Padiachy, Transformation Manager, Standard Bank Commercial Banking. Mr. Padiachy spoke to the students about the way in which his organisation goes about formulating complete strategies with Industrial Theatre as a form of communication. When asked what he thought about the one-man show, his response was emphatic. “When dealing with difficult issues in the workplace, you often find that people do not have the courage to speak out about what really bothers them. Industrial or Corporate Theatre gives the members of the audience license to speak because it uncovers the untouchable and talks about the unspeakable. It is enormously helpful as a catalyst to stimulate discussion and to facilitate change.”

The preview was also attended by members of the Communication Department of the SANDF and they are seriously considering using theater as a tool to address diversity issues within the defense force.

The preview elicited a variety of helpful criticisms and these changes were incorporated into the play. Judging by the reaction of the delegates at the Executive Secretary and PA Convention, the play was a great success.

A last word goes to one of the delegates who asked to remain nameless. “This play showed the kind of thing that happens in my office every day. It’s a great relief to know that others are struggling with the same problems and that there are ways of addressing those problems without violence or nastiness. I’ve never seen Industrial Theatre before, and really enjoyed it and I’m going to make sure it comes to our company.”

With initiatives like the Torch of Tolerance ceremonies in Pretoria, and next month’s World Conference Against Racism in Durban, it is perhaps a good idea to look at our cultural diversity through the eyes of a child like Lulu to discover that we are indeed a diverse nation with diverse talents, but that we can make it work together.