Chapter 28: Role-Play as a Strategy for Leader Development

Imagine this scenario: you are an instructor in a leadership classroom; you wish to weave theoretical course concepts into an experiential learning activity that allows students to play with concepts in a safe but realistic way. Maybe you are trying to teach students about relatively new concepts (such as followership typologies) or trying to teach a sensitive topic that may elicit strong emotions from students (such as identity-based conflict resolution), and you are wondering what your options are or how to go about it; we invite you to review this chapter. This chapter offers an overview of role-play as an instructional strategy and highlights its utility in leader development. We explain how role-play can be a significant learning tool for expanding the learner’s understanding of abstract leadership concepts in a structured, safe, and applied environment. We also discuss personal examples of how we have employed role-play in our leadership classrooms, offering insights into our successes and teachable moments. Finally, while role-play is a consistent practice in leadership learning across disciplines, and several past studies suggest its effectiveness, we highlight concerns about its long-term learning outcomes and its potential pitfalls. We conclude with strategies and updated literature on thoughtfully implementing role-play as a pedagogical tool for leadership development.