Is Your Museum An Idea Factory?

Are History Museums Stuck on Stupid? and we'd like to circle back to it here. Coleman upbraids museum leadership for always looking for the next best thing, the magic potion to cure museum ills, when it's really right in front of their faces. The same is true of creativity in the workplace. Creative frameworks don't change museums because process doesn't change organizations. People do. Create an atmosphere where all ideas are welcome. If you're creating new exhibit space, make sure your volunteers, docents and guards are at the table. And by that I don't mean gathering the frontline staff together for their opinion, I mean inviting them to the big-girl table.  After all, they watch and interact with visitors every day. Listen to them. What can they tell you about how visitors behave in your galleries or historic house? If you're planning an addition, wouldn't it be smart to have your grounds folks take part in the discussion? They are likely to point out that a tree's root spread is far larger than what is on the architect's plans, and that putting the addition in that spot will in fact damage a century-old tree. But the most important thing about listening from the bottom up is that it creates an atmosphere of equity in your organization. Everybody speaks and everybody listens. Disrupters are heard. Push back is important. You are the connector, you learn from your staff. We all wish there were a next big thing that really worked, a magic formula to turn a sleepy organization into a place that's sought after. There isn't. But creating an atmosphere where ideas flourish and everyone's knowledge is respected is a first step. Does your museum staff know how to work creatively? Here's some additional reading: Museums and Creative Practice Opening the Museum: The Powerhouse Experience Creativity and the Role of the Leader Joan Baldwin