Post by Andreea Gorbatai

This past week, I had the privilege of debuting an innovative teaching tool: a classic business case I transformed into an acted, immersive video case to explore how a cross-functional innovation team unravels under real-world pressures. What began as a simple idea - “What if participants could see and feel the dynamics instead of only reading about them?”- turned into an immersive, revolutionary, creative project. I’m incredibly grateful to the brilliant Ralf Wetzel, Stefan Herdinius and 💻 Mihai-Dorian Stancu, whose performances captured the emotional and interpersonal complexity of organizational life, and to the dedicated filming and editing assistance of Jerry Herrera and Maud Van de Velde who turned our many raw takes into a cohesive, high-impact learning experience. Teaching it to executive participants confirmed something I’ve been feeling for years: higher education is undergoing a fundamental shift. When we combine rigorous theory with dramatic narrative, embodied emotion, and cinematic storytelling, we unlock a depth of insight that traditional cases—no matter how well-written they may be, can’t access. Not in the past, and, increasingly less so, in our multimedia-enabled, fast-paced, hyperconnected world. I think that this isn’t just a novel format, but rather a blueprint for how we train leaders to both think and feel their way through ambiguity, conflict, and innovation in the real world. And I’m excited to keep building what comes next. Thank you, Ralf Wetzel, for believing in this project and being my partner-in-crime in bringing it to life! #executiveeducation #Vlerick #improv #teaching