As the chief executive for public service consultancy Black Radley, Peter Latchford has written and spoken extensively on the subject of effective governance in the cultural sector. In recent years, he has spoken compellingly about enterprise in museums at conferences run by the Museums Association (MA), as well as the Group for Education in Museums, and has shown a keen awareness of the issues and opportunities we face in the cultural sector.
His first book, African Igloos and Public Service Heroes (Wingfast 2010), was a guide to management in the public sector. Latchford used a mix of practical experience and simple language to explain complex ideas, all underpinned with an endearing passion for public service. This is an approach that Latchford has continued to employ in his latest book, The Resilient Cultural Organisation.
This book could not have been more timely. In recent years, it has been impossible not to be aware of the difficult financial decisions being made in organisations of
all sizes, and this book will prove to be a valuable companion to those who have to make them.
The Resilient Cultural Organisation is intended as a guide to effective governance – financial and otherwise – in cultural organisations, and the content is relevant and accessible to those working at all levels of responsibility.
Latchford begins by identifying an effective cultural organisation as one that has “clarity of purpose, flexibility of approach and a strong sense of balance”. The book is then divided into four sections.
The first section takes these three qualities and explains what they mean in practice, showing how an organisation can assess its performance in each. Section two contains guidance on how to improve performance in each area, using simple methods explained clearly and supported by case studies and diagrams where appropriate. Sections three and four then outline best-practice models for programming and budgeting.
The book makes many common-sense points that we all know to be true instinctively: “The truth is that ideas are ten-a-penny; the clever bit is to capture and filter them,” is one example. Still, it is heartening to see them stated plainly, with authority and with supporting practical evidence. It is also encouraging to read guidance on managing projects on both large and small scales, as many museum projects are now dependent on grants rather than core funding.
The book is intended as a working guide, and the feel of the text is one of accessibility and practical clarity. At 114 pages it is by no means a long read, and it is gratifying that so few words are wasted on redundant management speak.
It is clear that the biggest factor in motivating reform is a decrease in budget, and Latchford skilfully puts these financial pressures into context. The introduction to section three includes the prescient lines: “In the current climate, a programme’s commercial success is of increased importance. We are looking here at how the commercial perspective can be balanced with other considerations.”
The section devoted to financial models also gives the hypothetical example of an artist accepting commissions from a corporate client with links to the arms trade. Is the commission worth the moral compromise or potential damage to their reputation?
Dilemmas such as this, which have echoes in the MA’s recently revised Code of Ethics, are a growing part of our decision-making in museums.
Latchford has achieved a notable success in writing an enjoyable and accessible guide to working effectively in the cultural sector, even when addressing the, often frustrating, constraints we work under. The fact that the book is affordable, and available as an e-book, is also welcome. This is an essential guide for anyone with an interest in how our sector can serve the public as effectively as possible.
Simon Brown is the artefact loans officer at Nottingham City Museums and Galleries, and the Museums Association representative for the East Midlands
His first book, African Igloos and Public Service Heroes (Wingfast 2010), was a guide to management in the public sector. Latchford used a mix of practical experience and simple language to explain complex ideas, all underpinned with an endearing passion for public service. This is an approach that Latchford has continued to employ in his latest book, The Resilient Cultural Organisation.
This book could not have been more timely. In recent years, it has been impossible not to be aware of the difficult financial decisions being made in organisations of
all sizes, and this book will prove to be a valuable companion to those who have to make them.
The Resilient Cultural Organisation is intended as a guide to effective governance – financial and otherwise – in cultural organisations, and the content is relevant and accessible to those working at all levels of responsibility.
Latchford begins by identifying an effective cultural organisation as one that has “clarity of purpose, flexibility of approach and a strong sense of balance”. The book is then divided into four sections.
The first section takes these three qualities and explains what they mean in practice, showing how an organisation can assess its performance in each. Section two contains guidance on how to improve performance in each area, using simple methods explained clearly and supported by case studies and diagrams where appropriate. Sections three and four then outline best-practice models for programming and budgeting.
The book makes many common-sense points that we all know to be true instinctively: “The truth is that ideas are ten-a-penny; the clever bit is to capture and filter them,” is one example. Still, it is heartening to see them stated plainly, with authority and with supporting practical evidence. It is also encouraging to read guidance on managing projects on both large and small scales, as many museum projects are now dependent on grants rather than core funding.
The book is intended as a working guide, and the feel of the text is one of accessibility and practical clarity. At 114 pages it is by no means a long read, and it is gratifying that so few words are wasted on redundant management speak.
It is clear that the biggest factor in motivating reform is a decrease in budget, and Latchford skilfully puts these financial pressures into context. The introduction to section three includes the prescient lines: “In the current climate, a programme’s commercial success is of increased importance. We are looking here at how the commercial perspective can be balanced with other considerations.”
The section devoted to financial models also gives the hypothetical example of an artist accepting commissions from a corporate client with links to the arms trade. Is the commission worth the moral compromise or potential damage to their reputation?
Dilemmas such as this, which have echoes in the MA’s recently revised Code of Ethics, are a growing part of our decision-making in museums.
Latchford has achieved a notable success in writing an enjoyable and accessible guide to working effectively in the cultural sector, even when addressing the, often frustrating, constraints we work under. The fact that the book is affordable, and available as an e-book, is also welcome. This is an essential guide for anyone with an interest in how our sector can serve the public as effectively as possible.
Simon Brown is the artefact loans officer at Nottingham City Museums and Galleries, and the Museums Association representative for the East Midlands