The radical cooperation powering the Royal Ballet and Opera
What can world-class opera and ballet teach us about cooperation? Alex Beard joins Lynda Gratton to explore trust, feedback and teamwork.
In 30 seconds
Cooperation is a living tradition: trust, feedback and shared standards must be renewed with every new production.
Feedback is a gift, not a threat: immediate, actionable notes drive growth, even for world-renowned performers.
Excellence is interdependent: combining different skills and perspectives enables teams to create extraordinary work together.
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Host:
Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice in Organisational Behaviour, London Business School.
Guest:
Sir Alex Beard CBE, CEO, Royal Ballet and Opera
Step into Covent Garden on a performance night and the magic is unmistakable. Lights dim, the orchestra stirs, and for a few hours, music and movement appear effortless. Yet beneath the surface, the Royal Opera House is a living organism, powered by a kind of cooperation that is anything but accidental.
In this episode of Life Threads, Lynda Gratton and Alex Beard explore the thread of Cooperation – what it really takes to make world-class art happen, and what leaders everywhere can learn from the ultimate team sport.
Alex’s world is not one of soloists and divas, but of interdependence. A single production involves hundreds of people: musicians, dancers, designers, carpenters, lighting engineers, stage managers and more. Their work is synchronised to the minute, often years in advance, and must adapt in real time to the unpredictable energy of live performance.
“Typically, when the curtain goes up, you've got 100 people in the pit, you've got 100 people on the stage. In the moment, you've got 50 people backstage doing the scene changes, the stage management, the cueing, the lighting, and there are 50 people front of house,” Alex says. “The audience sees grace and serenity, but backstage, a phenomenal amount is going on.”
One of the Royal Opera House’s defining practices is the immediacy and honesty of feedback. After every rehearsal, principals and ensemble alike receive notes – not as criticism, but as a gift. This culture of candour is what enables both risk-taking and resilience.
“Only give notes people can act on,” Alex says, quoting Richard Eyre. “To do anything else is vanity.” The result is a workplace where even the most famous stars are expected to listen, adapt and learn.
But cooperation here is more than process. It’s a tradition, handed down and renewed by each generation. While resources may be limited and the rehearsal schedule tight, the commitment to collective excellence is non-negotiable. Innovation is not just tolerated but required: new works, new technologies and new interpretations keep the institution alive.
The real challenge is not finding talent, but curating teams who can trust the process and each other enough to create something extraordinary.
This model of cooperation enables both resilience and ambition. When setbacks occur – a last-minute cast change, a technical glitch or a bold creative risk that doesn’t land as planned – the response is not blame, but problem-solving and an understanding that the success of the whole depends on the contribution of each.
For organisations far beyond the arts, the lesson is clear. World-class performance is not the result of individual brilliance alone, but of radical cooperation: a culture where feedback is immediate, roles are interdependent and everyone is accountable to the work and to each other.
Living the 100-Year Life
This episode connects to the Cooperation thread in Lynda Gratton’s book Living the 100-Year Life, exploring cooperation not as an abstract idea about teamwork, but as something deeply human, creative and often invisible. The Royal Opera House offers a vivid example: creativity and innovation emerge not from individual genius, but from the genuine combination of different perspectives and talents. When cooperation is treated as a craft – actively cultivated and sustained – it unlocks both excellence and reinvention.
Key takeaways
Cooperation is a living tradition. Trust, feedback and shared standards must be renewed with every new production.
Feedback is a gift, not a threat. Immediate, actionable notes drive growth, even for world-renowned performers.
Excellence is interdependent. Curating the right blend of skills and perspectives enables teams to create extraordinary work together.
About the guest
Sir Alex Beard has been Chief Executive of the Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO), formerly the Royal Opera House, since 2013. He is also Chairman of High House Production Park Ltd, an international centre of excellence for the creative industries located at Thurrock in the Thames Gateway.
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