Summer's winding down, and I'm sure most of you have heard Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" roughly 2,000 times by now. Maybe you're sick of it. Maybe it's still catchy and you love the endless stream of lip-synced tribute videos. Maybe you wonder why this song, of all the songs out there, has caught on like wildfire. A few years ago I heard an interesting NPR piece positing that this kind of popularity might be attributed to derivative content, citing Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" and Avatar as examples. A recent New York Times article about "Call Me … [Read more...]
Bright Spots Leadership in the Pacific Northwest
This is a report from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation about arts nonprofits in the Pacific Northwest that are thriving during these difficult economic times. There are 12 organizations featured here, and I am proud to say that Literary Arts made the cut! What's interesting about this report is how each organization adapted and changed. The themes that emerge, I think, have a lot to do with attitude: attitude toward constituents and attitude toward change. Read Bright Spots Leadership in the Pacific Northwest » … [Read more...]
Can brainstorming be an effective tool in building a culture of collaboration and innovation?
My teenage son recently asked me during a conversation about brainstorming, "do we really need rules for everyone to follow?" I had just finished reading Jonah Lehrer’s "Groupthink" in The New Yorker and recalled his remark, "The fatal misconception behind brainstorming is that there is a particular script we should all follow in group interactions." I have been part of many effective brainstorming sessions (at NAS) and just as many nightmarish ones (not at NAS). In my quest to learn more about the dynamics of the process and if there truly … [Read more...]
In Defense of Logic Models
There has been a great deal of conversation, debate (and informational video) around logic models in the past few weeks. Ian David Moss, whose blog post "Creative Placemaking Has an Outcomes Problem" started much of the discussion, wades back into the fray with this incredibly thoughtful response to many of the criticisms levied against what he calls a "tool of tremendous power whose potential is only beginning to be unlocked." Read the Huffington Post piece "Ian David Moss: In Defense of Logic Models" » … [Read more...]
Collective Impact
As in other nonprofit sectors, most energy and resource in our sector is focused on what the authors call "isolated impact" at the organizational level. Can the full value of arts and culture in society, to enhance lives and deepen democracy, be realized through this approach or do these complex possibilities need a different strategy? When discussion in the cultural field turns to collective action, it tends to turn toward lobbying and advocacy and changing public opinions of the arts. This article suggests a different focus for collective … [Read more...]
Shut Up and Take My Money: Fans Should Hire Artists
We've been having some interesting discussions with cultural leaders about the relevance of cultural organizations in their current forms. This article adds some food for thought. Kickstarter and similar crowdfunding sites are becoming platforms for "intermediaries" as well as artists and producers. Individuals are taking on the roles of commissioning, producing, and presenting new work and events. Could your organization's role or model be replaced by a pro-am, freelance model given the new platforms? If not today, are trends pointing towards … [Read more...]
Design Thinking Isn’t a Miracle Cure, but Here’s How It Helps
With that helpful and perhaps needed disclaimer out of the way, writer/designer/consultant Helen Waters pens a lengthy and thought-provoking dissection of what design thinking isn't, what it can't do, clues to why it has been at times oversold...and why it is still well worth considering the real value it provides. And why designers may have long since learned to walk in the opposite direction when some folk use the word. … [Read more...]
Charities’ Zero-Sum Filing Game
The minimalist ratings of nonprofit organizations, using overhead and fundraising ratios, are deeply flawed. Are we collectively making the situation worse by shaving the numbers? A recent study found that over 40% of nonprofits report zero fundraising expenses, which suggests nonprofits can't be trusted to share information in the public interest and the rating agencies are all that more essential. Our collective actions are feeding the current system rather than demonstrating its irrelevance through honest, open and more comprehensive and … [Read more...]
Putting the community in control of programming
A startup company, Tugg, has an interesting take on allowing the community to "pull-through" programming for movie theaters. The service is still in beta testing so its reach and types of participants are limited for the moment, but it is interesting to imagine where it could go. What could a similar community-driven approach mean for your organization? How would you translate your organization's role in a community-led model where you are a facilitator rather than the central decision maker? Tugg, The Social Movie Theater Startup, Uses … [Read more...]
Michael Norton: How to buy happiness
How would the world be different if we could get all of our donors to watch this film? Michael Norton, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Marvin Bower Fellow at Harvard Business School, has been an outstanding faculty member for NAS on Strategic Marketing, and his TED talk is worth watching to find out what really makes you happy. View Mike's talk, "How to buy happiness," at Ted.com » … [Read more...]
Guthrie Theater’s debt to women and diversity
Do nonprofit cultural organizations have a particular responsibility to reach into and represent all parts of the community? Does the benefit of nonprofit status require us to take more risks than commercial theatre? A recent article explores the Minneapolis community’s reaction to the lack of diversity in a local theatre’s upcoming season. While this piece focuses on the choices of one artistic director, other leaders in the field have also argued that not all organizations should feel obligated to be diverse. On the other hand, leadership … [Read more...]
Is Opera a Sustainable Art Form?
In a recent post on her blog, Jumper, Diane Ragsdale shares an excerpt from her keynote address on the topic, "Is Opera a Sustainable Art Form?" from the Opera Europa conference in February. Referencing Alexey A. Voinov's Paradoxes of Sustainability, Ragsdale eloquently asks us to consider where our motivations lie and what we are truly trying to save when we preach of a need for sustainability: "Forest fires naturally occur and burn down portions of ecosystems so that the forest ecosystem as a whole can persist. If we begin to prevent forest … [Read more...]
3 Ways To Predict What Consumers Want Before They Know It
This brief article from Scott Anthony, of Innosight and the author of The Little Black Book Of Innovation: How It Works, How to Do It, looks at consumer needs and innovation opportunities. Also mentioned in the article is The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael Raynor. Along with The Innovator's Dilemma by Christensen and Creative People Must Be Stopped by David A. Owens, these are wonderful books to have read and on your innovation reference shelf. 3 Ways To Predict What Consumers Want Before They Know It » … [Read more...]
The human factor in service design
“The human factor in service design” discusses the importance of understanding what truly motivates your customers as a way to more efficiently and effectively design and deliver services. By identifying which aspects of service the customer does and does not value, companies can make better decisions about how to use existing resources to deliver in key service areas. The McKinsey team introduces three key questions to consider when designing or changing current services and delivery methods: How human is our service?, How economic is our … [Read more...]
A conversation on TED.com: With the advent of amazing online videos, why are we still so compelled to experience live performance?
We've all heard about the TED videos, but there's also a section of the TED site dedicated to conversations about issues. I found this one particularly interesting for arts and culture leaders. The comments touch on what is "online" and what is "live," the importance of context and the gulf that sometimes exists between artists and audience. What do you think? Why are audiences compelled to experience live performances? What is a "live" performance? A conversation on TED.com: With the advent of amazing online videos, why are we still so … [Read more...]