The Strategic Museum Exchange
Museum leaders are critical to any successful transformation effort. Bottom-up initiatives can only go so far. This is especially true for institutions that want to prioritize people over products — a fundamental change that reverberates to every corner of an institution.
The Strategic Museum Exchange (SME) provides executive directors a supportive space to encourage experimentation, ensure accountability, and drive strategic transformation toward prioritizing outcomes over outputs.
The Strategic Museum Exchange (SME) consists of two main components:
1. Core SME Program
Certain aspects of the SME are consistent:
The purpose of each cohort is to provide directors with space to learn and integrate alternative strategic frameworks into their museums to realize better results in the areas that matter most to their institution.
The size of each cohort is small (four to eight participants)
We create groups with connection and accountability in mind: Each group consists of two to four partner pairs. For example, a cohort with six directors will have three partner pairs. Partners are assigned in advance of the first meeting and are based on shared characteristics (e.g., size of organization, discipline, and/or objectives).
Some things are different with each iteration of the group:
The topic and approach vary. For example, one cohort focused on applying Richard Rumelt’s work to their strategic planning. Another completed a series of exercises to identify challenges and opportunities at their institutions and then distributed a survey to staff to assess leaders’ alignment with staff views on the critical challenges their institutions face today.
The duration varies depending on our focus and objective (usually three to six weeks).
2. SME Learning Extensions
We offer periodic SME Learning Extensions to complement the core program and provide ongoing learning opportunities.
The next extension is scheduled to begin in September. It will consist of a reading group that will meet weekly to read and discuss the book Museums and Societal Collapse: The Museum as Lifeboat by Robert Janes. The author will be present for each meetup, giving participants a unique chance to explore the implications of the climate change crisis for museum leaders.
Past and prospective SME participants are invited to participate in SME Learning Extensions on a space-available basis.
FAQ
Each cohort is different. Typically, a group will meet once a week for 50 to 80 minutes over three to six weeks. If you sign up for the waiting list below, we’ll let you know the duration and time commitment for future groups as we plan them. Then, you can decide whether to accept the invitation based on the topic’s relevance to your institution.
If you decide to join, you are expected to attend each session. Most gatherings include breakout sessions where you and your partner discuss a particular strategic approach or complete exercises together. We ask that you show up each week for your partner.
At this time, there is no cost to participate.
All first-time SME participants, including Learning Extension participants, complete a short survey and distribute it to their staff. The survey invites reflection on your institution's critical challenges and opportunities. We use the data to create partner pairs in each cohort and to generate ideas for future cohorts. Responses from your staff are confidential.
Have a different question about the Strategic Museum Exchange?
Sign up to be notified about upcoming cohorts
If you’re an executive director or CEO at a cultural institution, you can sign up below to join the waitlist and get notified of upcoming cohorts.