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When the public stage gains a script, a body, and a collective purpose
Implementing effective
strategic planning in a public office has always been a challenge. Bureaucratic
slowness, difficulty in engaging teams, and the lack of clarity around shared
purposes often turn grand plans into forgotten stacks of paper. It was
precisely to break this pattern that professor, researcher, and playwright Antônio
Carlos dos Santos created the Quasar K+ methodology—an innovative
approach that integrates science, theater, and organizational culture to plan
with the body, the mind, and the heart. In this case study, we will follow,
step by step, the practical application of this methodology in a municipal
department of culture—a journey that transformed a technical office into a true
creative company.
The first stage of
Quasar K+ is not about drafting the plan itself but awakening strategic
listening. Inspired by the logic of theatrical improvisation and
neuroplasticity (Doidge, 2007), this initial process was conducted in the form
of a scenic circle, where managers, staff, and community guests shared
their experiences, frustrations, and hopes related to the department. Through
dynamics inspired by the MAT (Mindset, Action, and Theater) methodology,
participants physically represented their perceptions of the institution: some
hunched over as if carrying a burden; others walked in circles symbolizing
stagnation. This active and symbolic listening was essential to build an
emotional and collective foundation on which the planning would be based.
From these
performances, the moment came to formulate the department’s Mission.
Unlike traditional methods that propose cold, institutional statements, the
Mission in Quasar K+ is lived on stage. Using theatrical games from the ThM
(Theater Movement) method, public servants enacted how they wished to be
perceived by the community. From this exercise emerged the following formulation:
“We are the stage, the bridge, and the heartbeat of culture in our city.” A
brief, emotional, and memorable statement—qualities highlighted by Antônio
Carlos in his book “Strategic Communication: the art of speaking well”
as essential to effective strategic communication.
With the Mission
defined, the group was invited to construct a Vision of the Future. Once
again, the theater metaphor entered the scene: the vision was not only written,
but also directed as a performance. Each participant dramatized the
future they wanted to see: crowded cultural spaces, smiling children in
workshops, elderly citizens reciting poetry in public squares. This shared
future was recorded not only in text, but also in videos and drawings—honoring
the idea that multiple languages activate different regions of the brain, as
supported by recent neuroeducation research (Immordino-Yang, 2017). The vision
was then synthesized in a poetic and powerful phrase: “We will be the creative
heart of our city.”
The next step was
formulating Policies and Strategies, which in Quasar K+ are understood
as acts and scenes that unfold in seasons (execution cycles). Inspired
by the model of Strategic Storytelling, the department’s leaders, supported by
facilitators, created short scripts for each policy. For instance, the policy
for democratizing cultural access became “The Open Window Act,” a dramaturgical
metaphor for practices that remove entry barriers. This dramatization
facilitated collective understanding of the strategies and their unfolding
across territories and concrete actions.
With the policies
scripted, it was time to define Objectives and Key Results, following
the OKR model but adapted to the emotional logic of Quasar K+. Objectives were
formulated with verb, value, and visualization. For example: “Promote 30
inclusive cultural actions by the end of the year” was represented with a
sensory panel and symbolic performances. The goals became Scene Indicators
(SIs), expressed not only in numbers but also in gestures. Instead of
simply measuring attendance, the department started tracking smiles,
interactions, compliments, and narratives—qualitative data systematized using
digital tools and active listening. This aligns with what the field of sensitive
evaluation in public policy proposes (Guerra, 2021).
The tracking of these
goals was supported by the TBMB – Mané Beiçudo Puppet Theater, a
methodology created by Antônio Carlos to allow symbolic and playful feedback.
Instead of tense evaluation meetings, monthly sessions became “backstage
rehearsals,” where staff used puppets to express their challenges and progress.
One employee, facing difficulty in leading a project, used a puppet to narrate
his insecurities, receiving support from the group and redefining his role with
lightness and humanity. This practice generated a trusting environment and
reduced interpersonal conflict, as suggested by theatrical psychology studies
(Boal, 1992).
All data, perceptions,
and learnings were recorded in Scene Notebooks, a kind of institutional
diary inspired by the book “Moving Letters: the art of writing well”,
also by Antônio Carlos dos Santos. Each team maintained a notebook where they
wrote not only reports but also chronicles, poems, and reflections on their
work. Poetic writing as a form of documentation not only increased engagement
but also strengthened the identity bond between the employees and the
department’s mission. As shown in James Pennebaker’s research (2007), writing about
daily work-related emotions can improve physical health, productivity, and
organizational climate.
Finally, the Feedback
and Reinforcement Phase—a step often neglected in traditional methods—was
treated as a public premiere. An event was held at the municipal theater
where staff, partners, and the community presented the results and challenges
in the form of scenes, music, and testimonials. This event generated
visibility, pride, and a reinforcement of collective purpose. Additionally,
quantitative data was also presented in accessible language, allowing everyone
to understand the impact of the work accomplished. It was a true spectacle of
citizenship and living planning.
In summary,
implementing the Quasar K+ strategic planning model in a public office means
much more than drawing goals on a board: it means activating the institutional
body, giving voice to its actors, building shared narratives, and integrating
science, art, and management into an organic process. When public
administration allows itself to rehearse, to err, to improvise, and to listen
deeply, it reinvents itself as a stage for collective transformation. And as
Antônio Carlos dos Santos puts it: “To plan with poetry is to breathe with
purpose. And where there is breath, there is life, there is voice, there is
future.”
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