Adaptistration

Create The Market

I ran across an interesting blog post at evancarmichael.com about Akio Morita, founder of Sony. Within a series of installments that chronicle the growth of Morita's company, there is one post called "Create the Market Where There Is None." The article goes on to examine some specific components where Sony profited by focusing on creating a market as opposed to meeting a perceived demand and although those examples don't necessarily apply to the business of creating live orchestra classical music, the strategic thinking behind those ideas fit like a glove…

Examining Columbus’ Master Agreement

Today's article will examine some of the unique components of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) maser agreement (also known as a collective bargaining agreement or "the contract") governing full time and per service musician employment. We'll also finish up the remaining few questions with CSO Executive Director, Tony Beadle…

An Interview With Columbus Executive Director Tony Beadle

On January 18, 2008 the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) board of directors released a strategic plan that called for a reduction in expenses by approximately 25 percent. Public reaction from the organization's musicians, music director, and patrons has been overwhelmingly unfavorable; however, the plan did receive support in the form of an editorial from the Columbus Dispatch. In order to find out more about the plan and where the organization expects to proceed, I spoke with CSO Executive Director, Tony Beadle, via telephone on February 5, 2008…

When An Academic Exercise Becomes Reality

During the beginning of November, 2006 I had the pleasure of conducting a mock negotiation exercise with the MBA students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Bolz Center for Arts Administration program. That exercise had the future arts administrator's playing the role of orchestra musicians who were presented with a bargaining proposal from management that called for a 35 percent reduction in expenditures. Although the details of that exercise are fascinating to explore, the real meat came in the form of how some of the students interpreted the scenario…

Strategic Planning Poll Results

This week's Adaptistration poll on the value of artistic stakeholder input on an orchestra's strategic planning process produced results that were both intriguing and not the least bit surprising…

Examining Dynamic Reactions At Columbus

Although the news is barely one week old, patron reaction to the proposed budget cuts at the Columbus Symphony Orchestra have been intriguing. Sources for public response include the Columbus Dispatch, The Cincinnati Enquirer, and several blogs and social networking groups. Typically, community response includes a small amount of very opinionated voices on both sides of issues with the bulk of individuals falling somewhere in-between. However, since the issue broke last week, the overwhelming majority of voices seem to be speaking out against the proposed cuts…

An Adaptistration Poll: Strategic Planning

How important do you think it is for a strategic planning process to include input from the organization’s artistic stakeholders, (conductors and ensemble musicians)? Should the board determine financial prospects first and then allow voices from the artistic stakeholders to offer input in the planning process? Is it appropriate for artistic stakeholders to express public dissatisfaction with a strategic plan? Weigh in on these issues with today’s Adaptistration poll on strategic planning…

We Value Your Option (unless it means changing our plans)

Robert Levine, president of the Milwaukee Musicians Association, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) chairman emeritus, former editor of Senza Sordino (ICSOM's newsletter), and principal violist of the Milwaukee Symphony [Robert must have an industrial sized business card], posted an intriguing article at his blog about the Jacksonville Symphony negotiations. In his post, Robert compares current events in Jacksonville with his own experiences in Milwaukee when faced with a refusal to move from a pre-set final offer at the onset of negotiations…

Who Owns A Symphony Orchestra?

Earlier this week, Paul Alter submitted a comment and asked "Who owns a symphony orchestra?" Although the simplistic answer to that question is "no one" perhaps a more complete answer is to look at ownership from the perspective of control. Within that context, Paul's question is much easier to answer…

Enough Already With The Audition Nonsense!

The 11/11/2007 edition of the New York Times published an article by Anthony Tommasini's which features an interview between the author and Marin Alsop. Since its publication, the article has been making the usual rounds inside the business due to Alsop’s comments regarding auditions. In that article Tommasini quotes Alsop as saying the process of blind auditions (where candidates perform behind a screen) is "fundamentally flawed." Perhaps unsurprisingly, her comments have stirred up a Hornet’s Nest, especially with the recent announcement that the Cleveland Orchestra will now implement screened auditions. Regardless of the passionate feelings this article has stirred up, the fact is that the whole thing is just one big red herring…

Who's Who, Unfiltered

They're back! Ever since they first appeared in 2003, the Essays On Orchestra Governance have been among the most popular items at Adaptistration. The essays are designed to provide a breakdown of who's who in orchestra governance and how they fit together. There's no spin here; instead, you'll get an inside look into the good, the bad, and the ugly behind those who influence how orchestras function...

How Vs. Why

How important is process an organization uses to achieve a goal?  I've been putting some extra thought into this question lately because an increasing number of nonprofit organizations have been doing one of two things: improving the internal relationship between constituents via an inclusive shared process or damaging those relationships with a faulty process.