Collaborative case studies

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Posted on 26th February 2010 by masterfiddle in Managing the Arts

How do orchestra managers effectively include the musicians in decision-making and create a positive organizational culture?

Though not often discussed among arts leaders - due I think partly to the daily rigours of managing a nonprofit arts organization - performing arts literature does address the need for open collaboration in arts organizations.   Below are a few examples:

In Organizational culture and creative processes Boerner and Gebertd etermined that

 ”an open organizational culture, in which each individual considers herself or himself not an object but a subject, enhances the development of creative impulses. That is because everybody thinks he or she is able to change something” In this way, communication throughout the organization becomes a key aspect of organizational culture and ideals”.

An article written by Semour and Robert Levine in April 1996, Stress and Discontent in the Orchestra Workplace notes that when members of an organization have control in decision-making, they are also more likely to have increased motivation and satisfaction in their working environment.  Therefore,

 ”an overall lack of control over internal decision making has been argued as a significant cause for internal orchestra tension”.  

Recall the inherent tension?

So, my current mission is to discover performing arts organizations that utilize a collaborative structure and analyze the effectiveness of their decision-making.

My list keeps growing, but currently showcases these organizations:

I am keen to discover new collaborative or musician-run organizations.  Please help add to my list!

By investigating the positive and negative aspects of these organizational structures and cultures, I hope to discern how symphonies can utilize collaborative techniques.

Stress in the work environment including tense union negotiations between orchestra musicians and management as well as a lack of control over decisions creates inherent tension in symphonies.  I believe that there are ways of mitigating this tension through different management structures.

The main question is: Are collaborative symphony orchestras sustainable?

This theory will be tested and evaluated through case studies posted on this blog.  I particularly enjoy feedback which is vital to continue this conversation and implement positive change in the field.

Building an organizational culture

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Posted on 12th February 2010 by masterfiddle in Uncategorized

The democratic orchestra issue that I wrote about in the last post is an important consideration for arts managers.  However, it highlights a critical element of nonprofit management: the organization’s internal culture.

Now there is a new question:

How do arts managers create a performing arts organization’s culture and how does this environment affect artistic decision-making?

The term organizational culture encompasses all internal operations of an institution.  These evolving dynamics and behaviors are reflective of management style. 

Here is a detailed overview of organizational culture, Strategic Leadership and Decision Making

Studies of organizational culture are a fairly new line of research, especially in the nonprofit performing arts.  However, discussions of organizational culture and the understanding of its importance is becoming more prevalent in the orchestra field.

Challenges of researching organizational culture in the arts include the complex structures in the performing arts as noted in this post about inherent tension.  Many different constituencies affect decision-making in symphony orchestras, such as the board, staff, musicians, donors, season ticket-holders, and single ticket buyers.  These multiple factions can create tension and hamper artistic processes.

Symphony administrators maintain a positive organizational culture between the board, staff, musicians and music director of the orchestra and create an effective artistic decision-making process.  They must also work within a traditional hierarchical organizational structure that positions the board in a fiduciary and oversight position.

Artistic decisions also have to balance with financial considerations. This is the economic-artistic dichotomy discussed here .

To manage the duality between economic and artistic decision, orchestra managers have created “the three-legged stool”; or a partnership between the music director, executive director, and the board.  This three-pronged system of symphony management broadens the roles of the staff, but does not address musicians’ roles within the organizational structure.

While input on management aspects including programming and fundraising are now attended by multiple sections of the organization, the musicians have no significant role in artistic planning. This may be the largest flaw in the traditional organizational structure of symphony orchestras. Stein and Bathurst (2008) confirm that “programming and day-to-day decision-making rests with the managerial and artistic staff” (p. 24). However, research in symphony structures has led to a resurgence of the idea that all sections of the organization-including the musicians-should have roles in symphony administrative functions (Wolf, 2006).

Contemporary symphony management illustrates the need to enhance organizational culture in relation to artistic programming considerations.

Ultimately, the amount of musician involvement in a symphony orchestra is directly related to its organizational culture. An individual symphony’s culture has a large impact on how administrative functions are affected by the involvement of all sections of the organization.

To address the issue of symphony orchestra organizational culture, I will present case studies of organizations with collaborative decision-making processes.  These will include: The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, C4: The Choral Composer/Condctor Collective, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

 I am always looking for organizations that utilize collaborative structures.  Readers, please help keep me informed and stay tuned!