Strategic Decision Making in the Arts Industry

By:

Like all organizations, arts institutions must make decisions which have implications for their long-term strategy. While there has been considerable investigation into the process and outcomes of strategic decision-making, most of this work has focused on business or government institutions. In this study we examine the topics of strategic decisions in arts organizations, the processes through which they are concluded and the individuals and groups who influence outcomes. One of our main interests in conducting this work was the influence of artistic and aesthetic criteria on major institutional decisions. With greater emphasis on efficiency and accountability, functional and operational considerations have gained prominence in guiding the strategies of arts organizations. We want to consider the relative weight given to these criteria vis-à-vis more artistic factors. The data for this study were collected through interviews with managers in a variety of arts institutions in Australia and Canada.

Stream: Arts Policy, Management and Advocacy

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Dr. David Cray is Associate Professor of International Business in the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University. He has co-authored two books, one on strategic decision making and the second on cross-cultural management. His publications have appeared in journals such as the British Journal of Management, Organization Studies, Journal of International Business Studies and Arts Management, Law and
 Society. He is currently 
engaged in a study of management issues in the arts industry which contrasts practices in Canada and Australia.

Dr. Loretta Inglis is a lecturer in the Department of Management, Monash 
University, Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests are leadership
 and management in nonprofit organisations and arts organisations. She 
has published on topics such as decision making and leadership in arts 
organisations, strategic planning in nonprofit organisations, and 
leadership and governance in voluntary associations, in nonprofit and
 arts journals including Third Sector Review and Arts Management, Law and
 Society
.