RADA and the University of Warwick launch research into leadership performance

RADA and the University of Warwick have launched a fully funded PhD studentship to investigate how actor training shapes leadership, organisational culture and professional impact in mainstream industry.

The collaborative research project, Acting on Organisations: How dramatic pedagogies shape work, culture and performance, will start in autumn 2026.

This research brings two leaders in industry education together to investigate the impact of actor training on organisational life. The University of Warwick is internationally recognised for its engagement with business and industry. And, through RADA Business, RADA has spent more than two decades applying its world-leading drama pedagogy to industry leadership, communication and organisational development.

While organisations invest significantly in developing leaders and building effective workplace cultures, little research has examined how drama strategies influence the way business leaders communicate, collaborate and lead, and contribute to organisational performance. The project will explore how dramatic pedagogies are adapted and applied across different sectors, generating new evidence about their impact on individuals, organisations and society.

Working with supervisors at the University of Warwick and RADA, the successful PhD candidate will undertake an interdisciplinary programme of research spanning higher education, the creative industries and organisational practice. Potential areas of investigation include the experiences of RADA graduates across different career pathways, organisational learning, leadership development, and the impact of professional development programmes delivered through RADA Business.

The studentship reflects both institutions' commitment to advance understanding of dramatic pedagogies and strengthen the evidence for their applicability across business, education and the creative industries.

Applications are now open for the fully funded studentship and close on 5 October 2026.

For more information and to apply, follow this link to the University of Warwick.