In a message dated 3/11/2004 4:56:29 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< In the less than perfect world of today, a good bean
 counter and a good museum professional would talk to
 one another and not judge, but forge together for the
 good of the institution--something greater than the
 sum of its parts.  Alternatively, a good museum
 professional (with all those degrees) would add the
 letters MBA to their credentials.
  >>

My apologies for the tardiness of this response to an old thread, but I
wanted to think about it for a few days before I plunged in.

Don't get me wrong, Indigo.  I'm not opposed to bean counters per se.  I
think every museum and similar institution needs competent business managers or
bean counters, if you will, to help meet the challenges of a changing economy.
And they should have real power and influence.  I just think it's foolhardy
and dangerous to give them 100% of the power.  The chief executive of a museum,
IMHO, obviously needs to have management ability and experience, perhaps
including that MBA--but ALSO solid museum experience and understanding, and respect
for the expertise and value of the professional staff.  I think it's unwise
to pass up people with combined museum and managerial qualifications in favor
of alleged hotshots from the corporate world.  Too many business titans,
furthermore, have recently demonstrated the fundamental incompetence and stupidity
underlying their avarice and corruption to make me feel comfortable with
letting them invade our nonprofit organizations and run them into the ground.

Museum boards of trustees are too often populated with people whose only
qualifications are their personal wealth and/or high standing in the business
community.  They need an influx of members who know something about museums and
what they represent so they won't be so inclined to panic over a downturn in the
economy and select an axe-wielding ringer from the business world who they
hope will magically solve all their problems by an over-reliance on business
models.  After many years of encouraging too many unqualified people to become
board members and trustees of museums, it's not surprising that they would
eventually begin selecting unqualified directors.

It's a question of balance.  Every museum needs a solid financial foundation
and a reasonable business plan to ensure its survival, but it also needs a
director and a board of trustees who are as committed to quality and respecting
the central mission of the museum as they are to raising money and attendance
figures.  I just don't believe it's necessary to sell our souls to survive or
to destroy the essence of our institutions in order to save them.

Operating a museum is a complex enterprise, far more complex than running a
business whose goal is simply to sell a product or service in order to turn a
profit.  It's a challenge which cannot be met by the simplistic solutions of
those who know only how to make money (and how to save it through drastic cuts)
without understanding the fundamentals and standards of the institutions they
are directing or managing.  I'm particularly alarmed by high-handed business
types who like to start their reign over an institution by cutting and
downsizing without any dialogue or consultation with staff, and I'm tired of hearing
about museum staffs being demoralized by such unimaginative and ruthless
tactics.

David Haberstich

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