{"id":4169,"date":"2024-10-31T07:47:11","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T11:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icsom.org\/senzasordino\/?p=4169"},"modified":"2024-10-31T07:55:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T11:55:52","slug":"culture-at-the-core-how-orchestras-move-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icsom.org\/senzasordino\/2024\/10\/culture-at-the-core-how-orchestras-move-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Culture at the Core: How Orchestras Move Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Member-at-Large

Photo Credit: Miran Kim<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

It seems the well-known aphorism “culture eats strategy for breakfast” is quoted everywhere these days. Although management theorist Peter Drucker did not write these words exactly, his meaning was clear: strategy is necessary, but culture is critical to an organization\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

In the last 20 years, corporate employers have begun to understand that ignoring Drucker\u2019s warning comes at a cost in both the financial bottom line and employee retention. \u201cChief People & Culture Officers\u201d and \u201cChief Talent Officers\u201d have become ubiquitous as organizations respond to a multi-generational labor force that demands well-being, mentorship, professional development, agency, and meaningful benefits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet arts organizations and their satellite ecosystems have barely scratched the surface of culture: what it is and how it can positively affect the industry. Consistent administrative churn, acrimonious contractual bargaining, and burnout are, for the most part, still accepted as the cost of doing business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we continue to experience the reverberations from the recent Vulture<\/i> articles accusing two musicians of sexual assault, it is time for us to confront our deeply held cultural norms.<\/p>\n

Organizational theorist Edgar Schein defined culture as \u201cthe deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization, that operate unconsciously, and that define in a basic \u2018taken for granted\u2019 fashion an organization\u2019s view of itself and its environment.\u201d Every orchestra has a fundamental way of doing things. As someone who has worked to change orchestra culture from both the inside and outside, I know firsthand that some of these can be sclerotic, patriarchal, and, occasionally, abusive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Musicians are taught to do things the way they have always been done. Rarely do we hear that it could or should be different. This makes sense, since research shows a human drive to uphold the status quo. Some musicians actively maintain current rules and beliefs, others eschew change, and some simply \u201cgo with the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recently, however, a growing number of people in the industry have found the status quo unacceptable. To move forward, we must confront the tension between maintaining the traditions of our past and the necessity of creating modern, inclusive, and safe cultures.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Catalyzing change in an orchestra requires everyone to actively re-examine the cultural values, both implicit and explicit, that underpin their processes and systems. Many orchestras in this country are governed by collectively bargained agreements. While unions can be a great democratizing force\u2013especially for the middle class\u2013orchestras are most definitely not democracies. They are rife with power imbalances and rigid hierarchies. Furthermore, there can be contentious relationships with management due to financial constraints, inconsistent artistic values, nontransparent communication, or siloed decision-making.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But orchestras are unique groups that, if harnessed appropriately, can produce significant change. In playing together, the group can react in a millisecond to the slightest gesture, a moment of eye contact, or a quick inhaled breath. Musical ideas can be communicated without verbal communication. We are inherently interdependent, with a shared emotional connection. This awareness and connectedness is a result of what studies have called neural entrainment. We are literally connected through brain waves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We must make good on this urgent opportunity. It is time for orchestras across the country to begin the hard work of rooting out inequitable and historical practices. Black Orchestral Network issued a call to action to embed our institutions with \u201cpractices that promote respect, fairness, grace, and equity.\u201d To do this, we need to start by orchestrating honest and transparent dialogue across a diverse set of stakeholders to re-evaluate and innovate our processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To do so, we must address years-old control systems (unchanged audition excerpt lists and strict dress code standards), origin stories and myths (historic orchestra heroes and villains), routines and mindsets (anything from how we warm up on stage to bullying and discriminatory behaviors), and power structures (tenure committees and processes). While some of these may contribute to an orchestra\u2019s valuable institutional memory, others perpetuate outmoded values and belief systems that can cause harm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no fast route to success. There are approximately 80 people in an orchestra with a wide variety of opinions. These conversations will take time, commitment, and, above all, a desire to be collaborative. Here are a few places to start:<\/p>\n