Leadership and Cultural Value
Leadership and Cultural Value
By
Robert Hewison
SUMMARY
This article develops the idea of Cultural Value into a critical tool that can be used by cultural institutions to improve their professional practice, the services they deliver, and the value they create. It argues that the adoption of Institutional Value as an analytical methodology will lead to positive organisational change. The context of the essay is the general recognition that the cultural sector needs to strengthen its leadership, It suggests a methodology for measuring institutional value of an organisation.
It seems that there is only limited benefit to be derived from changing an individual, if institutions remain unchanged. The leadership crises at the turn of the century did not produce significant structural change. It requires a larger effort than most single individuals can produce to turn round an institution, even if the cult of charismatic Leadership suggests that he or she can. It requires collective as well as individual effort to change the culture of an organisation. What is needed is a critical tool that will help leaders and their institutions effect the changes that are needed.
