Andrew Taylor on the Business of Arts & Culture
www.artsjournal.com/artfulmanager/
home (mobile version) | about this weblog | about Andrew Taylor
Seeking clarity
Posted: April 21, 2006
[ view a fully formatted version of this post ]
The problem with most mission statements and the strategy points that often follow them is their haziness and their breadth. Peter Drucker called such statements ''hero sandwiches of good intentions,'' stacked with way too many ingredients to really encourage focus and clarity among leadership and staff. Worse yet, many organizations clearly see their mission statements as lip service to appease external constituents. We'll say we're about transforming communities and serving youth, but we really just want to do the art we want to do in whatever way we want to do it.
To me, at least, clarity is the next big challenge for cultural organizations over the coming decade. We've got plenty of tools and strategies to work with (although we can always learn how to use them better). We've got a good sense of the inputs and outputs that make us work. The question remaining is: what, exactly, do we exist to do? And what's the most elegant, responsive, and responsible path that gets us there?
To that end, I'm rather fond of the vision, promise, and goal set of the Sydney Opera House (available here), which really seek clarity about the business they're in, and the goals that follow from that realization. Take a look:
Vision: To Excite and Inspire the Imagination
Our Promise:
To take people on a journey from the ordinary to the extraordinary into a world where the inspiration of the building outside is reflected in all we do. In short, we are in the business of Inspiring Experiences.GOAL 1
Be Australia’s pre-eminent showcase for performing arts and culture and an international leader in the presentation and development of artists and their work.GOAL 2
Attract and engage a broad range of customers and provide compelling experiences that inspire them to return.GOAL 3
Maintain and enhance the Sydney Opera House as a cultural landmark, performing arts centre and architectural masterpiece.GOAL 4
Create a customer focused workplace where people are recognised for their contribution, realise their potential and inspired to achieve outstanding results.GOAL 5
Invest in the performing arts, cultural activities and audience development by maximising business results of the Sydney Opera House and leveraging its assets, resources and brand.
You may like it, you may hate it. But at least it's clear. And better yet, these goals become a public yardstick by which management and constituents can gauge the organization's success over time.