The true deficit in an organization in trouble is the one in leadership. That is what ultimately turns a crack in the veneer into a fault line in the foundation. This is what is happening in Indianapolis, and it’s the first thing that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately the lack of leadership is working in favor for those who want to slash and burn. But there is something a little different about this situation and something that can most definitely be done….
I urge you to read the Adaptistration post from a few days ago; The Real Issue in Indianapolis. It hits the nail on the head and is really a blueprint for systemic failure in large arts organizations. This chart from the post says it all:
Vacant
- CEO
- VP of Marketing & Communications
- VP of Development
- VP of Artistic Administration
Filled
- VP & General Manager
- VP of Human Resources
There is no one working full time day to day to envision the future and put in place steps to the overcome hurdles to get there i.e a plan either long range or a even meet the upcoming payroll and sell tickets plan! As intelligent and/or business savvy the board members may be or may not be, they are not there day to day and probably only spend on average a few hours a month working for the ISO. They are volunteers that don’t have the time to create a plan, so naturally they are in this case simply voting on what is happening right now and what they see in front of them. Boards do the governing, not the running, that’s the way it should be, and this board is falling into the same trap as others such as Syracuse did where they believe cutting expenses is the same as raising money. You cannot cut your way to prosperity. Hiring interim managers is also a recipe for disaster since they are never given independent authority from the board. They are simply there as a temp to do the board’s bidding.
I don’t need to echo just how tragic, reckless and short sighted this is, instead I want to draw attention to the fact that there is hope, or more accurately a group of supporters that are usually outnumbered by detractors that could make the situation hopeful. Time and time again when this or any labor dispute comes up, it seems the predominant reaction in the comments to any story is negative. In this case it is nearly 100% supportive. This article in the Indianapolis Business Journal at time of writing had 54 comments and nearly all of them express shock, dismay and overwhelming support for the orchestra and assertions that it is vital for the city. I particularly like this comment from Barb:
This is a travesty! Deeply slashing size, season, and pay could well lead to the end of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Rather than being dedicated to maintaining the legacy and vision of the ISO, it appears that the Indiana State Symphony Society is intent on destroying not just the Orchestra’s artistic integrity and reputation, but its ability to thrive and perform at anywhere near the level it has for past decades. With energetic, incisive, and visionary leadership, other cities in much worse financial straits have turned their orchestra budgets around, even during the recession. The ISO will lose Urbanski, a big feather in the ISO’s cap, and possibly Jack Everly, much less many of its best musicians. Just at the moment the ISO is poised to take an artistic step forward, the Society looks to be committing suicide. The people of greater Indianapolis deserve better than this. They will end up being the biggest losers if this plan goes forward.
She nails it, the biggest losers in this situation will be the people of greater Indianapolis. Whilst there may be comfort in this, it wont mean anything going forward unless there’s a grass roots and organized effort from the audience. They the audience are the strength and in this case a way needs to be found to empower them in a meaningful way. Not knowing the lay of the land there makes it difficult to offer any specific suggestions, but there are people there who do know how to reach out, galvanize but most importantly organize. Making the board the focus here is not going to get the musicians anywhere without the power of the audience behind them, and I hope there is an effort to do that and do that NOW.