Case Analysis: Central City Museum

Case Study: Central City Museum

1. Problem Statement

• Facts of the Case

1. A central city museum was built on a land provided by the adjacent private university with the understanding that the museum would provide a resource for student education.
2. The museum was financed by the generosity of local donors.
3. The governing board includes donors, selected university administrators, and faculty members
4. Upon the interview of various stakeholders, it was found that they all have different ideas about the future direction of the museum in its new relationship with the university

1. The major donor wants the museum to be a community resource and wants to promote visits to those who don’t have access to art exhibits.
2. The university administrator wants to attract both university students and community adults and provide new insights and dialogue about current events. She is interested in traveling exhibitions which could help save them administrative costs and overhead of producing their own exhibits
3. The head of the art history department doesn’t believe that it should be a community resource but rather a teaching institution where it can be a major resource for undergraduate and graduate students with courses related to art.
4. A faculty member in the art history department wants to concentrate on training Ph.D.-level students in the art history and to support scholarly research. Her goal is more on increasing exposure and stature of the university so that their graduates will be sought after by art history departments nationally.

1. A position for the museum director is opened and the interviewer is tasked to pick one given the statements of how the stakeholders view the museum should be.

• Key problems or issues to be analyzed; or statement of the ethical dilemma

1. How should I, as the museum director, lead the future direction of the museum such that it considers both the views of the local donors who financed the museum and the private university that donated the land?

• Which projects would best be pursued considering that funds are limited and that the museum cannot finance all the suggestions by the stakeholders?

1. Key Objectives

• To be able to build a direction for the museum with the stakeholders in mind.
• To be able to collaborate with the stakeholders regarding possible projects and activities for the museum.

1. Analysis of the Causes

• Framework, methodology, principles, or tools used or applied (decision-making models; ethical principles, chapter concepts)

• Levels of Goals and Plans

• Since the museum is newly opened and there is no structure yet, a formal mission defining the purpose of the organization but be drafted by the board of directors and finalized by the museum director. Only then will goals be established. This mission could be either to have the museum be open for all or for the museum to serve solely as a teaching institution for the benefit of the university’s students. It could also include what the museum wants to offer its guests and how they want the museum experience of the guest to be.

• Goal Setting in Organizations

• Regarding the museum’s strategic goals, it should be focused on what they want the museum to be like and who it should cater to. Following the strategic goals will be strategic plans set by the managing director with the help of the art department heads so that there would be goals for both the museum and art education. Since budget is limited, operational planning must be done so that resources may be allocated for all the desired activities for each week or month. Management-by-objectives system may also be used to define the goals for every department.
• Regular meetings may be done by the board of directors and departments to see if goals are being met. For easier tracking and to provide a visual representation of progress, a strategy map may be made. With a strategy map, it will be easier for everyone to see the key problems and find ways to improve on it.  

• Organizational Performance

• A manager’s responsibility is to be effective, efficient but at the same time, achieve high performance. This means that the museum director will have to be able to cater to as much projects the stakeholders want while ensuring that there is proper allocation of resources for each.

• Management skills

• Since the museum is new, management skills such as conceptual, human and technical have to be used. It is important for managers to have good conceptual skills to be able to think strategically regarding decision making, resource allocation, and how each step will affect the future of the museum. Human skills will be important when dealing with the stakeholders/investors that have various ideas for the museum and resolving conflict. Lastly, technical skills would be needed to be able to see how the museum is doing overall.

• Management in Nonprofit organization

• Since the museum isn’t privately owned but built through donations, it should be nonprofit. Therefore, keeping costs as low as possible is highly important as well as keeping an innovative mind to ensure be able to think of creative ways to maintain the operational funds of the museum.

• Decision-making model

• The decision-making model that the museum director may adapt would be the political model as there are groups with different interests and goals in mind. Through a political model, the donors and the art department can resolve conflict and come to a compromise through bargaining and discussion.

1. Analysis of the Problem

• Personally, my views are similar to that of the major donor’s and the university administrator’s. I would like the museum to be accessible to all and that anyone who is interested in art can enter and learn from it. The intention of the school that the museum should be provided as a resource for student education is also a great idea for the museum as it can add specialized programs for those interested in learning art or to supplement those who are taking art as a course. As a director, I would make sure that I would be able to come to the best compromise between the ideas of each stakeholder and draft a proposal. After which, I would propose my plan to the board of directors and settle it through votation instead of implementing it on my own.
• The conflicts are between opening the museum for everyone as a community resource or to privatize the museum and solely focus on making it a resource for university students. While it is impossible to appease both parties, it is possible to have a balance between the two. As much as possible, the museum should be open to all since the university isn’t the sole contributor. Major donors have voiced out that they want it to be a community resource. However, the head and faculty members of the art history department can work with the museum to give more exposure and experience to their students. This may be through some talks, exhibits, or internships.
• I think that yes, coalitions are important in working out stakeholder differences since it provides an avenue for people to talk and resolve conflict. If managers handle the situation on their own without addressing the conflict, more conflict may arise which may make the problem more complicated. A manager should always act in the best interest of a company.

1. Development and Selection of Alternatives (Advantages and Disadvantages)

1. Open the museum and ask for a minimal entrance fee/”donation” which will be used to fund research and materials needed by the undergraduate and graduate students of the university. University and public school children may enter for free.

        Advantages:

• The fees will be able to fund the whole museum and its activities.
• More stakeholders may be appeased since there is money to fund the projects that they want.
• The plan still caters to the children who don’t have access to art exhibits as the entrance fee/”donation” could be used to subsidize for them.
• There is still audience diversity as it caters to different kinds of people.

Disadvantages:

• May lessen the goers who will be interested since there is a fee.
• The fee might defeat the purpose of it being a community resource

2. Use the museum as a teaching institution where the students of the university train, learn and showcase their talents. At the same time, they could hold workshops and free admissions to their exhibits for children and adults who are interested in learning more about art.