STAYING AFLOAT:How Museums Can Navigate Today’s Rapids of Change

Marsha Semmel

October 8, 2015

Moab

The “VUCA” World

External Future Disruptive Forces

Some future forces, Johansen“Diasporas” – geographical, digital, identity and interest based

Financial disruption – alternate currencies, “health as wealth”

Civil society – ‘new commons’, emergent self-governance forms

Amplified organizations – perpetual beta systems, transliteracy

Neuro-futures – happiness methods & measures

Body innovation

Pervasive eco-monitoring

Lucy Bernholz, Philanthropy Trends

Key new trends, Bernholz 2015• The Social Economy & Civil Society

• Digital Civil Society

• Increasing diversity of organizational forms in civil society

• “Digital activists themselves seems somewhat agnostic regarding enterprise form.”

• Big, unanswered questions: Privacy, Security, Ownership, Consent

LaPlacaCohen.com/culturetrack

What is Culture Track?

•A national study focused exclusively on the Attitudes, Motivators and Barriers of Culturally Active Audiences

•Deeper into meta trends, such as• Search for authenticity• Self-curation• Collaborative consumption

Today’s audiences are complicated and ever-changing. They are:

• Overstimulated• Hyper-connected• Overcommitted

• Promiscuous• Cynical• Self-focused….

• ….but CURIOUS

LaPlacaCohen: Drivers & Barriers

What drives participation?

Content, value, and being social.

What are the big barriers?

Cost, content and (in)convenience.

Audiences are not passive…

•More restless and less loyal than ever.

•To create the cultural experience of the future, meet audiences where they live, and understand how they feel.

Audiences & Technology

“This is a transitional moment for using technology in cultural

experiences….and the audience is leading the way in defining the

norms.”

John Seely Brown

KnowledgeWorks 3.0: Emerging Learning Ecosystems

KnowledgeWorks: Forecast 4.0• Expanding learning ecosystem• Increased emphasis on personalized learning• New organizational relationships• Accelerating pace of change

• Neuroscience, nanotech, robotics, artificial intelligence shifting purpose, promise, and methods of learning.

• Impact on: identity, work, meaningful engagement, societal/organizational infrastructure

• More than ever: Vibrant or Fragmented?

KnowledgeWorks 4.0: Drivers of Change

• Potential to design for flow states that engage learners at their most personal & deepest levels.

• Increasingly fluid school structures that push beyond traditional organizational constraints and limited customization.

• Heightened interest in artisanal educational options that fit individual values and lifestyles.

• Potential redefinition of readiness as changing nature of work brings to the fore a societal debate about the role of people in the workplace.

Complex/Wicked Problems

“Complex” challenges for Utah?•

What are some current challenges for Utah that don’t have an existing “playbook”—and that museums are (or could potentially) address?

Another question:

• How do these broader global trends – and the way they are playing out in Utah – affecting museums?

• What aspects of the museum are likely to be affected?

• Take 5 minutes and discuss with person next to you.

What aspects of the museum might be affected by these changes?

• Skills, recruiting, professional development• Budgets• Organization chart• Programs• Partnerships• Collections• Conservation and preservation• Fundraising• Marketing• …….

IMLS Initiative

• Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills report

• Self-assessment Toolwww.imls21stcenturyskills.org

• Community Learning Scan

IMLS Report: The 21st Century Shift

John Seely Brown

Leadership approaches…

Ron Heifetz, Adaptive Leadership

John Kotter, Managing Change

Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence

Chris Ernst, Boundary-Spanning Leadership

Senge, Hamilton, Kania, Systems Leadership

Johansen’s VUCA skills

“Commons Creating”• Ability to seed, nurture, and grow shared assets that can

benefit other players—and sometimes allow competition at a higher level. Commons creating is the ultimate future leadership skill….”

Bob Johansen

Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World

Six Skills for Leadership at All Levels

Strategic Agility

Getting Personal

Communication

Data Fluency

Rapid and Rigorous Prototyping

Systems Leadership

Strategic Agility

• Continuous learning

• Flexibility

• Embracing change

Getting Personal

• Self Awareness• Listening, patience, empathy

• Trusted relationships with colleagues

• Authentic relationships with audiences, community

• Customized experiences

Communication. Communication. Communication.

What you “See”:• Words• Tonality• Body Language• Gestures

What you “Don’t See” (Deep Structure):• Beliefs• Values• Biases/prejudices• Experiences• Fears• Dreams• Feelings

Data Fluency

• “Meaningful” mission-related metrics

• Selection

• Benchmarking

• Evaluating, Analyzing

• Sharing

Data Fluency: Cultural Data Project

Museum 2.0: Learn to Love Your Local Data (6.3.15)

“The ‘we have to do it ourselves’ mantra is one of the most dangerous in the nonprofit world.”

• --Nina Simon

Rapid and Rigorous Prototyping

• Clear purpose/hypothesis

• Low-cost

• Engage new audiences (co-create)

• Safe risk

• Tangible results

• Post-experiment reflection

Systems Leadership

The Big Picture• Part of a larger cultural, learning system

• Collaborate to make a bigger difference: no museum is an island

• Inside: eliminate silos, foster integration and understanding

R. Donahue Peebles, Peebles CorporationCorner Office, NY Times, June 14, 2015

“It’s about getting people vested in the outcome of success.”

“We should give people the opportunity to evolve and learn and grow and not put them in slots or force people to stay in their own lanes.”

David J. Skorton, Smithsonian(Wash. Post)

“The art of leading a place like this is to find the optimal balance between the stuff and the people. I think visitors to the Smithsonian think more about the stuff. They come to see the stuff and be amazed by the exhibitions. Some of my work in terms of fundraising is the renewal of the workforce.”

“Leaders don’t…

“…create followers; they create more leaders.”

Tom Peters

www.thepracticeofleadership.net

Moab

Grace Bluerock, Huffington Post, 9/24/15Seven Life Lessons from Rafting

• Stay afloat.

• Roll with the current.

• Realize there will be obstacles in your way.

• Keep on paddling.

• Know you won’t always be comfortable.

• Be willing to take a risk.• .• Have fun. Enjoy yourself.

Thank you very much!

marsha.semmel@gmail.com