Applying Management Strategies to the Arts

Applying Management Strategies to the Arts

Rohini Dandavate, PhD October 2013 Making a performing arts event successful is increasingly becoming more challenging with changing realities of the marketplace. With rapidly mushrooming performing arts events, it is becoming difficult for artists to make a mark and secure funding amidst stiff competition. Just pursuing art for arts sake or focusing on excellence in artistic production cannot alone sustain an artist. There are increasing demands on the arts fraternity to adopt professional strategies to ensure visibility, appeal and profitability in this rapidly changing environment. Some of the leading arts organizations and production companies have started employing modern management techniques to succeed in the competitive marketplace. Their success stories indicate that infusing ideas from management field for planning performing arts projects can indeed help artists. Amidst innumerable books available in business management field I have chosen to discuss some of the management strategies suggested in the book Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters, the management Guru and consultant. I will discuss how some of his key strategies can be understood through success stories of arts organizations and production companies. Peters wrote this book in the year 1987, but it is still relevant, since the topic of change continues to the biggest challenge before a management professional. Peters in this book suggests that, excellent firms dont believe in excellenceonly in constant improvement and constant change. Those who manage performing arts events would benefit from embracing continuous improvement and constant change in order to thrive amidst evolving conditions of the performing arts marketplace. Peters focuses on five areas that he considers to be the essence of proactive management:

An obsession with responsiveness to customers Constant innovation in all areas of the firm Partnership gain sharing with and the wholesale

participation of all people connected with the organization Leadership that loves change and instills and shares an

inspiring vision Control by means of simple support systems aimed at

measuring the Right Stuff for todays environment His key recommendations are- innovation, creating value for customers, collaborations and partnerships, readiness to adapt to change and continuous attention to assessing needs of the changing environment. In the following paragraphs I will discuss these strategies as applied by some of the progressive arts productions and arts organizations. Responsiveness to customers and innovation: Globalization and the ensuing mass immigration have resulted in an increase in multicultural communities in America. This change has created a need for presentation of multicultural arts and has opened a new window in product development and innovation. In sync with this change, the production of The Lion King would be an apt example because it not only brings innovation in treatment of the subject, but also adapts to the needs of multicultural audiences by creating an eclectic combination of elements of art forms from various parts of the world. This spectacular Broadway show weaves together artistic forms from Africa, America, Indonesia and India in the most inventive format of presentation. It creates an experience that people from diverse cultures can relate to in the context of their own life experiences. The costumes, masks, music, the vibrant colors, elements of shadow puppetry, movement patterns and body language,

every aspect of the presentation comes together to help audiences understand, appreciate and enjoy a variety of artistic expressions from cultures around the world in a contemporary format. Innovation in product development and presentation format, and collaboration amongst dancers, designers and artists are the keystones that contribute towards the immense success of this production.

Lion King Source: http://www.newyork.com/broadway-show-tickets/the-lion-king/images/carousel_399.jpg

Another example of success through innovation is Peter Brooks presentation of Mahabharata, the famous Indian epic. The production was originally staged in an abandoned quarry outside of Avignon, with a cast that included actors from 18 different countries. This production awed audiences worldwide. Although Brooks use of global cast received criticism in India it was hailed widely by arts critics as an example of experimentation and innovation in performing arts. The unconventional setting (the quarry) of the play, the multinational characters, unconventional costumes and the use of English make the presentation unique. Speaking about his multinational cast Brooks explains, the many nationalities

are trying to bring something of their own. In this way, we are trying to celebrate but which carries echoes for all mankind". Peter Brooks, in his production on Mahabharata set a precedent for other theatre groups to present this Indian Epic in many other languages.

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/70/TheMahabarata1989.jpg

In both the productions, The Lion King and The Mahabharata, the directors innovated by infusing new elements in presentation. Using diverse cultural expressions, dancers, and actors from different ethnicities made the productions meaningful universally. In the words of the African American writer, William Plomer, creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected. Both Taymor and Brooks, the creative masterminds behind the productions, directed, designed and skillfully connected the seemingly unconnected, making their respective productions box office hits. Partnerships: The other area that Peters suggests for ensuring success is through partnerships and collaborations. Models of collaboration in businesses show that combined efforts bring together expertise, experience, insights and a sense of co-ownership which can lead to increasing revenue, e.g. the partnership of

Macys, a departmental store and Barnes and Noble, the bookstore chain with Starbucks benefited in their sales. While easy access to coffee during shopping becomes an incentive for consumers to continue to shop for longer time, people visiting the bookstore enjoy the experience of glancing through books with a cup of coffee. Similarly, partnering in the arts can enhance infrastructural, artistic and monetary resources. One such success story in organizational collaboration is the Barbican Center in London. Over the 25 years of its existence, the Barbican Centre has developed relationships with diverse and prestigious range of partners and associates, namely, The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) the resident orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO), Serious, one of Britains leading producers of live jazz, world, and roots music, Michael Clark Company and Cheek by Jowl and Beast Dance Theatre. Partnerships opened new opportunities for these individual companies to create innovative body of works, advance programming abilities, draw large audiences and above all continue to be supported by the City of London Corporation as part of its contribution to the cultural life of London and the nation. Alliances and cooperation became their key to success.

Barbican Center, London. Source: http://cdn.partyearth.com/photos/3fbe67e11cecafd192dd44a1b79607a6/barbicancentre_s345x230.jpg?1374989403

The spectacular film Upaj (Improvisation) a dance collaboration between Pandit Chitresh Das, a well known practitioner and guru of Kathak dance and Jason Samuel Smith, an American tap dance performer, choreographer, and director is another success story of collaboration. As Antara Bhardwaj, the producer of the film writes, Its like a fireworks display, where each one is better than the next, and you wish you could remember which was your favorite moment, but its all too fast to hold onto. At the end, you just remember that it was awesome, and its difficult to find words to describe it. The common language that bonded Pandit Chitresh Das and Jason is dance. Though a generation apart, from different cultural backgrounds, and artistic backgrounds their partnership in rhythmic expressions gave audiences a joyous experiences with a display of movements with tremendous strength, power and energy.

Pandit Chitresh Das & Jason Samuel Smith collaborating dancers in the film Upaj Source:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Upaj-Improvise-the-film/130396223697433

Both these examples of organizational partnerships and artist collaboration prove Peters recommendation that partnerships can bring success and profit to the stakeholders. Leadership & Infrastructure and support system for assessment The other two aspects of proactive management that Peters proposes are leadership with an inspiring vision and appropriate infrastructure that can evaluate and assess the changing context and its needs. To this I am sharing names of some inspiring leaders from the field of arts in India mainly because I had the opportunity to watch and learn about them closely. One most befitting name is Sundari Shridhari, the founder of Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi, India. A true friend of the arts she established this arts center to provide opportunities to artists and gurus to offer training, create, perform and exhibit

their art at nominal costs. Spacious studios and an auditorium with apt sound and light equipment with a seating capacity of 250 people in the same premises was opened for artists. An amphitheater was made accessible to dancers for their daily rehearsals, while visual artists could hold exhibitions in the gallery. She even opened the space for a caf, where artists could discuss ideas and projects over a cup of coffee and delicious snacks at an affordable price. Under the leadership of Shrimati Sundari Shridharani, Triveni Kala Sangam, became a landmark in Delhi for artists and to this day it continues to contribute immeasurably to the cultural life of Delhi.

Sundari K. Shridharani (1919-2012) Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000903/spectrum/24tt2.jpg

A few other other names, which are worthy of mention, are Vinay Chandra Mudgalya the founder of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Delhi, Ashok Bajpai, the brain behind Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal, and Babulal Doshi, the founder of Kala Vikas Kendra in Odisha. Not all these visionaries were trained in management studies but the three leadership traits that they had in common were the ability to understand needs of people in the creative sector, the ability to bring people together to work towards a goal and the ability to inspire. They established institutions that empowered artists from all disciplines.

Lidia Varbanova, a Management Consultant, Lecturer & Researcher in Montreal, in her recent book Strategic Management in the Arts writes, an effective strategy is the one that constantly responds to dynamic external changes, preparing the organization to act accordingly by utilizing its full capacity and resources. Both Peters and Varbanova, emphasize that continuous adaptation to change is one of the keys for artists and arts organizations for ensuring success in long term objectives. Change is often difficult, and few people enjoy it. However, in keeping with the current times, flexibility, change and creating total customer responsiveness are essential to achieve success in businessand the arts are no exception.

References: Peters Tom, (1987). Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution, New York. Harper Collins Publishers. Varbanova,Lidia(2013). Strategic Mangement in the Arts, New York, Routledge. Web sites: http://www.kathak.org/site/kathak/section.php?id=9113 http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/06/what-inspiring-leaders-do/
Rohini Doshi-Dandavate holds a doctoral degree in Cultural Policy and Arts Administration from the Ohio State University and presently resides in San Francisco, CA. She earned her graduate degree in Odissi dance from Kala Vikas Kendra, College of Indian Dance and Music, Cuttack, India. Her gurus are Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, Guru Raghunath Dutta, Guru Ramani Ranjan Jena, and Dr Menaka Thakkar. As an artist in the Arts in Education Program of the Ohio Arts Council, she has conducted workshops and lecture demonstrations in Odissi dance for students in schools and colleges in Ohio since 1994. She offers courses in Odissi dance in educational institutions and community organizations. Rohinis research papers/articles are posted at www.scribd.com/rohinidandavate