The first challenge is deciding what "right" is. In a small non profit, that is often a collective decision, and one philosophy of "right" may lead the organization in one direction, while another philosophy will take the organization somewhere else. It's much easier to identify "wrong" - though even that can be a challenge.
----- Original Message ----
From: Stacy Klingler <
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[log in to unmask]Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 3:56:46 PM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Can museums use Collins' Good to Great Model?
Good to Great's Right People on the Bus
vs. Training the Troops
I've just finished listening to Jim Collins' Good to Great on CD during my commute to and from work. The book has been recommended to me by several people in thinking about how to build a great museum. One of the foundation principals is the idea that "you have to get the right be on the bus and the wrong people off the bus" in order to have a great organization. While I would certainly agree that having the "right" people makes the job inordinately easier, I wonder if this is a model that non-profit museums, particular those that have small budgets and offer small salaries will find useful. Can you attract the "right" people if the compensation is inadequate? What about the smaller organizations in smaller communities where there may not be enough "right" people to fill up the vacancies on the board?
One possible response is that the "right" people will volunteer and sacrifice for the "right" organization. Noble, but not necessarily a model that works.
Another, more likely response, I expect, is that training and support of current staff and those new to the field is an alternative model.
I would be very interested in hearing a point-counterpoint discussion at the 2008 AASLH Annual Meeting on this topic of finding the right people vs. training the people you have. Are both successful strategies? What resources are needed to make each of them successful?
Is there anybody out there who might be interested in taking a side? Sharing your experience with either the "right people" or the "right training" or an entirely different model for success?
Stacy Klingler
Asst Dir., Local History Services, Indiana Historical Society
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