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Leadership in context: considering the

impact of environmental factors on cultural

leaders and their ability to lead

Author(s): Janet Hancock

Date first Published: November, 2014

Type: Provocation Paper for the Clore Leadership Programme Fellowship 2013-14

Note: The paper presents the views of the author, and these do not necessarily reflect the

views of the Clore Leadership Programme or its constituent partners. As a ‘provocation

paper’, this piece is a deliberately personal, opinionated article, aimed at stirring up debate

and/or discussion.

Published Under: Creative Commons

Choreographers as Leaders: an opportunity to be seized by Cathy Marston is licensed under a

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& Conditions of Use of this particular License, available under Creative Commons.

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Janet Hancock is currently Deputy Head of Public Services, Public Record Office of

Northern Ireland. Past roles in PRONI include Education, Learning and Outreach Officer;

Project Manager; Exhibition Curator and lead on website/online resources development.

Northern Ireland representative on the Archive Accreditation Workstream. Previously she

was a researcher at Derry Genealogy Centre and Heritage Library.

This paper was written as a part of the author’s Fellowship with the Clore Leadership

Programme in 2014.

The Clore Leadership Programme is a not-for-profit initiative, aimed at developing and

strengthening leadership potential across the cultural and creative sectors in the UK. The

Programme awards its flagship Clore Fellowships on an annual basis to exceptional

individuals drawn from across the UK and beyond, and runs a choice of programmes tailored

to leadership needs of arts professionals at different stages of their career. This provocation

paper has been produced under the aegis of Clore Leadership Programme. For more

information, visit www.cloreleadership.org.

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ver the course of the Clore programme, we have heard from many inspirational,

accomplished and diverse leaders. Coming from Northern Ireland, I often found

myself trying to equate their examples to similar individuals/organisations within my

own frame of reference. I tried to think of leaders I could identify who had tried and failed…

and lived (in career terms) to tell the tale.

Examples were worryingly sparse. I couldn’t help wondering if the situations our speakers

described would have had the same outcome in Northern Ireland? Thoughts prefixed by

“that would never happen here….” popped into my head with sufficient regularity to prompt

me to consider context in more depth for this paper. During Clore, we have looked hard at

the role of the individual leader –their credibility, values and vision; and how successfully

they can communicate their message and bring people along on their journey. We have

looked less at the impact of external factors. To what extent does the context – particularly

the nuances and specificities of a locality such as religion, ethnicity, community, values,

politics, history, tradition etc. - impact on the leader and their ability to lead? Can good

leaders always achieve and grow whilst maintaining their integrity and wellbeing; or is there

a point at which external factors compromise personal resilience?

Growing up and working in Northern Ireland, I have witnessed the landscape change

dramatically over the last few decades. In my lifetime, we have moved from cities of conflict

to Derry/Londonderry being named inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013. We have

progressed through a peace process where a paramilitary ceasefire was brokered and the

Good Friday Agreement of 1998 paved the way for devolved government. In 1999, the

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure was established and, since then, there has been

significant capital investment in our cultural infrastructure from the building of international

visitor attraction Titanic Belfast, to the new Metropolitan Arts Centre, re-building of the

Lyric Theatre and a new Public Record Office.

Only a short while ago tourists were unheard of and city centres more like ghost-towns. In

the last few years, NI has successfully hosted numerous high-profile international festivals

and events, from the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2011, to the World Police and Fire

Games in 2013; to the Foyle International Maritime Festival (welcoming the Clipper fleet) in

O

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2013 and again in 2014. For the first time in its 23-year history the Turner prize was held

outside London, and Northern Ireland was its host.

Without a doubt, achievements have been remarkable thanks to some tenacious and

courageous cultural leaders; however, I am also aware that this has been no easy task. My

starting premise has been to pose an open question to a variety of senior cultural leaders,

asking “is being a leader in Northern Ireland different; and if so, why?” Following

informative conversations with a variety of local senior leaders, the consensus was a

resounding “yes”. I have tried to distil some of these contextual factors below.

Cultural identity in a post-conflict society

Northern Ireland is by no means the only area of the UK which has peculiarities around

cultural identity. Wales and Scotland are fiercely protective of their nationality and

heritage; and immigration has encouraged ethnic diversity in many of the UK’s largest

cities. However, NI continues to grapple with highly contested spaces and history.

Despite significant progress, polarisation of communities along political and religious

grounds remains a huge issue. Shona McCarthy cited a number of City of Culture

examples which simply would not happen elsewhere in the UK – from the bombing of

Council Offices by dissident republicans vehemently opposed to any association with a

‘UK’ initiative, to pitched battles around the very name of the city, to spending an

afternoon counting the number of times ‘UK’ was used as a prefix to City of Culture

(versus number of times it wasn’t) in a document. In reality, one could argue Northern

Ireland has more in common with international post-conflict/radically changing societies

such as Jordan and Hong Kong than it does with other areas of the UK.

Elements of culture are often politicised and used to affirm identity and tradition.

Communities are staunchly protective of their heritage and suspicious of outside

influences trying to impose change. However, as Roisin McDonough pointed out, the

sector has a unique opportunity to contribute to peace building as it is actually the role of

arts and culture to challenge prejudice and traditional interpretations and provide neutral

spaces for exploration.

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Whilst our public and work spaces are now very much neutral, lack of integration

remains evident in key areas including housing, and particularly education where the

majority of pupils still attend schools defined along religious lines. As Hass recently

concluded “two conflicting realities co-exist in Northern Ireland, and run alongside each

other in ways that can be difficult to understand… twenty years on from the paramilitary

ceasefires, Northern Ireland remains a very deeply divided society… however… in some

ways huge progress has been made. Levels of violence are at their lowest for forty

years… throughout 2013 Derry-Londonderry presented a vision of what a post-conflict

society might look like. Its year as City Of Culture provided a glimpse of the life-

affirmative spirit that allowed culture to unite, rather than divide.”1

Culture of dependency, ‘conservatism’ and aversion to risk

It is undeniable that the people of Northern Ireland have suffered greatly through years of

conflict. As a result, NI has received support for peace building from a variety of funding

streams. We have become proficient at describing our issues (citing victims, violence,

poverty etc.) to external benefactors and these definitions can become a self-fulfilling

prophecy. We remain much better at identifying problems than agreeing and

implementing solutions.

In addition, we are dominated by a huge public sector. The Northern Ireland Civil Service

is the region’s largest employer and, until the recent review of public administration, 26

local authorities were also in operation. Aside from direct employees, many private

sector organisations are also dependant on funding or income from public contracts. This

heavy reliance on the public sector makes us, as a society, overly bureaucratic and risk-

averse and is a far cry from an environment which fosters entrepreneurial spirit.

We are often so concerned with our own localised issues that we fail to see ourselves in

the context of today’s global environment, particularly as technology and digital access

now allows us to transcend geographical boundaries. Poverty of aspiration is a phrase

often used to describe marginalised communities; however, it extends far beyond. One

1 Nolan, P. The Northern Ireland Peace Monitoring Report No. 3. Community Relations Council, March

2014. p. 15.

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could argue NI has traditionally been a deeply religious society and this ‘conservative’

nature still influences behaviour. Celebrating achievements, putting oneself forward/into

the spotlight or aiming for things even slightly beyond one’s perceived reach is seldom

encouraged and often met with undertones of ‘who do they think they are?’ On the other

hand, we are quick to criticise even the smallest of failings. This environment makes

individuals as well as organisations risk-averse, as failure is viewed so negatively. For a

region filled with some of the warmest, friendliest communities, it is a sad irony that

support and encouragement to take risks, ‘think big’ and learn from one’s mistakes is all

too often lacking.

Immature political democracy

Our current devolved administration is, in political terms, relatively young and local and

central government lacks experience in autonomous administration. Furthermore, the

premise under which the NI Assembly was established demands a coalition and decision

making agreed by all parties. By its very nature this makes progress slow at best,

impossible at worst. The lack of critical challenge leaves accountability of the NI

Executive lacking and provides the electorate with no mechanism to address issues with

governance.

One could argue that, politically, we are now in a precarious stage of governmental

development. We have moved from direct rule where we lacked meaningful autonomy;

through a period of excitement and optimism around the establishment of a devolved

government; to a more operational stage where it is now time for politicians to start

tackling the difficult social issues deliberately parked at the outset (to allow a power-

sharing agreement acceptable to all at the time). One only needs to look at the failure of

the recent Haas talks to appreciate the gravity of this situation. Far from moving towards

a shared and inclusive future, politicians/parties appear to be becoming increasingly

entrenched. One could argue that micro-management of the smaller issues provides a

welcome diversion from tackling the contentious big issues (flags, parading, educational

reform etc) which will require compromise and strong, progressive political leadership.

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Trust, scrutiny and lack of respect for the skills and talent of cultural professionals

There is a lack of trust amongst political parties and furthermore a mistrust of the public

sector which administers on their behalf. Political point-scoring is rife and is certainly a

contributory factor to the defensive culture of disproportionate scrutiny which has

evolved rapidly over the last few years. Ministers and elected representatives clamour to

ensure their backs are covered and they are not ‘caught out’ by rival parties. To say this

is a deliberate attempt to derail progress would be unfair, however, the result is an

increasingly weighty bureaucracy which has the same effect.

“In any bureaucracy, paper work increases as you spend more and more time

reporting on the less and less you are doing” Franz Kafka

Many of the leaders I spoke to quoted alarming examples of huge budgets allocated to

governance, accountants and management consultants, in comparison to meagre

provision for cultural programmers/professionals. As is the case throughout the UK,

measurement of cultural impact via numbers/statistics is the norm, but fails to recognise

the longer term, intangible benefits; however Aideen McGinley noted that NI

accountability procedures are generally vastly more burdensome than in Westminster.

She cited as an example a bid for the Turner gallery running to 120 pages, contrasted

with a 15 page document for an Olympic project of over ten times the monetary value.

Whilst everyone agreed that good governance and accountability is essential, what is

glaringly obvious is that cultural leaders here are not trusted to provide this. Examples

were recounted where multiple layers of Boards and Committees were established to

audit cultural activities. The general impression given was that, often, cultural

professionals achieve great things in spite of the public administrations responsible,

rather than because of them. Others described how partnerships with

organisations/individuals outside the confines of the public sector were often essential to

actually getting things done! There is a real danger that bureaucracy is increasingly

stifling all opportunity for innovative, creative leadership.

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All were quick to point out that not everyone in the public sector was at fault and there

were often vital allies who played a crucial role in the success of projects. However, the

general story was that senior figures (particularly in local authorities) were ignorant of

the value and complexity of the work carried out by cultural professionals. A number of

examples were given whereby local authorities failed to retain any cultural sector staff

post-project, electing to deliver ‘in-house’ in future. Citing the early winding up of

Culture Company post-City of Culture, Shona McCarthy concluded that, had this been a

sporting event or other sector project, a formal knowledge and skills transfer process

would have taken place, which did not and rarely happens in relation to any cultural

activities. The perception that anyone can simply pick up and replicate a cultural

programme clearly denotes a disregard for cultural leadership and programming as a

unique and highly valuable skill.

Size matters

Northern Ireland is a small place, with fewer job opportunities than individuals available

to fill them. As a result, rotation of staff is limited. Many leaders stay in post for much

longer than is conducive to organisational dynamism. By proxy, development

opportunities are limited for aspiring younger leaders. Positions are sought after and

individuals can be fiercely possessive of cherished roles, particularly ‘founders’ of

organisations. There is a distinct reticence around succession planning and a lack of

opportunities/ investment in leadership development.

The personal toll of leading and shouldering huge workloads in such adverse and

unsupportive conditions was also clearly articulated, exacerbated by a lack of appreciation

for achievements and reluctance to value and retain cultural staff. Comments ranged from

‘never again’ to individuals feeling they had to step out of the public arena in order to

preserve their own wellbeing. Another observation was that talent which is undervalued here

is quickly snapped elsewhere in the UK. In essence, our environment encourages quality

cultural leaders to leave/lead elsewhere, rather than nurturing and appreciating their skills.

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So what is the solution?

Stronger leadership at a very senior level in the cultural sector and in government is certainly

vital. More people need to call out unacceptable practice, challenge the culture of

disproportionate accountability requirements and advocate for change. In addition, more

collegiate leadership is required to support and encourage individuals/organisations to speak

up. Where once a vocal and challenging arts and community sector existed, sectors feel

compromised in their ability to question authority or ‘bite the hand that feeds them’. Raising

issues via a united, sectoral voice would surely strengthen this position and highlight the

value of a professional, talented and skilled workforce delivering quality arts and cultural

activities. There are examples of cultural leaders uniting for change in other areas of the UK,

from What Next? to initiatives like Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium and Manchester

Cultural Partnership. Perhaps we need an equivalent, vocal network for change in NI?

Shona McCarthy expressed the need for greater entrepreneurship here in Northern Ireland.

We are geographically separated from the mainland and opportunities at a senior level are

limited. Shona pointed out that a number of her previous positions were self-created (like

Cinemagic and Imagine Belfast) and even now, post- City of Culture, she has recently set up

another company. We as a society, cultural professionals included, needu6 to reduce our

dependence on the public sector/large organisations and become less risk averse and more

entrepreneurial.

We need to work harder to embed the value of culture (and cultural professionals) in other

sectors like health and education. We also need to highlight the great and progressive

achievements of cultural professionals and cultural practice here. City of Culture

programmers took a unique approach to working with large national organisations like Tate

and London Symphony Orchestra by insisting local talent was recruited and engagement was

not only ‘cross-community’ in NI, but cross-community with the rest of the UK. For

example, following a stringent recruitment, a number of talented local curators had the

opportunity to work on the Turner prize; and 100 members of the National Youth Orchestra

worked with young people from Derry to deliver ‘mini-concerts’ in people’s homes. What

transpired was that many of the participating national organisations reflected that this process

would fundamentally influence their working practice in the future.

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Finally, we need to foster a culture of continuous professional development for the next

generation of cultural leaders and actively create opportunities for secondments, mentoring

and coaching. Whilst this happens in some areas, recognition of the importance of leadership

development is sadly undervalued, exemplified by the lack of awareness of/access to

opportunities such as Clore.

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Acknowledgements:

Thanks to the following individuals, who kindly made time to provide insight on the issues

discussed above:

Jo Mangan

Artistic Director, Big House Productions; Director, Big House Festival; Artistic Director,

Bram Stoker Festival 2014; Clore Fellow.

Martin Melarkey

Director, Nerve Centre Derry.

Formerly Senior Cultural Programmer for Culture Company 2013.

Shona McCarthy

Director, Shona McCarthy Consulting; Eisenhower Fellow 2014.

Formerly Director of Culture Company 2013 (delivering UK City of Culture programme for

Derry/Londonderry) and Director of British Council Northern Ireland.

Roisin McDonough

Chief Executive, Arts Council Northern Ireland.

Aideen McGinley OBE

Trustee for Northern Ireland, BBC.

Formerly Chief Executive of Fermanagh District Council; Permanent Secretary, Department

for Employment and Learning and Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern

Ireland; Chief Executive, Ilex urban regeneration company for Derry-Londonderry (during

which time she worked on the city's successful bid for UK City of Culture 2013).