Re-envisioning the Museum

Running Head: Re-envisioning the Museum

Re-envisioning the Museum

Patricia M. Lord

John F. Kennedy University

Re-envisioning the Museum of 64

Although once foreign to the workplace, management has become an integral part of

modern business practices. Business schools have taught professionals the basics of management

and trained them to handle issues in the workplace through the use of different management

strategies. Strategy has always played a significant role in business theory but the importance of

strategic management, however, has not been stressed until recently despite the significance it

plays in maintaining a successful business plan. Strategic management differs from having a

strategy in management; having a management strategy is the choosing of a particular plan or

path to take to address an issue. Strategic management is the careful, continual process of

evaluating issues and management’s solution to address an issue. Unlike a single strategic

position to take, strategic management does not require a unified management style or detailed

implementation plans multiple years into the future. Strategic management is a very fast paced

process that keeps up with trends, challenges, and needs and therefore cannot be predetermined

or prescribed. Organizations are strategic, management is strategic, but managers are not

strategic. Strategic management is a process that requires the effort of more than one person it is

a part of every employee’s position, it must be adopted by an entire organization and be

integrated into every aspect of the operations to be successful. Strategic management does not

refer to a particular person or activity, it refers to the overall management and leadership of an

organization and any conversation about strategic management must take this into account.

In today’s global economy businesses are responsible for the well-being of all members

of their workforce as well as the ecosystems and societies that support the organization. Systems-

thinking in business is a way of evaluating what the true cost operations and how strategic

organizations can develop solutions that create mutually beneficial results in all systems. One of

the largest parts of the business relationship system that is becoming increasingly important in


twenty-first century institutions is their social/human resources. Organizations are directing more

attention and resources towards developing approaches that improve and place greater value on

the contribution that employees and partners give to a company and provide their employees

with more support and benefits. Museums are moving in this direction, shifting the focus from

object collections to the human relationships, and actions that the collections represent and are

working to fulfill the needs of their communities through these collections. This is an example of

how organizations are using strategic management to guide their efforts and as more

organizations integrate strategic development into their operations management also will change

from a methodology to a perspective. Strategic management creates organizations that are more

adaptive, intuitive, and resilient.

Graduate level business administration programs have trained professionals to face and

solve issues related to management for many years. As time progresses attitudes change and new

theories emerge and as a result the focus of MBA programs has shifted to keep up with the most

current thinking. There is an abundance of books available on business theory, strategic

management, effective leadership, and other innovative solutions to the problems businesses face

every day. Despite the abundance of answers to businesses’ perpetual quandaries there has yet to

be a resolution to any of them. Advice and methodologies offer brilliant insight to difficult

problems but the fundamental problem with business literature is the notion that a single solution

is able to resolve the variety of circumstances each business faces. Furthermore the search for a

strategy that is capable of resolving a management problem is just as futile. As strategic

management gains momentum within management circles there must be a shift in thinking in

relation to the purpose and abilities of management strategies for beneficial and long-lasting

effects to be captured. Strategic management in business is a process of monitoring and adapting


to issues, not resolving them. Any discussion of strategic management must be understood as a

process, not a solution.

In the ever increasing global economy leaders, more than before, must be adaptive and

responsive to the particulars of each community. Leaders can no longer be devoted to a sole

vision but must be capable of revising plans and pursuing creative avenues to lead organizations

towards different positions within the marketplace. Moreover the overemphasis of one system

over all others, for example profit as the paramount goal of management, is no longer an option

for businesses that hope to remain successful in the twenty-first century. In Joseph T. Mahoney

and Anita M. McGahan’s (2007) paper on strategic organizations they cite that “Leadership and

responsibility are essential for the distinctive competence of an organization” (p. 84). Leadership

is commonly understood as direction towards a goal; however strategic management in the

business world is subtly different in that there is no single, prescribed goal. In a strategic

management perspective the emphasis is not on a known route but on progressive development

towards a place. Therefore strategic leadership is creating a following towards ideas or places but

without a specified path. Strategic leaders constantly gauge and monitor the direction of all

aspects of an organization within an industry and adjust their course to maintain alignment with

current needs and best practices and maintain responsible business practices. It is this proactive

progressive movement towards a more responsible direction rather than a specific destination is

what sets strategic leadership part from traditional concepts of leadership. The next generation of

leaders must recognize the whole impact of business and maintain and monitor all of the systems

that they touch.

Strategic leadership and management approaches planning and implementation

differently than traditional management that is reliant on more five-year-plan thinking. Strategic


leadership manages the planning and implementation of strategic directives in phases that rely

heavily on on-going feedback loops and open ended planning that allows for adaptability and

revision as needed. Traditional organizational planning outlines plans in five year increments and

relies on previously implemented and tested models. However as Mahoney and McGahan point

out “If we rely on insights gleaned from established trends, we may find ourselves extrapolating

from irrelevant paradigms” (Mahoney & McGahan, 2007, p. 92). The end point is defined at the

beginning of the planning period and the implementation of the plan brings the organization

closer to the goal in parceled steps which are often not independent from the final outcome.

Strategic management instead does not rely on timed planning periods but recognizes the on-

going concurrent evaluation of actions from multiple systems/sources in order to maintain

relevancy in rapidly changing markets. Additionally strategic plans are implemented in stand-

alone phases that move an organization in direction in whole increments. This allows managers

to readjust their strategy more frequently as well as change plans without having to revise them

entirely.

The shift in business management from profit driven strategies of control and continued

growth towards more sustainable, partner driven practices has also changed the dynamics of

progressive businesses in the twenty-first century. Triple bottom line is a measurement of the

financial and social wealth of the company and is one of many management strategies that have

helped businesses focus and evaluate the directionality of their initiatives. Strategic

implementation of triple bottom line programs enables organizations to meet traditional profit

goals while acknowledging and being accountable to the human and environmental assets on

which industry is reliant. Triple bottom line is particularly important in nonprofits because of

their business activities are mission-driven; “Success for nonprofits should be measured by how


effectively and efficiently they meet the needs of their constituencies (Kaplan, 2001, p. 353).

Inherent to triple bottom line measures are the incorporation of systems-thinking and inclusion of

holistic perspectives in sourcing and managing resources. Systems-thinking in businesses enable

organizations to understand and take into account the ramifications of decisions and actions as

they relate to sustainable, ethical business practices. Triple bottom line evaluations create clear

and measurable goals for management to achieve while ensuring that systems-thinking is

integrated into every business practice in the company on an on-going basis.

As companies move away from centralized and top-down directives creativity and

innovation are critical to keeping organizations responsive and adaptable to rapidly changing

markets. Design thinking, as implemented in management, allows managers to create a culture of

innovation through structural and procedural changes. Design thinking in management

acknowledges the way that organizations can facilitate creativity and innovation through careful

management and alignment of activities. Strategic management matches the specific talents of

employees in groups that fully utilize individuals’ strengths and create strong group dynamics

that generate creative problem-solving and progressive ideas. Strategic management uses

technology and information systems to support team-oriented projects and facilitate information

capture and distribution. Utilizing design and systems-thinking managers are able to develop

structural models and cultural systems that spur creativity and encourage entrepreneurial and

intraprenurial employees and teams.

One of the most widely cited methods for creating employee engagement,

interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation is through knowledge sharing and knowledge

management systems. Through knowledge management organizations can capture the

information generated by employees and store, distribute, and grow it in order to develop


progressive and informed ideas. Organizations that capture information rather than losing it

through employee loss, high workloads or other barriers to collaboration are called learning

organizations. These organizations are far better able to fully utilize their knowledge resources

and strategically position themselves within an industry. Systems and design methods of thinking

and strategic alignment of business practices produce organizations that are more resilient,

adaptable, and agile and therefore are able to sustain profitability, meet environmental and social

needs in during rough, slow, or unstable economic periods.

As many organizations become multinational in their operations they have increasingly

distributed workforces, team-oriented structures, and collaborative work styles that are more

difficult to maintain. However increased incorporation of design and knowledge management

strategies allows business to find creative solutions to keeping international communication and

distributed team collaboration productive. Unique communication systems, databases, and

mobile technology have enabled businesses to provide access to information for employees

anywhere in the world, while adaptations in the traditional approach to work/life balances have

also greatly aided more fluid distributed team structures. Lessening barriers to communication in

multinational workforces allow organizations to develop stronger international relationships and

forge innovative partnerships with industries, organizations, and communities that were

previously unavailable to them.

In an organization one of the greatest challenges in developing a culture of

communication and knowledge sharing is overcoming information silos. Information silos hinder

cross-departmental collaboration and prevent team cooperation by limiting the access to

information outside of established lines of communication. To overcome these silos strategic

management uses knowledge management systems and strategic alignment of human resources


to distribute knowledge throughout companies. Increased access to information as well as

strategic grouping of talents enables the strategic organization to fully capitalize on workforce

investments. Industries and professional requirements within those industries are increasingly

complex. Due to these complexities companies have to creatively partner their workforce in

order to match the strengths of employees in complimentary work groups. By matching

complimentary skills and encouraging team-centric work patterns strategic companies are able to

cultivate an atmosphere of collaboration and information transfer and prevent information silos.

Strategic management evaluates and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the work

environment and revises the team orientations and cultural dynamics as needed to steer the

direction of the organization based on the current strategic needs. Strategic management is thus

able to create communities of practice that are in alignment with the strategic initiatives of the

organization and becomes the driving mechanism behind development.

One of the most important aspects of a healthy organizational culture is the ability to

effectively resolve issues and do so in a manner that is predictable and based on clearly defined

rationale. Without a well-articulated policy an organization’s decisions and responses boil down

to little more than personal whims and beliefs. Strategic organizations must have coherent and

well applied procedures for both the process of evaluating decisions as well as delineating

responsibilities for making those decisions. Decision-making in strategic management requires

careful assessment against the strategic goals set forth by the organization; do the potential

solutions align with the strategic goals of the organization in measurable ways? How will the

action plan(s) further the organization’s strategic goal? Does the potential action plan fit within

the capabilities of the organization? In addition to evaluating the choices a clear and well

followed practice must be in place identifying the proper decision-making bodies. This practice


must also be in alignment with the team-oriented project strategy. By outlining the method for

evaluating the potential solutions as well as the proper decision making web of command for

making final decision the strategic organization can ensure that decisions made by the company

are both strategically aligned and consistent with the company character.

Strategic management utilizes value chain and the larger value web relationships to

position and reposition their organization within markets and create and sustain value for their

customers. In strategic management the value chain plays the essential role in creating value for

the customer. Relationships with suppliers, manufacturers and labor sources that work parallel to

the strategic mission of the organization enable organizations to create consonance within their

organization and partners. Maintaining a value web is becoming more important as companies

recognize the need for a network of trusted potential partners that can be used to reposition the

organization as strategic initiatives and needs change. Furthermore the value web includes

competitors in the market place who, by working in tandem with other competitors can create

industry wide change that resonate throughout a much larger portion of the value web that that

industry shares. By strategically positioning themselves, as well as strategically influencing

competitors and partners organizations are better able to capitalize on partnerships and create

increased value for consumers.

Competitive advantage takes on many forms in the market place. Strategic management

of an organization’s resources, raw materials, manufacturing, or human and social resources,

enables that organization to fully capitalize on the investment. By strategically positioning and

paring resources strategic management is able to increase the output from their investments with

the same amount of input. Additionally the complimentary groupings of human resource skills

reduces dissonance within the organization, increases employee engagement through team


participation, and spurs creative innovation and proactive alignment with organizational strategic

directives. By structuring the organization in a way that enables the efficient and productive use

of all its available resources organizations are able to position themselves more effectively

within markets and better able to reposition rapidly based on current market needs. Being

adaptive and agile allows the strategic organization to out maneuver rather than outperform

competitors in the marketplace.

Strategic management involves an entire organization however the importance of

management that is proactive, experienced and socially adept is key to the success of a strategic

organization and “Foresight, long-term purposes and high ideals provide the basis for the

persistence of (intra- and inter-firm) cooperation and organizational coherence” (Mahoney &

McGahan, 2007, p. 84). In order for strategic initiatives to be achieved organizations need

managers who are able to respond to the challenges that strategic organizations face and maintain

the strategic edge that drives organizational growth. It is critical that leaders understand that a

strategic organization is a perpetually changing organization and that strategic management

involves a complex process of evaluation and revision that is never perfected or completed. As

organizations grow their management needs may also shift and leaders, management, and

employees alike need to be aware of the challenges adjusting and changing managers and how to

maintain consistency and direction throughout those adjustment periods. By acknowledging the

idea that management is strategic, as opposed to strategic managers, organizations can maintain

competitive advantages through agility and adaptability of management resources.

Shifts in market needs of technological advantages necessitate shifting the management

skill set to properly support new needs. As managers develop their talents they may be able to

meet the changing needs of organizations, however some shifts may require a change of


management all together. The need for strong organizational belief systems and consistent

decision-making in management and collaborative input in teamwork will enable an organization

to maintain an ethically consistent and well-supported position in the marketplace as well as

maintain value and reliability with stakeholders. In order for management to preserve

organizational belief systems managers must be able to balance the needs of the marketplace

with organizational capabilities within the framework of their company’s ethical and decision-

making system. If management cannot resolve an issue within the core framework of an

organization’s strategic position then ultimately the company risks losing value or position to

stakeholders. Strategic management requires a deep commitment to core ideologies and an

ability to find solutions that are sustainable within the organization’s abilities. Therefore

management must be creative and willing to take risks to achieve results. Businesses are

frequently faced with new issues and a creative and bold management strategy is critical to find

resolutions that can generate results in unfamiliar situations.

Creativity alone cannot drive an organization. With creativity there must be the ability to

direct efforts in sustainable directions. Without focus strategic management would be unable to

control the course of the organization. Without direction an organization would be unable to

maintain or position or deliberately reposition and the alignment of position and market needs

would be determined by happenstance of organizational productivity and market wants. If an

organization’s position is unpredictable so too will be its structural composition and decision-

making methods. Focus is hardest aspect of strategic management to maintain particularly if

management and teams are being reshuffled to meet changing needs. Strategic management

requires the ability to inspire and innovate in a direction. However it also requires that

management know when to change the focus of their efforts as plans change. Focus throughout


projects requires big-picture thinking and the ability to see how phases accomplish movement

towards a strategically aligned direction. So focus does not just apply to details or to strategic

goals but must understand the relationship between the two and balance the interplay of each.

The final aspect of strategic management that plays a key role in successful

practices is collaboration. The importance of team-based work, decision-making, and

communication has been stressed throughout the preceding paragraphs. However collaboration is

more than working alongside people but is working with people. Strategic management should

not be a silo itself. Too often strategic plans fall apart because management has failed to include

collaborative information sharing and decision-making processes in the planning and

implementation. Successfully collaborative strategic management involves more than being open

to or incorporating different perspectives. Truly collaborative management is a process of

creating and vetting ideas through channels that are vested in the process as well as the

organization. Collaboration plays a critical role in the creation of value for employees and the

establishment of organizational culture and character. By promoting the collective formation of

ideas strategic organizations can integrate multiple perspectives into every decision and

implement action plans through teams rather than with teams.

As previously outlined, strategic management does not imply a specific method of

accomplishing progress however there are times when an organization must adopt a particular

strategy to inspire change. Part of strategic management is employing different strategies to

create results for an organization. For many nonprofits creating change within the organization

can be difficult and instilling an entrepreneurial leadership strategy can spur much needed

changes in traditional, firmly rooted organizations that are facing potentially devastating issues.

An entrepreneurial strategy can be loosely defined as visionary leadership through unchartered


territories. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) discuss the use of entrepreneurial

leadership strategies in turning around faltering organizations (p. 130). As the following case

study demonstrates employing an entrepreneurial strategy for a period of time, as part of an

overall strategic management culture can be the catalyst that inspires change from traditional

models and create change and take organizations in new, more sustainable directions.

Understanding and integrating strategic management into the structure and culture of an

institution is the key to creating an organization that is adaptive, agile, and resilient. However

many organizations do not incorporate strategic management systems into their operations.

Without a strong, continuous management strategy organizations fall risk to short-sighted and ill-

conceived plans and may fail to realize the full potential of the organization. The following case

study demonstrates the potential dangers that an organization can face when strategic

management is not integrated into the structure of institution and proposes ways the organization

could thrive if its resources and management were aligned and working within a strategic

framework embedded in the institutional structure. The institution I chose to use for my case

study is the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. Information regarding the

museum presented in this paper is compiled from news articles, reported tax information, annual

reports and other publically available information for the museum. In addition I have relied on

personal experiences and insights I gained from working at the Field Museum for over five

years.

Organizational Profile

The Field Museum of Natural History is one of the largest cultural institutions in the city

of Chicago. Located on the Museum Campus, the museum holds one of the largest natural


history collections in the world, and one of the oldest collections of its type in the United States.

The museum was originally conceived and incorporated as an attraction for the World’s

Columbian Exposition fair held in Chicago in 1893. At the time of incorporation, September 16,

1893, the museum was called the Columbian Museum of Chicago and its purpose was to collect

a variety of specimens from multiple scientific disciplines for display during the fair (Founding

the Field, n.d.). After the fair had concluded the museum and the collections remained housed on

the original fairgrounds in Jackson Park on the City’s south side, for continued use by the public.

In 1905 the museum officially changed its name to The Field Museum of Natural History, in

honor of Marshall Field – a local businessman and founder of an iconic department store and one

of the museum’s earliest and largest benefactors. As the museum grew a new building site

became necessary and the museum moved from Jackson Park to its current home on the

lakefront in the cities near south side, as part of a group of museums that compose what is known

as the Museum Campus.

Today the museum’s encyclopedic collections are composed of some of the most

comprehensive and oldest scientific specimens in the country. Representing the anthropology,

zoology, geology, and botany disciplines the collection is used by millions of people each year in

many different ways. The museum’s mission covers three main areas, preservation, education,

and research. The museum achieves its mission through a multitude of activities but primarily

through collecting and caring for objects, exhibiting and interpreting those objects, and studying

and publishing original scientific research. Collections are used to create various exhibitions,

both permanent to the museum and traveling, museum educators use collections to create

programming, outside researchers and museum curators utilize the collections to conduct original


research, and cultural representatives from many different culture groups use collections held by

the museum in religious and cultural practices.

Due to the size, prestige, and significance of the museum the target audiences for the

institution range from local families, national and international tourists, cultural representatives

or groups, and scientific professionals and enthusiasts. The museum is visited by tourists and

locals alike, averaging over one million visitors per year (Architecture, n.d.). It is through the

exhibition and interpretation of their collections that the museum generates some of their revenue

in the form of admission and program fees. In addition to fees the museum earns revenue from

publications, traveling exhibitions, and museum store sales. These activities compose the

primary services that the museum provides to the public. The Field Museum’s attendance in

2011 was approximately 1.3 million visitors, generating revenue of approximately $10.3 million

(The Field Museum, 2011, p. 9). It is an iconic pillar of the cultural community and is one of the

oldest and most beloved institutions in Chicago.

The museum creates and adapts their services to provide appeal and benefit to each of

their constituents to ensure that they are fulfilling their mission and obligation to provide

accessibility and relevance to all their constituencies. In order to further and more effectively

serve their audiences the museum is has committed to an extensive digitization project that will

widen their audience and enable them to provider higher quality resources to the public. The

digitization project is made possible by a grant from the Grainger Foundation that will provide

the financial resources to complete a five year plan museum-wide plan to increase the museums

technological presence (The Field Museum, 2011, p. 7; Simmons, T., 2011). Additionally the

museum is revising many of their educational programs and resources to provide quality access

to materials in ways that are within the museums financial capabilities. As with many


organizations, particularly nonprofits, the museum faced financial difficulties as a result of the

economic downturn in 2008. As a result of slowed economic development and unsuccessful

financial decisions the museum has faced several years of difficulty. Although the museum has

managed to remain open and provide services to the public its future is uncertain and dependent

on developing creative strategies to stabilize their financial position and align the management

and operations of the organization towards achieving the strategic position needed to gain

financial stability.

Systems Breakdown

The age of the institution is both a source of great pride and veneration but it can also be

an impediment to the museum. The organizational structure and practices are firmly rooted in the

historical origins of the museum. The outdated structure contributes to an organizational culture

of tradition and continuation of past practices that has prevented the institution from

implementing new technology, developing unique practices or adopting modern business

models. While showing deference for tradition can be an aspect of a successful strategy, the

museum’s extreme aversion to any change or break from past models has left the institution in

bad financial shape and a poor strategic position to recover from their troubles. In order to

successfully develop and implement a strategic plan and create change and financial growth for

the museum a culture of strategic management and leadership must be integrated into all systems

within the museum. Before a beneficial strategic plan can be created it is critical to understand

how and why each system within the museum failed and develop strategies to bring all systems

in alignment with institutional goals.


The museum’s historical roots are reflected in the overall structure of the organization.

Relying on a traditional hierarchy, the museum is managed from the top-down. While this

structure is effective for certain institutions and some decision-making needs it can cause

problems when it is relied on for all decisions. The President of the museum represents the top of

the management structure and makes all decisions regarding the museum’s development and

management. Although the museum’s board of directors is responsible for oversight of general

management of the museum, its role has been primarily symbolic. The sheer size of the board in

relation to the overall size of the organization, currently over one hundred board members

(Board of Trustees, n.d.) for an institution of only 450 full-time employees (Kapos, S., 2012,

para. 7), indicates the overly top-heavy and honorary status of the board. Below the President are

the vice presidents. As of the beginning of 2011 the museum divided the organization into seven

organizational groups, each group headed by one vice president. In addition the departments

grouped under the management of the seven vice presidents are not coherently grouped or evenly

distributed; some vice presidents manage multiple departments and hundreds of staff members

while others manage single departments of ten or fewer staff. The vice presidents at the Field

Museum The top-heavy and rigid structural composition of the museum has prevented

development and consensus in management as well as impeded the museum’s ability to gain

control of its situation. Strategic management under the current organizational structure is very

difficult to achieve, if not impossible.

Another peculiarity embedded in the museums structure is the organization and

management of the scientific departments. Since the museum is a historic institution, many of the

common practices of museums from earlier years persist. Curatorial positions at the Field

Museum are considered academic positions, similar to faculty in educational institutions.


Although considered academic faculty, curatorial positions are given management roles in the

scientific departments of the museum. Curators are solely responsible for running the scientific

departments, including making management decisions and supervising the professional staff. The

most incongruous part of placing academic faculty in management position is that the curatorial

staff members are also granted tenure status. This combination makes effective management of

scientific and research departments challenging because academic positions are reviewed solely

on their academic, not management performance. It can also lead to ethical questions as conflicts

of interest arise between the competing interests of curatorial positions and responsible, effective

management of the department.

Due in part to the long history of the institution the Field Museum has a deeply embedded

culture system that is highly resistant to change. Although the museum’s values are still aligned

with the mission the method of attaining these goals is not working within a strategic framework

that moves the museum towards a desired position. Contributing to the lack of coordination of

effort is the reliance on traditional hierarchical structure and the embedded cultural vision and

role of leadership as a result of the structure. One of the challenges that strict hierarchies pose is

the unilateral decision-making process and the misinterpretation and abuse of hierarchical

management structures. The reliance on a single decision-making position within departments

created a strong culture of unfocused and independent projects and extreme segmentation that

produced strictly guarded information silos within the organization. This in turn reinforced the

further need for protecting information and strategies within the organizations management and

created a combative, secretive, and politically charged culture. The workplace environment,

much like the embedded management style tended to encourage independent effort. Within the

anthropology department there was an extreme separation of collection responsibilities and


minimal interaction between the daily activities and any strategic plans developed by the

department. There was an even larger gap between the activities of the department and the

overall strategy of the museum. This was made worse by the extreme separation and constant

back and forth between the needs of the scientific departments and the vision of the role of the

scientific departments as understood by the administration. Competition for scarce resources

created fierce political maneuvering and combative interpersonal professional relationships.

Contributing to the toxicity of the workplace environment was the detachment and

complacency of the human resource department; support for staff was provided as a compulsory

activity only. Annual reviews were conducted and provided an opportunity for two-way

evaluation of performance however the results of the evaluations were rarely shared or discussed

with staff and therefore had no impact on the development of professional skills or

organizational culture. The museum administration also tried to affect cultural change and

implemented strategies and support that were intended to increase the inter- and intra-

departmental communication and collaboration and developed an internal network for the long-

term storage and file-sharing purposes. In addition the museum implemented a cross

departmental collections database that would improve the functionality of data storage, increase

and unify data standards, and increase the accessibility across all scientific departments.

Although these efforts were originally well-received and unitized by staff the initiative ultimately

failed to significantly decrease the segmentation of the scientific departments and was not used

by staff in the manner it was originally intended.

As a result of the fragmentation of the organization and the hyper protection and

leveraging of information as a result of competition for financial resources, the museum was

vulnerable to ethical slips. Many of the decisions made by both museum administration and the


heads of scientific departments pushed the limits of the interpretation on ethical responsibilities.

Several of these decisions have negatively impacted the museum’s public and professional

reputation. Similarly, despite the fact that the museum actively pursued relationships and

developed programs that demonstrated their commitment to corporate social responsibility many

of the initiatives were poorly developed or executed. As a result these efforts, although genuine,

fell flat with the public. The combination of damaged reputation, perceptions of insincerity in

their practices, and financial instability have created a devastating series of problems for the

museum. As the museum struggles to regain lost financial ground and repair their reputation the

need for integrated and well-developed strategic management practices will be critical for their

success.

Financial Issues

Like many organizations the Field Museum faced financial struggles as the economy

changed beginning in 2008. Today the museum is in serious financial trouble, teetering on the

brink of bankruptcy and facing the closure of the museum and disbursement of their collections.

However, unlike many companies, the Field Museum’s problems did not originate with nor can

be attributed solely to the slowed economy. The changes in the economic environment only

brought to light problems for the museum that began years earlier. This is in part why the

museum has not been able to recover much of the financial ground they have lost since 2008.

The problems faced by the Field Museum today, actually began in 2002 as a result of a risky

decision made by the museum administration and approved by the board of trustees. In 2002 the

museum board voted to issue $90 million worth of bonds. Funds generated from the sale of the

bonds would go to finance several building maintenance and improvement projects (Gillers &

Grotto, 2013). One example of projects partially funded by the cash generated from the bond


sales was for an addition to the museum’s building. In 2001 the museum announced that it would

undertake a large construction project to build a large collection storage facility as well as a new

entrance for the museum. The project was underfunded from its conception and despite

objections from staff and going against good judgment the museum proceeded with the project

vowing to raise funds posthumously. Ultimately the museum only raised a total of about $5

million from private funds and another $30 million from public funds for the project. The entire

cost of the new entrance and storage facility was around $92 million; originally the cost had been

estimated significantly lower, approximately $65 million (Gillers & Grotto, 2013). The museum

took on the massive bond debt at a time when no other cultural institution in Chicago was

incurring as much debt. The consequences of the museum’s decision are made evident by the

fact that the Field Museum is in far worse shape, financially, than any other comparable cultural

institution in Chicago. The lack of oversight from the board regarding the risky decision was

acknowledged by the board itself, who failed to give the decision proper consideration before

approval (Gillers & Grotto, 2013).

In 2010 when the economy headed into a recession the effects of the board’s poor

decision were truly felt by the museum. Overleveraged and unable to raise the benchmarked

amounts through fundraising the museum faced severe cut-backs. Rather than face the situation

head-on the museum changed their accounting practices to appear in better financial condition

(Gillers & Grotto, 2013) then it was in what was. This move was done perhaps as an ill-advised

attempt to coax donors into contributing funds to save the museum despite the impossibility of

fundraising to resolve the situation. The administration’s lack of acknowledgement of the true

danger the museum was in further contributed to the continuation of bad financial decisions and

the dire position in which the museum is now mired. The museum did reduce staff by 10%


through a combination of lay-offs, incentivized voluntary separation and early retirement

agreements, and attrition; however these reductions were not enough to turn the museum around.

After tenuously holding onto their financial position for two years the museum admitted the

complete failure of the current administration to gain any ground and announced the departure of

the former President, John McCarter in late 2011 (Harris, M., 2011).

In the spring of 2012 the museum announced that it had appointed a new President to the

museum, Richard Lariviere (Johnson, S., 2012).With the hiring of a new President the museum

was hopeful a new administration would provide the sea change necessary to turn the museum’s

position around. However the optimistic denial and refusal to acknowledge the true severity of

the financial woes was apparent from the beginning of the new relationship. Mr. Lariviere spoke

with the press shortly after taking the position and indicated that the museum’s board was not

originally forthcoming with information regarding the true financial problems that faced the

museum. Now the museum struggles to find financial stability and after admitting the true

problems and is facing severe and potentially risky cuts in a last-ditch effort to save the museum

from closing its doors permanently.

In order to save the museum the administration has announced a drastic plan to slash the

budget reduce spending to hold the museum over as it struggles to pull itself out of debt. The

museum plans to cut approximately $5 million from the annual budget, the majority of which

will come from the scientific departments, about $3 million. (Shen, H., 2012). The museum is

also pursuing an unprecedented move for the institution - declaring financial exigency. This

would allow the museum to terminate tenured curatorial staff, a move that could save money by

cutting the number of highly compensated staff members. However this move has upset many in

the scientific community who feel by sacrificing scientific research the museum is failing to


fulfill part of their mission to conduct innovate and cutting edge scientific research. Additionally

the accuracy and academic quality of exhibit and program content could be affected if the

museum cuts back on curatorial staff.

Perhaps the most concerning strategy the museum has used to alleviate their financial

woes is selling off objects from the museum’s permanent collection. The museum faced harsh

criticism in 2004 when it auctioned off over 30 works of art by American painter George Catlin

(Gillers, H., 2013). Viewed by many as an ethical misstep, the museum maintains that the works

were sold in accordance with the guidelines outlined by the American Alliance of Museums

(formerly the American Association of Museums). However many disagree with the museum’s

interpretation of the guidelines, specifically the use of proceeds from the sale. Ultimately,

ethically prudent or not, the sale has put-off donors and potential donors to the museum who are

uneasy about donating objects to the museum. To make matters worse the museum has indicated

that as a result of the continued financial difficulty the administration has considered, and may be

forced to sell additional works from the collection. If the funds gained from these sales are

intended to be used to cover operating expenses, it is a move that would cause the museum to

lose their accreditation in addition to public trust.

The new administration of the museum has outlined the financial goals that they must

meet in order to restore stability to the museum. As previously mentioned the museum has

indicated that it aims to reduce the operating budget for the museum by $5 million dollars. The

second phase of the museums plan is to raise the museum’s endowment by $100 million. This

would increase the amount of money that is drawn each year from the endowment for operating

expenses. Currently the museum draws 5.5% out of the total funds but aims to reduce this to 5%

per year as one part of their long-term goals for financial stability. If the museum grows their


endowment by $100 million, even with the planned 0.5% reduction in spending from the

endowment the museum would increase the amount of their annual revenue drawn from the

endowment by $5 million (Johnson, D., 2012). Finally, as the final part of their plan, the museum

has indicated that they will be investigating new ways to increase revenue such as new dining

experiences, attracting more visitors, and increasing museum store sales. However at this stage

the museum has no specific plans outlined to meet these goals (Johnson, D., 2012).

The museum’s plan to right their financial wrongs covers two main strategies for

improving financial position, reduce costs, and increase revenue. A third strategy, not explicitly

outlined by the museum but surely a component of their overall plan is to manage the funding

available more efficiently. Although the plan outlined by the museum is financially prudent and

capable of resolving much of the financial strain that the museum is experiencing I believe there

are equally prudent and capable methods of addressing the issue that would, in the long-term,

prove to be more sustainable and beneficial for the museum. They would also limit the impact of

the financial difficulties has on the general public better than the current plan. Reducing the

budget by $5 million, with the majority of that coming from the science departments, will enable

the museum to save money but is certainly not feasible in the long-term for several reasons. First,

generating new research is one of the museum’s missions, therefore cutting research staff may

temporarily reduce expenses but any long-term loss of research staff would necessitate a revision

of the museum mission statement. Cutting curatorial staff would impair the museum’s ability to

maintain its status as a world-class institution and harm the scientific community, and the general

public, who benefit from research, either through the educational experiences offered at the

museum or indirectly.


The second problem with the museum’s plan, as outlined, is a museum the size of the

Field Museum requires a large annual budget. The spending capabilities of the museum were

already tight, and a further reducing in the budget would mean that services to the public would

also have to be reduced. This necessity is poorly aligned with the museum’s goal to generate

additional revenue through increased attendance. The museum is fairly well-attended,

particularly in the summer months when tourism is high and families with school children have

summer vacation. Increased attendance, in combination with reduced services and programming,

would diminish the visitor experience and be detrimental to the overall attendance goals of the

museum. If potential visitors perceive an unpleasant experience due to overcrowding or lack of

service availability it will negatively impact future attendance levels and hinder the museum’s

ability to maintain high attendance goals. Therefore the museum must be careful and select

activities that will increase their revenue streams but not endanger their current constituencies.

Their current plan does not accommodate the correlation between increased attendance and need

for additional, costly, services.

Finally the museum’s goal to increase their endowment by $100 is an overly ambitious

plan for a museum that has consistently missed their fundraising goals by large variances. The

former museum administration gained a reputation for underfunding projects, such as the $92

million new addition, and the mistakes of the past are sure to affect the future of fundraising

potential for the museum. The habitual mismanagement of funds by the museum, the loss of

public trust as a result of questionable ethical decisions, and the grim financial position are not

good selling points for the museum. The development staff will have a hard time convincing

donors, many of whom have already contributed large amounts to keep the museum afloat, that


an additional $100 million is necessary, capable of averting financial disaster, and will be

managed properly by the museum.

Proposed Solutions

In order for the museum to regain the public’s trust, reestablish donor relationships, and

maintain its prestigious reputation, the administration must develop new strategies to resolve

their financial issues. The following paper will offer three different strategies that the museum

could utilize to increase their financial stability. All of the strategies emphasize increasing the

revenue base of the museum rather than cutting costs or more effective management. However,

to be clear the museum must take initiative to align their spending practices with their strategic

plan and therefore reducing overall costs and budgetary waste are important factors to meeting a

strategic plan. Due to the size of the museum, the number of visitors that the museum serves

annually, the great impact of their scientific research and conservation programs it is important

that the museum develop avenues to increase their revenue streams in unique ways. The Field

Museum has prided itself on being on the forefront of climate change research and action,

developing research, programs, and exhibits that break ground in the museum profession. In

order for the museum to resolve their financial issues they will have to apply the same cutting-

edge mindset to increasing their organizational operations and revenue streams. What follows are

three proposals that offer the museum progressively innovative strategic plans to increase the

sources of revenue and revenue generating practices within the museum.

The first of the plans offered is the most conservative, outlining ways the museum can

increase revenue streams through common museum practices that are not yet implemented at the

Field Museum. All museums provide a variety of services beyond creating exhibits and public


programming. Research, loans, image reproduction, and traveling exhibits are examples of some

these services. Different museums have established different policies regarding peer to peer or

inter-institutional services. It is common practice for an institution requesting to borrow an object

from a museum to cover all expenses relating to the preparation, travel, and exhibition of the

requested object. As an example the Field Museum has established a loan fee schedule that

requires a fee of $150 per object requested, plus additional costs for conservation, crating, etc.

Fees are negotiable and are used to offset the costs related to preparing and monitoring the

objects while on loan, including the staff time needed to process the request. The same can be

said of image reproduction agreements; the museum charges a fee for the right to reproduce

images of their collection. Again, these fees are negotiable and barely cover the costs of

producing or obtaining the image. Often fees are dropped entirely as a courtesy if the images

requested already exist are requested for use by another educational or nonprofit organization.

An example of a strategy to increase revenue using existing activities that are already

conducted by the museum is to begin to charge fees for research visits. Being a research

institution the museum hosts a number of visiting researchers each year. These visiting

researchers apply to the museum to view and study object in the museum’s collections in person.

Many institutions that host researchers charge a small fee, usually one that covers the staff time

and museum resources that are used in preparing for and hosting the researcher. The Field

Museum does not have an established visiting researcher fee. The argument against establishing

a fee was that charging a fee would hinder the researcher’s ability to conduct hands-on research

with the collection. Typically the high cost of travel and related housing expenses consume the

majority of the researcher’s budget. By providing access to collections, without monetary

constraints, the museum was in a sense enabling free advertising for their collection and


museum. However a strong argument can be made in favor of establishing a fee for several

reasons. First, the museum expends many man hours each year preparing for researchers. Just as

the loan fees the museum charges help off-set some of the expense of the related activities,

establishing a visiting researcher fee could help supplement the cost of hosting scientists.

Secondly, although many argue that charging a fee, no matter how nominal, will hinder the

researcher’s ability to conduct in-person studies of objects. There is however, already a

precedent set by the museum, regarding cost of access to the collection. Just as members of the

public are expected to contribute funds in the form of admission fees to support the preservation

and display of objects, so too should researchers contribute money towards the maintenance of

objects and for access to objects. This is particularly true for researchers as many profit directly

from the research that they conduct in the form of publications, speaking engagements, and

career opportunities.

Establishing a visiting researcher fee would increase the revenue generated by the

museum and provide an additional source of funding not yet employed by the museum.

Additionally implementing a researcher fee would require minimal overhead to develop and

administer. The museum’s existing resources could easily accommodate the additional work

generated by developing the fee program. According to the 2012 annual report for the museum

the scientific departments hosted a combined total of approximately7,900 scientists, students,

and other visitors to the collection (The Field Museum, 2012, p. 134). If each visitor paid a small

fee, say $150 for access to the collection the museum could generate additional revenue from

ongoing activities of over $11,000. This number could increase significantly depending on the

length and complexity of the researcher’s request. Although the funds generated are small in

relation to the shortfalls the current financial situation presents is just one example of ways the


museum can create revenue by capitalizing on their current activities with minimal added

expense.

Creating and traveling exhibitions is a lucrative business venture for the Field Museum.

The museum develops and creates an exhibit using objects from their own collections and

supplements them with loans from other museums. Drawing on the scholarly expertise of the

curatorial and collections staff at the museum, the exhibit department develops original content

for the exhibit and designs a show that is able to travel to other institutions across the world. The

museum charges a small fee for the right to exhibit the show and uses the fee to cover the upfront

costs associated with developing the exhibit. Creating and traveling exhibits represents another

activity that has potential to generate additional revenue for the museum. The Field Museum

could shift their institutional activities from hosting traveling exhibitions, which may or may not

create profit for the museum, to developing, premiering, and traveling a series of exhibits

centered on their extensive and diverse collections. The museum would then be able to premier a

variety of exhibits thereby drawing in new or repeat visitors to the museum, and generate

revenue from traveling those exhibits. These revenues in-turn off-set the expense of developing

the exhibit, generate additional revenue and increase their international brand recognition and

demand.

As the most conservative of the three plans presented, this plan has few ethical concerns

and would be relatively easy to implement. There are few ethical concerns because all of the

activities the museum would be relying on to increase their revenue streams are already carried

out at the museum. Therefore the ethical considerations would be based on the implementation

of fees and amount charged for services. As previously mentioned there is already an expectation

established that access to museum collections and resources is provided at a fee. Although the


museum strives to keep access fees to a minimum by seeking grants and donations, all access to

the collections should be held responsible for subsidizing the cost of access. Changes in the

services provided will cause minor disruptions but the museum has to prioritize providing any

services over maintenance of current services. Rather than lose the ability to provide access to

collections the museum should recognize the potential for extra funding provided by capitalizing

on their current activities. This strategy is limited in the amount of funding that it can provide

and therefore would not be able to reverse the financial problems the Field Museum is facing.

Rather this plan would be a part of a much larger revenue creation strategy.

A more moderate strategy for the museum to pursue would involve combining the actions

outlined in the first strategy as well as integrating an additional layer. The second component to

the strategy would be to use the museum’s existing resources in new ways. By combining the

effects of increased capitalization on existing activities and new revenue projects, the museum

can make a significant impact on its bottom line. As museums across the country and world

struggle to maintain services during economic slow-down, redefining the scope of the museum’s

activities is a necessary activity for any museum that hopes to maintain relevance and solvency

in the future. Although many museum professionals may take issue with revising the scope of the

museum’s resources it is critical that museums evolve with their communities and revision is a

necessary part of that change.

Museums are often some of the most powerful nonprofit organizations in a community

and as a result have access to resources beyond the capabilities of any one individual. For many

financial supporters of the museum the prestige of being associated with the museum is a

valuable asset. As the Field Museum tries to regain financial position one of the most important

activities is fundraising. The museum relies on funds donated by corporations and individuals to


operate. In order for the museum to solicit donations they often provide perks or extras. As an

example, the museum provides a special night for members where normally off-limits areas are

opened up for viewing. Furthermore donors that contribute large sums of money are often given

naming rights, or other privileges to acknowledge or thank them for their contribution. Many of

the Field Museum’s donors support the museum because they share a deep appreciation for

cultures or scientific disciplines that are represented in the museum’s collection. Some are

collectors themselves and often donate objects from their collections to the museum in addition

to monetary support they provide. In order to attract new or continued financial support from

donors the museum can offer new, unique incentives for donors who contribute. For instance the

museum could offer a donor with a collection limited space in the museums storage areas where

the collection could be temporarily housed. This provides the donor with an opportunity to use

the museum’s resources in a way that is unavailable to any other person. There are some ethical

concerns with using storage space as a perk, such as the danger of inter-mixing collections,

insurance considerations, and questions concerning value. However these concerns are not

enough to prevent investigating the potential of such a perk. As long as the museum thoroughly

investigates the idea and establishes solutions that resolve the ethical concerns this could be

developed as a creative and effective incentive for soliciting donations and generating revenue.

The Field Museum is one of few museums, particularly natural history museums that

have a fully functional conservation staff. The museum’s object conservation capabilities are far

beyond what an independent conservator can provide. The museum could use the conservation

facilities to provide object conservation services for the public. Although most people do not

require professional object conservation there are collectors, other museums, and artists who

would benefit from the ability to contract with the museum staff. If the museum were to make


their conservation staff services available for a fee it would enable the museum to create a new

service provided without significant investment of resources. Conservation labs are already

constructed and the equipment purchased. The museum would however have to develop a

contract that enabled them to provide their services without endangering their nonprofit status,

any grants or funding they received for conservation equipment, or perceived lack of

impropriety. Services would have to cover the cost of supplies used, staff time, resource access

and use and still produce profit for the museum. The museum already allows geology fossil

preparation staff to prepare fossil specimens for profit for clients. Expanding this to the

conservation, biological preparation, and botanical preservation departments would increase the

potential for the museum to generate additional sources of revenue. Furthermore the staff would

be able to supplement their incomes taking on contract preparation work.

As with all new programs and for profit endeavors there are some serious ethical issues

that will be raised. Using resources on objects that are not part of the museum’s collection, or

outside of the scope of its mission-related activities, might be perceived as an inappropriate use

of the museum’s resources and viewed as potentially detrimental to the overall care of the

collections. If resources are expended in the conservation of non-museum objects then those

resources are not available for the collection and the museum is not caring for its collection in a

manner that is responsible and in alignment with the public’s interest. If however, the use of the

resources contributed additional funds to the museum, while covering the use and consumption

of the resources at a fair rate, then the museum will have access to funds to replace and acquire

new resources. This would alleviate the burden that caring for the collections places on the

museum without compromising the care that the museum is able to provide. In order for this

change to be beneficial to the museum the acceptance of contracted conservation services would


have to be at will, within the museum’s capabilities, and not interfere or detract from the primary

duty of caring for the museum’s permanent collection. Again, the effectiveness of this plan is

limited because the potential revenue generated is insufficient, by itself, to resolve all of the

museum’s financial difficulty. However if implemented as part of a larger plan this could help

the museum maintain solvency far better than relying on donations and attendance fees alone.

The Field Museum faces serious financial problems and as museums move forward into

the twenty-first century they will face unprecedented challenges. For museums to remain

successful it is critical that they be adaptable and agile. As the Field Museum confronts the

financial problems that threaten to close their doors they serve as an example for museums

across the country that are also facing financial problems. The final and most risky strategy that

the museum could employ involves reimagining the role and function of the museum. Re-

envisioning the museum is a difficult and risky strategy, the potential for a public relations

disaster is high. There is no guarantee that making drastic changes in the role and services the

museum provides would have a positive effect on the financial standing of the museum.

However, many in the museum field are beginning to question the long-term viability of

museums in their current form. Slowing economies have highlighted the fundamental flaws

inherent in the typical nonprofit museum model and ultimately the deterioration of the typical

museum model is inevitable. Unlike business models, where inevitable market saturation,

product obsolescence and decline are built into well-developed plans, the museum model is

based on continuance into perpetuity. In order for the museum to remain functional they must be

open to drastic changes in their structure and strategy. With this in mind the final solution

involves a controversial and risky re-structuring of the museum.


In his 2009 book, Robert Janes argues that museums are becoming increasingly irrelevant

in today’s world. Janes covers many museological issues in his book and offers unique but

controversial solutions to resolving the issue of irrelevance. One of the most interesting issues

that Janes discusses is that museum collections. He argues that museum collections, which are

massive in volume and require huge sums of money on an annual basis to care for, are sinking

museums. The high cost of maintaining museum collections, in sophisticated environmentally

controlled storage areas, requiring teams of conservators, collections managers, registrars and

curators, and using expensive collections management databases and individualized storage

mounts, etc. are simply too many resources to dedicate to every object. Now, there are certainly

objects that are important enough to justify their high price tags, however many objects could be

reasonably preserved with far fewer resources. Janes proposes a restructuring of the museum

collections that assigns objects to different tiered or graded levels. Revenue opportunities exist in

providing museum collections for loan to a broader variety of institutions that may have fewer

financial or organizational resources. I believe that the Field Museum could reasonably

implement a tier system that would both reduce their overall operating costs and create revenue

opportunities through creative marketing of their collection.

In addition to re-structuring the museum’s collection there are additional opportunities to

create revenue through fundraising. The Field Museum employs a large curatorial faculty, who

are among the most highly compensated staff members of the museum. The curatorial faculty are

also offered tenured statues, and as a result many of the curatorial faculty remain at the museum

for the majority of their professional careers. This structure has many benefits but it also has

many set-backs. Fundraising for curatorial faculty who often maintain the same research areas

for their professional career can be challenging. Re-structuring the department to reflect the


diverse and ever-changing research needs can both reduce the overall cost of maintaining a

curatorial faculty and provide constantly changing research topics for fundraising. Most

museums have policies in place that offer board members termed positions, thus ensuring that

fresh perspectives are constantly being incorporated into the board. If museums approached

curatorial positions the same way they approached board positions they could increase the

variety and relevance of curatorial research. This provides a more diverse research program with

more opportunities to attract a broader donor base and more frequent donation opportunities.

There are significant challenges implementing such drastic re-structuring projects. There

are serious ethical concerns involved in implementing a tier system, particularly because placing

valuations on collections contradicts one of the basic assumptions of museum collection care,

that each collection object has the same inherent value and therefore the same level of care is

provided for all objects. However museums must acknowledge the fundamental problems in

structuring museum collections in this manner. In order to provide the most benefit for the most

people museums must prioritize their activities and direct available funding to the programs or

objects that can provide the most significant impact for the most number of people. Drastic

changes to the traditional museum model are risky but they also offer the biggest opportunity for

benefit. With this in mind my recommendation for the Field Museum is to adopt an innovative

and risk-taking strategy and implement fundamental re-structuring to the museum’s current

model.

Action Plan

In order to implement a radical change in the museum’s operations serious commitment

on the part of museum administration and professional staff is necessary. In addition resources


need to be temporarily channeled into restructuring plans. This would temporarily disrupt the

museum’s ability to provide regular programming to visitors and during the first phase of the

restructuring the museum will have to temporarily reduce their offerings in order to redirect all

available resources. During this first phase the museum must evaluate the curatorial faculty,

current research trends, and donor interest and strategically chose a termed curatorial faculty that

is best aligned with donor support potential. A committee should be established to monitor

scholarly research trends and choose future termed curatorial candidates. In addition the museum

should establish a committee, composed of collections staff and current curatorial faculty in

order to establish collection tier levels and evaluate the appropriate level for each collection

object. This process is long and rigorous and involves careful composition and review of the

collection management policy and approval by the board. A well-worded and justifiable rationale

must be articulated in order to prevent public relations issues and questions of impropriety.

Furthermore any drastic changes to the collections management policy would come under close

scrutiny by the American Alliance of Museums, who grants accreditation to museums. Although

loss of accredited status is a real concern, the museum has few options that would effectively

resolve their financial issues. Since the museum is already looking into the sale of collections

objects, which is a move that places the accreditation at equal risk, implementing a tier system

would enable the museum to retain all of their collection while still generating revenue.

The second phase of the action plan involves categorizing the museum’s collection under

the different tiers established by the collections committee. The museum’s holdings are in the

millions and as a result the process will be slow. Careful considerations of the cost of

maintaining the objects, its scientific and cultural value, and its conservation needs should play a

part in determining the level of care that should be made available to the object. Although this


seems contradictory to the idea of caring for museum objects it actually better represents the real

treatment of objects in museums than the current system. By instituting a tiered system the

museum is more strategically allocating their resources towards collections that will provide the

greatest utility for the museum, scientists, and the public. As the museum’s collections are

designated at different levels the museum is able to implement a new, creative loan program that

both increases the availability of objects for loan, and reduces the cost of caring for and

transporting those objects while they are on loan. This increases the number of institutions that

would be considered for borrowing objects as well as reduces the resources needed to obtain a

loan. This increases revenue for the museum while broadening the access to objects and the

audiences they serve.

The final phase of the strategic plan involves selecting and contracting term positions

with researchers. This enables the museum to constantly update and refresh their scientific

programs based on current research trends and align fundraising activities with the new funding

opportunities created by the rotating positions. The museum benefits from a more diverse

research program, creating exhibits and programs that appeal to a larger audience, and

broadening the museum’s scientific perspective. In addition new research areas appeal to

different donor bases and the development department will be better able to tailor their efforts to

specific donor interests. The constant change in research topics will enable the museum to create

a more constant influx of development funds. By implementing an extreme restructuring project

the museum can create a new model for museums, integrating twenty-first century business

theories that serve the needs of the present communities the museum serves while still

maintaining the core mission of their institutions; to collected, preserve, and educate.


In order for the museum to successfully restructure, leadership needs to be aligned with

the progressive direction of the museum. Drastic revisions to the role and organization of the

museum must be headed by leaders who are organized, deeply committed to ethical and

sustainable models, but most importantly willing to take risks. Radical changes require

innovative thinking but a grounded and responsible perspective on the role and responsibility of

the museum. In order for leadership to disseminate the progressive attitude of positive change

throughout the staff at the museum, many who are firmly entrenched in outdated practices and

models, the human resource department must work closely with leadership to communicate the

commitment to constructive change and the appreciation and need for current staff in order to

achieve success. Additionally, as previously indicated, in order to begin the process of

restructuring the museum financial, technological and human resources need to be temporarily

channeled towards the project. While this does reduce the available services that the museum is

able to provide, in the long-term it will enable the museum to provide greater, more diverse, and

financially productive services. While the museum’s financial problems were instigated by a

slowing economy it is important to understand the fundamental flaws in the traditional museum

model made financial instability inevitable. Integrating an entrepreneurial strategy, as part of an

overall strategic management program will enable the museum to successfully implement the

risky restructuring project.

Since the Field Museum is experiencing significant financial issues, and the proposed

restructuring project would, at least temporarily, reduce the services provided by the museum, in

the immediate future the museum may experience temporary slow-downs in the attendance and

program participation. However the long-term benefits of implementing the restructuring plan

would increase the diversity of the audiences targeted as well as the number of visitors,


researchers, etc. who have access to the museum’s resources. In this way the museum will be

able to compete with area museums for visitorship. Additionally by reaching a greater number of

people the museum will have a greater advantage when applying for grants and other financial

assistance. As the museum restructures their operations the role of the human resource

department will shift from staff development and support to focus more on recruitment of talent

to further the museum’s mission. With an emphasis on quality staff recruitment rather than staff

retention the museum will shift to an organization where creative and trendy collaborations take

place. Although the museum faces difficult times, it is clear that in order to transform into a

museum in the twenty-first century a drastic revision of the tradition museum model will have to

take place. The investment of time and resources by the museum is necessary in order to secure a

more stable, relevant, sustainable future.

Strategic management is an ongoing process of monitoring and revising models. For

museums to maintain services into the twenty-first century it is critical that strategic

management, paired with strategic leadership be integrated into every facet of the museum’s

operation. It is through the continual, proactive, progressive revision management of the museum

that the Field Museum, and organizations like it, will be able to maintain financial stability in the

changing global market.

As museums move into the twenty-first century they will face ever increasing challenges,

from slow economic growth, and loss of relevancy, to under utilization of resources and

mismanagement. It is because of these challenges that the need for creative, responsible, and

resourceful leadership in museums is more important than ever. Faced with the threat of loss of

ability to provide services or bankruptcy, museums must redevelop their business strategies to be

able to operate within the current economic and social framework. Continuing to operate


museums using the outdated museum model developed over a century ago will not provide a

successful or sustainable roadmap for museums in the twenty-first century. It will take dynamic

leadership in order to develop and implement innovative strategies and usher in a new generation

of museums and museum professionals. As museums begin to change the most important aspect

of developing a new model will be incorporating sustainability through strategic revision into the

plan. Developing a model for museums to use in the twenty-first century will be challenging but

the true challenge will be finding the leaders necessary to successfully transform what the

twenty-first century museum does. Inspiring change in museums, many of which are stubbornly

entrenched in outdated traditions and paradigms, requires leadership that is proactive, tenacious,

and responsible but most importantly prepared. Programs that educate museum professionals

and teach them to merge best practices with the realities and organizational capabilities serve as

the best method for developing the next generation of museum professionals. These

professionals will be competent, experienced, and prepared to take on the challenges of the

museum in the twenty-first century.

Completing the dual masters’ degree program of business administration and museum

studies at John F. Kennedy has provided me with the education and skills needed to reinvent the

museum in the next generation. The new millennium brought with it new and exciting

possibilities but it also brought many unexpected changes. Economic and social models that have

been relied upon for the past century are crumbling and people are beginning to understand that

methods that have been relied on for years are ultimately unsustainable. Combining the

collaborative, socially responsible mission of museum work with the practical, sustainable, and

proactive business world, the dual degree program has enabled me to develop solutions and

innovative strategies for propelling the museum forward into new territories. Before beginning


the program at dual degree program at John F. Kennedy University my professional museum

experiences always framed museum practices against or counter to the business needs of

museums. Often professionals refer to the need to balance the perceived opposition of these

perspectives. However after participating in the dual degree program I do not understand these

needs as being in conflict with each other. Instead I see business and museum practices working

in tandem with each other in order to achieve the needs of both. Rather than one side pulling or

pushing on the other I believe that both inform and propel the other towards a strategic direction.

In this way the dual degree program has prepared me to tackle the specific issues that museums

face in the next generation of their existence.

Using modern, progressive, responsible business practices, with an emphasis on long-

term sustainability, the business program is uniquely qualified to inform the museum studies

program. In addition to emphasizing business models that are strategically aligned with the

needs of museums the business program has further integrated museum practices into the core

curriculum of the program by adapting assignments, readings, and lectures to allow museum

studies students to focus on specific application of theories and practices to nonprofit

organizations. By providing students with this opportunity the business program accomplishes

several things. Not only do students have the chance to implement specific skills in ways that are

directly translatable to their future careers, they gain experience developing and presenting ideas

to a diverse audience; some are fellow museum professionals but others are colleagues that are

not well versed in the professional standards and culture of nonprofits. This forces students to

refine and present their ideas and to make them more accessible to a greater number of people.

Drawing on concepts utilized by other professions museum studies students can increase their

experience and knowledge of progressive business techniques and adapt different strategies for


use in museums. Most importantly this means museum studies students are not only well

prepared for museum administration positions, they are also prepared to handle for profit

organizational development and administration.

The business courses that are part of the dual degree program can roughly be grouped

into three different categories; an introduction to management and leadership, management by

the numbers, and methods for achieving effective management strategies. Courses taken in each

of these three categories help prepare students for the challenges that museum management and

leadership will face in the next millennium. By providing courses that train students to

understand management by the numbers, but also as a discipline based in ethics and

responsibility students are more qualified to develop sustainable solutions that fulfill the needs of

the museum as well as the communities that rely on those museums.

In the first category of courses taken students are given an introduction to the field of

business administration and management. Systems Approach to Business Models and

Management teaches students to understand the different perspectives in effective management

as well as understand the methods available to achieve successful, positive results. By

encouraging students to view issues through different lenses the program sets the stage for the

rest of the courses that all draw heavily on the development of strong, balanced perspective in

management and decision-making. Creating opportunities for students to revise resolutions from

a different angle the course prepares students for management roles that require tactful,

diplomatic skills and the ability to understand big picture needs. The course shows students how

their decisions have an effect on their ability to successfully resolve conflicts.


Equally important to the development of a balanced perspective in management is the

Organizational Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility class. Skills learned in this course

enable students to define and strengthen their personal and professional ethical code. This in turn

enables them to understand the fundamental issues that underlie perceptions of conflict in

business practices. By strengthening personal and professional ethical codes museum

professionals enrolled in the dual degree program are able to develop resolutions that better

fulfill the ethical needs of organizations and social communities served by those organizations.

Finally, by having a strong moral compass museum professionals are able to provide leadership

in the field. These leadership qualities are further developed in Visionary Leadership and

Sustainability which teaches students to focus their ethical and leadership skills towards goals in

strategic and inspirational ways. These courses provide the basis for the leadership and activism

needed in the twenty-first century museum field.

Building on the fundamental courses the program offers are the hard numbers courses,

such as Managerial Economics, Accounting for Managers, and Marketing Management. The

information learned in these three courses provides students with an understanding of the drivers

of business. The course outlines the measurable data that is the basic tool needed for developing

real-world strategies and assessing success. A basic understanding of the hard data of business

prepares students to make informed decisions and provides them with the ability to quantitatively

assess the effectiveness of those decisions.

The final category of courses that the program provides introduces student professionals

to the specific methodologies that organizations employ to implement and sustain their strategic

initiatives. Two courses, Organizational Communication, Collaboration and Social Networking

and Leading a Global Workforce prepares students to better utilize the resources available to


organizations that are vital to effective implementation of management strategies. Human and

social networking resources are two of the most important assets that organizations have and

proactive and full utilization of those resources is necessary in order for organizations in the

twenty-first century to succeed. Finally Managing Strategy, Planning and Innovation and the

development of the capstone has solidified my professional perspective and provided me with

practical applications of strategic and planning theories. The formulation and articulation of all

of the concepts developed in the business program as part of a final paper has prepared me to

seek positions in the museum field that were previously inaccessible. By completing the dual

degree program I am growing my qualifications to become one of the leaders the museum

profession needs in order to achieve success and stability in the next few years.

The dual masters’ degree in museum studies and master in business administration

program at John F. Kennedy University is unlike any other museum studies program available in

the United States today. Unlike other programs that focus on best practices and museum

standards the dual degree program prepares students to merge the needs of the museum with the

capabilities of the larger organization. In this way graduates are uniquely prepared to not only

work within museums but to run the museums. The most qualified museum administrators must

have a thorough understanding of not only business practices but the unique needs and

professional standards of the museum field. The program at John F. Kennedy University enables

students to pursue experience in both fields simultaneously and in an integrated and informative

way.

Developing a personal perspective on the essential components of a sound organizational

philosophy will be different process for every person, for different careers, and in different stages

of a person’s professional development. In completing the business program I am forming my


personal beliefs on the qualities and components of a successful, ethical, and profitable

organization. What follows is a brief discussion of some of my core beliefs on essential aspects

of a twenty-first century museum.

One of the most important aspects of a successful business, for profit or nonprofit is

having an open, responsive, and thoughtful organization. Organizations must be what is known

as a “knowing organization.” They must develop networks that facilitate the generation, flow,

and retention of knowledge in order to remain competitive in the market and fully capitalize on

the resources the organization has invested in. These qualities are often difficult to define in

terms of how they manifest themselves in each organization. There is no single, prescribed

method of achieving thoughtfulness in an organization. Each organization has to develop a

culture that effectively supports beneficial and positive communication between employees,

management, and executives. Many organizations, particularly small or newer organizations,

have naturally occurring systems that support these qualities. However it is important to

recognize the need for continual maintenance and revision of the organization’s communication

and knowledge sharing networks. In this way organizations can ensure that the network of

knowledge remains in place even if employees or structures change. Too often organizations rely

on networks that are the result of a single employee’s efforts, and when that employee is no

longer available to continue or further develop the network the organization loses its capacity to

learn and spread knowledge.

One of the best ways that an organization can cultivate an effective knowledge network is

through establishing a strong organizational culture that supports the use and reliance on

knowledge networks within the company. An organization can implement systems and technical

support in order to capture knowledge and retain and disseminate it but if the culture of an


organization does not support knowledge creation and sharing then ultimately any technical

support will be rendered useless. Organizational culture is not something that can be established

overnight or created through policy. In that sense a strong, positive organizational culture and

support system is one of the hardest assets for an organization to maintain. The culture of an

organization must be developed from all directions, top-down, bottom-up, internally and

externally. The maintenance of an organization’s culture must be the role of every employee in

the company. Furthermore if cultural values are not approached with integrity or if people sense

that the values are not authentic or mutually beneficial then the organization’s positive culture

will eventually disintegrate and possibly even create feelings of resentment and animosity among

the staff. A negative organizational culture is one of the greatest hindrances to success and long-

term sustainability.

For museums, being a knowing institution with positive organizational culture is

particularly important. Many museums struggle with firmly entrenched, outdated,

counterproductive, and generally negative institutional cultures. In order for museums to move

into the twenty-first century and make full use of the available resources it is imperative that

museum administration invest in changing counterproductive organizational cultures and value

systems to be more positive, open, collaborative, and beneficial models. Organizational values

need to be clearly defined and strongly upheld by every level in the organization. By developing

a core set of principles that relate not only to the care, preservation, and exhibition of objects

held by the museum but also the actions and work of its employees the museum can fulfill its

mission to the fullest extent possible.

Museums by their very nature are philanthropic and uphold very high standards for social

responsibility. However, as with all organizations, mission drift, lack of resources,


mismanagement and difficult financial situations can cause even the most dedicated institutions

to become lax on ethical and social responsibilities. Dedication to high standards and fulfilling

social obligations despite economic or other barriers is vital for museums. As an institution that

is fundamentally devoted to fulfilling a social need and providing beneficial resources for the

public it is important that museums remain faithful to their missions to be social responsible. Just

as employees will not participate in a culture that is perceived as inauthentic the public will not

support a museum that only pays lip service to their ideals. This is true for organizations that

operate for-profit or not-for-profit. Recognizing the responsibility of all people and organizations

to contribute to and sustain social and cultural needs and create mutually beneficial relationships

is one of the critical aspects of remaining in business in the twenty-first century. Museums play a

particularly important role in creating a culture of corporate social responsibility. The museum’s

responsibilities are two-fold in that they not only have a responsibility to uphold their own social

responsibilities but also educate and advocate for the public to insist on all organizations to

develop and adhere to strong organizational principles and social responsible and sustainable

practices.

As museums progress into the next millennium it is important that they are able to be

adaptive and responsive to the needs of the communities that they serve. Although there is no

way for any person or organization to predict what future needs will be, it is important for

museums and all organizations to integrate the key components outlined above into their future

development, museums must reinforce a culture of strong, clear principles that are reflected in

their every day practices. Additionally, one of the key concepts that organizations must

incorporate into their institutional development plans is the need for constant review and

revision. Although one specific model may be successful at a certain point in time, that same


model will invariably become outdated and nonfunctional as the needs and direction of markets

change. Reliance on the continued success of a model into perpetuity is a disastrous move for

any organization. Although this paper develops many ideas that will be beneficial for museums

and organizations alike, at some point, even those ideas will lose their effectiveness. The most

important part of developing an organizational plan is to prepare for changes and allow for

revision. The following section makes recommendations for how organizations, museums in

particular, can implement changes that will better prepare them to preserve their relevance and

resourcefulness in the future. These recommendations reflect the current needs of the

organization in order to fulfill their mission but are open to adaptation and revision.

Socio-technical communication systems within museums range from the highly

functional with multiple input and access points to functionless, irrelevant, or only utilized by a

single person. Since the ultimate goal of a museum is to retain, generate, and disseminate

information socio-technical communication systems that link both internally and externally will

become increasingly important to the continued success and progress of museums in the next few

years. Many museums use collection database systems that allow multiple users to access

information through several different user access levels. This enables both inter and intra

departmental information to be captured in a single platform thus making the transfer of

information between colleagues much more efficient and open. Systems that encourage

interdisciplinary collaboration provide the best opportunity for museums to develop and sustain

positive organizational culture and realize the full potential of their human resources. As more

museums begin to form partnerships and the field moves towards inter-organization

collaboration on a more regular basis implementing and maintaining strong socio-technical

systems will be critical in order to support multi-user interaction.


Additionally many museums are making efforts to incorporate and include participation

from independent scholars, researchers, native groups, and individuals in their collection

information systems. This enables the museum to not only develop a strong socio-technical

network within their institution and between similar institutions but with independent members

of interested parties. This creates strong connections to important communities and ensures that

the museum is expanding their outreach and education mission while providing a new

opportunity for individuals to become more deeply associated and involved with the museum. As

socio-technical methods of communicating and sharing information become further developed

and integrated into the social network of communities across the world, having two-way

communication systems like highly developed database systems, will allow museums to

participate in new ways in the lives of people all over the world.

Superb financial management is essential for any museum that hopes to continue to

operate into the twenty-first century. Not only have funding sources and revenue declined but the

need for corporate transparency and responsible financial management has become essential for

businesses to maintain public trust and market share. The need for not only responsible but

efficient management and use of funds is critical for museums because of their duty to act

responsibly and in the best interests of the communities they represent. As more museum

professionals begin to receive training in financial management and museum administration the

level of management and transparency will increase. Nonprofits are particularly susceptible to

financial mismanagement in part because leadership lacks the necessary training to adequately

mange or oversee funds. The public does not scrutinize the financial reports of nonprofit

institutions with the same vigor as for profit companies. However, as many museum struggle to


keep their doors open the public is becoming more aware of the need of public oversight of

nonprofit organizations.

For museums to continue to be able to solicit donations, receive government and other

grants, and continue to ask the public to support their mission through admissions it is vital that

greater oversight and transparency characterize the financial operations of museums. The IRS

already requires museums and other nonprofits to make some of their financial information

available to the public every year, however many museums view this as an obligatory act.

Instead museums should welcome scrutiny and feedback on their financial statements as an

opportunity to increase transparency, public trust, and make the institution open to assistance and

revision from interested, well-meaning parties. One of the most challenging aspects of

completing a degree program in museum studies with an emphasis on business management was

the lack of resources, scholarly and professional writing, and support for museum business

management commentary. This is indicative of the industry as a whole and is one of the most

critical ways that museums can provide better service to their communities in the future.

Museums serve a diverse market, from families to enthusiasts, tourists to the local

community. Museum marketing strategies tend to focus on ethnic groups, ages, or families.

However as new research into the type of visitors that museums attract is conducted it is

becoming clear that these traditional categories do not adequately represent the true types of

visitors at museums. Instead visitors share more commonalities along personal interest or

learning types and style rather than across age, ethnic, or family groupings. As museums work to

reach further into communities, broaden their audience and better meet the needs of the

communities they already serve creating marketing plans that target groups of people in more

effective ways is important to developing a twenty-first century museum. Relying on outdated,


one dimensional characterization of target markets prevents museums from successfully reaching

individuals by effectually alienating market segments by forcing them into stereotypical

segments that require them to behave and think in predetermined ways. This is counterproductive

to the efforts of the museum and does not reflect the role of the modern museum as a forum but

reinforces the view of the museum as the author of socio-ethnic roles.

The modern museum’s marketing plan must be aligned with the socially responsible

mission and goals that the museum is committed to. Creating a marketing program that increases

awareness of museum services and programs through strategic alignment with outside

organizations can create great success for museums in their audience cultivation goals. Many

museums have begun to partner with large corporations to create sponsorships for free days and

other programming and these partnerships should be explored further and opportunities.

Increased marketing through creative partnerships can enable museums to reach larger, more

diverse audiences through the resource networks of partners. New methods of marketing as well

as new media for marketing resources are two of the most significant ways that museums can

develop modern models for marketing and increase their audience scope and diversity in the

twenty-first century.

As museums create more partnerships with large corporations they have an additional

opportunity to not only benefit from the financial resources offered by the corporation but the

network and supply relationships of those organizations. Museums have well-cultivated

relationships with donors but the same relationship management effort is not given to supplier

relationships. However developing and maintaining strong, productive relationships with

organizations and suppliers that provide goods and services to the museum is essential to

successful, efficient, profitable business ventures. Relying on corporate sponsorships and other


relationships not only for funding but also relationship creation and management of networks can

help museums develop stronger ties to beneficial organizations in and outside their communities

and better manage their financial resources. Although museums do not require the same supplier

resources that large organizations do they would benefit from the same skill and attention that

those large organizations put into supply chain management. This is particularly true for

museums that are trying to increase the transparency of their operations while maintaining high

quality and ethically responsible relationships under financial constraints.

In order for museums to implement the changes necessary to inspire progress into the

twenty-first century, leadership development within museum profession must expand. As a

museum professional seeking to inspire great changes in museums I am committed to developing

strong leadership skills throughout my career. Throughout the business program the importance

of effective, positive, balanced leadership is stressed. Museums, just as any other organization,

are only as strong as their leadership, however many professionals do not spend the same time or

devote as much effort to developing their personal leadership skills or advocating for better

leadership in museums. By completing the business administration program I hope to create

awareness of the need for leadership and create practical solutions for greater leadership qualities

in all museum professionals.

Changing the culture, structure, and belief systems in museums is no small task. Many

museums have been operating for decades, some for over a century, in more or less the same

fashion. As a result professionals are firmly entrenched in the current system and proposing or

implementing changes can often result in strong even combative resistance. Becoming a leader

as a museum professional requires creative strategies that allow professional staff to participate

in the restructuring process while providing support and guidance to maintain focus.


Development of my personal leadership skills has been focused on creating strong interpersonal

relationships with colleagues that allow me to take genuine interest in the success and fulfillment

of others while advocating for mutual growth and change for professionals and organizations. By

aligning the goals of the organization and the goals of the professional it is easy to implement

positive changes and avoid negative or resistant attitudes. Observing leadership and restructuring

plans in museums I have found that policy and organizational charts mean little if they are not

supported by staff efforts. Consequently developing strong relationships that are authentic and

mutually beneficial are the foundation of my personal leadership style.

One of the biggest hindrances to creating strong relationships among employees is the

segregation and silo-ing of tasks. Museums in particular suffer from the effects of over

compartmentalization of work. As museum leadership develops strategies for propelling their

organizations forward, creating more team-oriented collaborations across disciplines will be an

important aspect of increasing collaboration and knowledge sharing in organizations.

Particularly in collections work, which can be highly specialized, developing cross-functional

teams will enable museums to capitalize on their human resources, staff expertise and develop

innovative and successful new strategies for caring for collections. This is especially true for

natural history museums that emphasize the inter-connectedness of life on the planet but often

fall short of making the same connections between their scientific departments. In this way

museums are missing out on opportunities for unique collaborations between scientific

disciplines. In my professional career I have strived to and will continue to strive to reach out to

colleagues from different backgrounds to create collaborative relationships and develop

programs and practices that better represent the composition and needs of museums in the

twenty-first century.


The global economy has changed the way organizations do business and museums are no

exception to this change. Although most museums are local in nature, they serve a global

community through tourism but more importantly they are part of a network of cultural

institutions that are collectively responsible for collecting and caring for our shared cultural

heritage. Museums interact with communities from all over the globe, the same communities that

the museum’s collections represent. In order for museum professionals to fulfill their obligations

to the global community while creating programs and services that are profitable and fulfill their

educational mission strong ethical codes need to be established and followed. Maintaining a

competitive edge in the global economy is no longer just linked to profitability and market share.

Organizations that have ethical, socially responsible practices are consistently outlasting

competitors in the same industry. Increased globalization has created a stronger relationship

between communities across country and socio-economic lines. As a result organizations that

exploit or otherwise harm communities in the name of profits are less able to maintain a

successful operation, including museums.

Recently many large cultural institutions have been criticized for practices that are

considered by many to be exploitive or unethical. As public institutions museums are held to a

high ethical standard, as are museum professionals, but as hard financial times take their toll on

museums we, as a profession, are experiencing more and more ethical drift in order to maintain

financial viability. Many museums, professionals, and leaders are forced to make hard decisions,

weighing the potential for damage to an institution’s integrity versus the need to keep the

museum’s doors open. Although it is important for professionals to adhere to a well-developed

professional ethical code it is also about balancing the overall success of the museum and current

economic realities. As a professional who is committed to establishing a strong, collaborative


ethical dialogue among museum professionals I hope to be able to develop conversations that

produce creative solutions for current challenges while adhering to ethical obligations. However

as museums evolve and as a part of integrating strategic management into more museums I

believe that ethical guidelines need to be evaluated and revised frequently. If the current ethical

codes museums professionals adhere to are creating too great a burden for museums to maintain

then those codes are ultimately inappropriate. Maintaining a strong ethical code should bolster

the profitability of an organization not hinder it. Developing strategies for increasing the

profitability and sustainability of the museum model while creating a strong but adaptive ethical

code is important for the next generation of museum leadership. This is one of the professional

goals that I will attempt to fulfill as my career progresses.

It is important for professions to maintain strong professional codes of ethics but it is

equally important for every professional to maintain their own personal professional code of

ethics to guide them in situations that are not covered under existing codes of conduct. My

personal ethical beliefs most clearly align with conventional ethical relativism; all notions of

right and wrong are defined by and are given merit by specific cultures. The theoretical

application of conventional ethical relativism is simple relative to the practical application.

Museums develop relationships with many different cultural groups and the clash between

ethical positions can cause deep and devastating conflicts. As a museum professional I am

responsible for ensuring that the cultures museums strive to preserve are being treated fairly and

represented on their terms. Often the conflict between a museum cultural and ethical perspective

that values preservation and equality can be diametrically opposed to a culture that values

decomposition and hierarchies. According to my ethical perspective each ethical stance is

equally valid and must be provided equal weight. Decisions that require a definitive resolution


must be considered from both ethical perspectives and I therefore must maintain more than one

moral perspective otherwise I would be giving unequal weight to my own moral stance of

another culture’s history.

Although many people would argue that this is a difficult or untenable position to take on

professional ethics I find that it is the only ethical position that can be sustained by a museum

professional that yields positive results and fosters relationship creation with communities, many

of whom were marginalized by the museum in the past. Much of the museum profession

involves relationship cultivation and genuine interactions with people require an open and

nonjudgmental attitude towards diverse opinions and cultural values. Being open an accepting to

others’ cultural values does not require you to hold those same values but simply shows that you

believe people have the right to determine their own ethical perspective.

Having an open and respectful attitude towards the diverse perspectives that museum

professionals encounter applies not only towards the relationships they cultivate outside the

organization. It also applies to the relationships that organizations have with their own

employees. Establishing strong relationships with employees is critical to creating a work

environment that is collaborative and productive and developing an organizational culture that is

sustainable. As organizations evolve the development of a more proactive and supportive human

resource philosophy will set twenty-first century organizations apart from others. Human

resource department policies have been relied upon to satisfy the legal requirements that

organizations have to their employees, handle the administrative aspects of hiring and

terminating employees, and managing benefits. This is far too narrow a view to have towards the

most valuable resource an organization has. Rather than treating employees as an obligation,

companies must start investing in their staff, providing training and development that will


encourage professionals to stay with the organization longer. Creating long-term relationships

with employees presents a challenge for organizations as more and more professionals view

positions as stepping stones and do not remain with companies for more than a few years. Rather

than take steps to retain staff many organizations have gone along with the trend, accepting and

therefore reinforcing the idea that employment with the organization is a short-term relationship.

While there are benefits to this system, and in some cases short-term positions should be

preferred, there are many times when companies loose important employees because they do not

invest in the development of their staff. Limiting staff duties, training, and development to

activities that support the staff’s current position is a too narrowly focused approach to human

resources management. The same can be said of recruiting from outside the organization to

create change or development. The challenge for the next generation of human resource

managers is finding a balance between internal staff development, encouraging movement within

the organization, and refreshing the workforce with new perspectives.

Finding the appropriate mix between investment, opportunity creation, and recruitment

will set the stage for workplace environments that are intelligent, collaborative, and most

importantly sustainable. Too heavy a reliance on investment creates stagnant culture, lack of

innovation, and unwillingness to change. Too much reliance on recruiting new talent will create

environments that are too amorphous and lack the structure to support cooperation and long-term

development. The next generation of professionals will be hard-working with a new take on the

employer-employee relationship that places an emphasis on mutually beneficial relationships that

encourage growth and development for both. Creating sustainable worker/company partnerships

will be the key to changing the forces that drive the economy from perpetually increasing growth

to long-term stability.


Although the economy, particularly as the world moves towards greater globalization, is

far too complicated to be reduced to a single factor the reliance on continued growth without

regard to the long-term effects has created a mentality in the business world that is destructive to

the continued posterity of many organizations. Understanding the importance of sustainability

and the relationship between growth, development, and future needs is critical in developing

strategic plans that account for future needs, whether those needs are yet to be established or

even well-defined. Short-sighted development places greater value on instant return on

investment and does so at the cost of future returns. This can be especially dangerous for

organizations that have long-term sustainability and operation embedded into their mission, like

museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions that are created in public trust. Changing the

economic atmosphere is not a task that any individual or organization can undertake by

themselves. However as more museum professionals seek out business and administrative

training new perspectives that emphasize the importance of steady growth and long-term success

of organizations will emerge. Having a new attitude towards development, coupled with stronger

human resource relationships can propel economic change towards a more sustainable and

beneficial direction.

Creating an economy that is stable and promotes long-term sustainable growth is

important for future professionals and is the responsibility of current professionals and

organizations. Nowhere is this better understood than the natural history museum. By their

nature life science museums are concerned with the interconnectedness of life and the need to

preserve life and diversity by monitoring and tending to the needs of the entire ecosystem. If this

perspective, of interconnectedness and proactive strategy, could transcend the scientific

discipline and take root in the business strategy of the organization the individual business, as


well as the network of local economies would be positively impacted and encourage similar

change throughout the business world.

As I move from recent graduate, to emerging professional, to an experienced professional

I cannot predict how my career will develop or the exact direction that it will take. I can however

develop a career strategy that integrates development and experience in multiple disciplines into

a plan that creates challenges and continued development throughout. Beginning my career in

museums I focused on collections management and registration as my specialty. By working in

collections I was able to utilize my attention to detail skills and strong organizational capabilities

but also indulge my interest in legal matters and cultural and community development. As my

career progresses I plan on expanding my experience with community development, an area that

excites, inspires, and challenges me. As a museum professional, particularly one who specializes

in collections, having a strong connection with living culture and community engagement is

important to keep the detailed, often isolated, collections work in perspective with the larger

mission of the museum. Moving from specialized collections work into museum administration

and leadership positions has always been a career goal of mine. It is because of this that I

enrolled in John F. Kennedy University’s dual degree program in museum studies and business

administration. The program enabled me to further develop my collections knowledge and

experience while creating an opportunity for me to start my professional development in the area

of museum and arts administration.

As I prepare to pursue more organizational administrative roles I am excited to bring the

collections background and experience I have to a position. Just as a larger perspective is needed

in collections work, so too is intimate knowledge of the painstakingly detailed work that goes

into creating exhibits, programs, research opportunities, and preserving objects for future


generations in administrative work. Additionally the strong ethical obligations of collections

work will enable me to act in an ethical and socially responsible manner that is aligned with the

mission of the organization. One of the most important changes that will take shape in museums

in the next few years will be the integration of museum professionals, with backgrounds in

education and collections work, into the administration and executive roles of organizations.

Although I have said that I cannot predict the exact route my career will take me I can plan for a

direction and I believe that I will move from collections work into museum administration and

development towards the middle and later part of my career. In any future positions, whether

administrative or collections based I intend to bring leadership and mentorship to my roles.

Capstone of 64

Patricia Lord [email protected]

715 40th Street, Apt. 10, Oakland, CA 94609

312-218-2331

SUMMARY Museum professional with experience working with natural history,

ethnographic, and fine art collections. Maintaining high professional and ethical

standards and demonstrating leadership and effective management. Experience

merging best practices with organizational capabilities.

EMPLOYMENT Assistant Registrar

Ship Art International, South San Francisco, CA (September 2012 – May 2013)

Processed incoming and outgoing paperwork and recorded movements of

assets within warehouse in storage database

Condition reported incoming assets and coordinated the care and

conservation needs with Senior Registrar and clients

Audited client storage accounts, updated and maintained accurate storage

database information, researched and resolved discrepancies in database

Registrar (Contractual)

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA (February 2012 – June

2012; October 2012 – January 2013)

Assisted in researching and securing loan requests, new acquisitions, and

object transfers for use in Exhibits Department and maintained all related records

Drafted and revised exhibit registration contracts, procedures, forms, and

guidelines

Photographed, condition reported, and physically numbered objects for

exhibition

Monitored exhibit install dates, maintained exhibit production schedule

Assistant Registrar Field Museum, Chicago, IL (July 2008 – September 2011)

Corresponded with prospective and current collections donors, arranged

transfer of ownership and transportation of objects to the museum, organized

and led monthly acquisitions committee meetings

Processed new acquisitions; generated and maintained legal documentation,

created database records and digital imagery, assigned accession and

catalogue numbers, physically numbered objects, designed, bar-coded, and constructed storage housing

Oversaw and coordinated cataloguing workroom activities and maintenance

Conducted training in and supervised completion of registration, collections

management, and preventative conservation procedures for collections

assistants, interns, and participants of the Iraqi Cultural Heritage Project

EDUCATION Beloit College (Beloit, WI), May 2006

Bachelor of Arts in Classical Civilization, Anthropology, and Museum Studies

John F. Kennedy University (Pleasant Hill, CA), June 2014 (anticipated)

Master of Arts in Museum Studies

Master of Business Administration

Capstone of 64

References

Architecture. (n.d.) Retrieved June 17, 2013 from: http://fieldmuseum.org/about/architecture

Board of Trustees. (n.d.) Retrieved June 17, 2013 from:

http://fieldmuseum.org/about/staff/boardtrustees

The Field Museum. 2011. Annual report, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2013 from:

http://fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/2011_Annual_Report_0.pdf

The Field Museum. 2012. Collections and research annual report, 2012. Retrieved from:

http://fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/FINAL_CR_Annual_Report_2012.pdf

Founding the Field. (n.d.) Retrieved June 17, 2013 from: http://fieldmuseum.org/about/brief-

history

Gillers, H. (2013, April 9). Field has mulled selling artifacts. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-09/news/ct-met-field-artifacts-sale-

20130409_1_field-museum-nancy-o-shea-museum-scholars

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Re-envisioning the Museum

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