Structure

Public trust is built upon the perception of ethical operations, but it is also dependent on support of the museum’s mission, recognition of the community needs, and belief in the leadership of the museum to serve those needs. The substrate of community support is dependent on the structure of the museum.  Like any structure destined for a long life, it must have strength along with a degree of flexibility for adaptation to changing community needs.  Museum supporters are like savvy prospective home buyers.  They want to know that their hard-earned money is being put into something solid.  Community support will be hard to cultivate for an institution that has a weak foundation, lackluster structure, and flops in the wind with every changing gust.   Operating a museum is a team sport.   No one can do it alone, nor should they try.  Its prone to lead to burnout.  Instead, the leadership’s ability to build a team is tested.   The team assembled to operate a museum must be oriented towards common goals, with recognition for the most desirable course to those goals.  Just like any team sport, everyone on the field has to be on the same play.   With subpar teamwork, the efficiency of far too often limited energy and resources are not maximized.  If allowed to go unchecked, the implications become more apparent.  Supporters find other organizations to fund.  Employee turnover becomes an issue.  Volunteers burn out.  It becomes a cyclic spiral in the wrong direction.

This does not have to happen. Definition of roles and responsibilities clarifies the haziness between positions and negates internal conflicts. Even with such, the approaches and methodologies of the entire team are not going to be the same. They are human and their personalities, pasts, strengths, and weaknesses are reflected in their work. With good leadership, these differences complement one another and benefit the museum as a whole. Further defining the structure, human resource codes provide a sharable work environment for everyone and hold those who disrupt operations accountable. Together, these elements comprise the building blocks that make a structure solid. They cannot be flimsy. They cannot be applicable as convenient. The people of the museum are equally as important as the artifacts. People without content is not a museum, nor is content without people. Museum administration means developing this structure, maintaining it, and adapting as needed.