Strategic Management In The Arts

This book looks at the unique characteristics of cultural organizations and shows readers how to tailor a strategic plan to help these organizations meet their objectives. Including examples, cases, questions and suggestions for further reading, this book is designed to accompany classes on strategic planning, cultural management or arts management.

Planning today is more important than ever. Both acquisition and allocation of resources are increasingly difficult for arts organizations as a result of emerging technologies, reduced arts education, aging donors, and the advent of new forms of entertainment. It is essential for arts organizations to take a coherent approach to these issues to remain vibrant over time. In fact, most arts organizations do periodically attempt some kind of planning exercise. But a review of hundreds of such plans suggests that most contain merely a wish list, rather than concrete plans for the future: "We will increase ticket sales!" is a common "strategy" expressed in too many arts plans. In the absence of details about how ticket sales will be increased, it's an empty promise. In Strategic Planning in the Arts, Michael M. Kaiser, the former head of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and an arts management guru, has produced a clear, concise guide for staff or board members of not-for-profit arts organizations who are responsible for developing, evaluating, or implementing plans. Relying on real-world cases and examples, Kaiser shows how to conceive, assess, and act on every part of the strategic plan, from the mission statement to the financial statement; from managing the board to marketing. Praise for Michael Kaiser: "A rich yet tidy cornucopia of solutions for the challenges facing the American arts scene." - Washington Post

Arts and cultural organizations (ACOs), like all organizations, are regularly required to make strategic decisions in order to deal with the challenges of their sector. To make the most informed decisions possible, ACO managers must have excellent knowledge of models of strategic thinking. But thinking strategically does not mean that managers should adopt a purely rationalist approach and ignore their intuition. In fact, ACO managers, who are often artists, are more inclined to follow their intuition than theoretical models that provide only a partial view of reality. The aim of this book is to encourage ACO managers to reflect on the exercise of strategic thinking. Just as artists must master the technical skills of their art in order to move the audience, ACO managers must master the methods of strategic thinking in order to feel comfortable and confident in their decision making. In this process, managers will eventually think strategically by blending a rational approach with their intuition. This way of thinking can be acquired or reinforced through the repeated application of the strategic tools presented in this book. Understanding one's organization in terms of its environment, its competitors, its stakeholders' expectations and its resources and competencies, while adopting the most suitable governance structure, are essential steps in a strategic process that will lead to more effective management and a better capacity to anticipate the future. The strategic decisions emerging from this process will have a greater likelihood of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the ACO.

International Entrepreneurship in the Arts focuses on teaching students, artists, and arts managers specific strategies for expanding creative ventures that are already successful domestically to an international audience. Varbanova’s accessible writing outlines a systematic theoretical framework that guides the reader from generating an innovative idea and starting up an international arts enterprise to its sustainable international growth. Applying concepts, models, and tools from international entrepreneurship theory and practice, Varbanova analyzes how these function within the unique setting of the arts and culture sector. The book covers: Domestic inception of an arts enterprise, followed by international expansion Starting up an international arts venture in the early stages of its inception Presenting an arts activity or project in a foreign country or region Financing a startup venture with international resources Implementing diverse models of international partnership Starting up an arts venture that is run by a multinational team Creating an art product with international dimension The book’s 23 case studies and 54 short examples feature disciplines from fine arts and photography to music, theatre, and contemporary dance, and cover ventures in over 20 countries to provide students with practical insight into the issues and challenges facing real arts organizations. Aimed at students interested in the business aspects of arts and cultural ventures, it will also be of use to practitioners looking at ways to internationalize their own enterprises.

Strategic Cultural Center Management focuses on private cultural centers and their operational preconditions. The aim is to illustrate how to strategically manage a cultural center in varied external environments. Analysing processes of organizational change, the author uses institutional and resource dependence theories alongside concepts such as business models, profitability, mission focus and quality management. The book examines theoretical and managerial implications, highlighting that cultural managers lean towards different strategies that diversify resource streams, facilitating agile strategic responses to institutional pressures. Offering valuable theoretical, empirical and conceptual analysis, this book serves as an incomparable reference for researchers, postgraduate students, civic leaders and arts managers involved in the creative and cultural industries.

Management and the Arts, Fourth Edition provides you with theory and practical applications from all management perspectives including planning, marketing, finance, economics, organizational, staffing, and group dynamics ALL related to an arts organization. Whether you are a manager in a theatre, museum, dance company, or opera, you will gain useful insights into management. Topics written especially to help you with your management skills include: * How arts organizations and management evolved * The theories and processes behind strategic planning and decision making * Organizing and organizational design * Staffing and personal relations * The tools and techniques available from communicating effectively and keeping track of information * Budgeting, fundraising, and financial management * Integrating various management theories and practical applications * How to work effectively with boards * Sections on e-marketing and Web marketing * Includes: case studies, statistics, career, and financial information Revised to reflect the latest thinking and trends in managing organizations and people, Management and the Arts, Fourth Edition features class-tested questions in each chapter, which help you to integrate the material and develop ideas as to how the situations and problems could have been handled. Case studies focus on the challenges facing managers and organizations every day, and "In The News quotes give you real-world examples of principles and theories. Developing career skills and options, graduate and postgraduate training opportunities, and professional organizations and conferences are highlighted.

This book presents new theoretical and empirical data on the organization of firms whose main business is the selling of aesthetic experiences. The ephemeral nature of the aesthetic experience causes considerable uncertainty about the commercial reception of cultural products. Dealing with this uncertainty in the market is one of the most challenging tasks for managers in the culture business. By searching for similarities between different businesses the book aims to provide future managers in the arts world with the tools to deal with the special organizational and managerial problems they will encounter. The Cultural Business is a reflection of the growing awareness in the business world that managing culture requires a different frame of reference from that of other areas of industry.