Exploring performance in cultural organizations: Handel

Master’sDegreeprogrammeinMarketingandCommunicationSecondCycle(D.M.270/2004)

FinalThesis

Exploringperformanceinculturalorganizations:Handel&Hendrixin

London

SupervisorCh.Prof.MariaLusianiGraduandAnnaMeneghinMatriculationNumber860801AcademicYear2016/2017

AmiamammaTeresaLamiaprimasostenitriceIlmioesempiodaseguireIlnostroAngeloCustode

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION Page1

CHAPTER1

HANDEL&HENDRIXINLONDON 5

1.1History 6

1.2Structure 9

1.3ReasonstoinvestigateperformanceofHandel&HendrixinLondon 10

CHAPTER2

REVIEWOFPREVIOUSLITERATUREONPERFORMANCEMANAGEMENTIN

CULTURALORGANIZATIONS 13

2.1CulturalOrganizationsandCreativeIndustries 13

2.2EconomicsandtheArts 14

2.2.1AmodelforArtsManagement 16

2.3Performancedefinitioninculturalorganizations 18

2.4MeasuringPerformancethroughtheBalancedScorecard 19

2.4.1DevelopingaBalancedScorecardforculturalorganizations 20

2.4.2BSC’sdrawbacks 21

2.5Hadida’sModel 22

2.5.1CommercialPerformance 24

2.5.2ArtisticMerit 25

2.5.3SocietalImpact 25

2.5.4ManagerialPerformance 26

2.5.5Correlationbetweendimensions 27

2.6SelectionofHadida’smodelforthepurposeofmydissertation 28

CHAPTER3

DATACOLLECTIONMETHODOLOGY 29

3.1Primarydata 29

3.1.1Surveys 29

3.1.2Observationanddirectcommunication 30

3.1.3Personalinterviews 30

3.2Secondarydata 31

3.2.1Managementstatistics 31

3.2.2Financialdata 32

3.2.3Visitors’reviews 32

3.2.4StatisticsofotherHistoricHouses 32

CHAPTER4

HADIDA’SMODELAPPLIEDTOHANDEL&HENDRIX 33

4.1CommercialPerformance 33

4.1.1FinancialData2016 33

4.1.2TotalAttendance 39

4.2ArtisticMerit 42

4.2.1HandelandHendrixmadethehistoryofMusic 42

4.2.2Opinionsofvisitors 43

4.2.3Reviewsofvisitors 45

4.2.4Press 48

4.2.5Opinionsofpeoplewithintheorganization 48

4.3SocietalImpact 51

4.3.1ValorisationofLondonMayfairarea 51

4.3.2Schools 53

4.3.3Volunteer 54

4.4ManagerialPerformance 55

4.4.1CapitalProjects 56

4.4.2HandelTheManExhibition 57

CHAPTER5

ANOTHERPOSSIBLEDIMENSION:SOCIALMEDIAMANAGEMENTFOR

CULTURALORGANIZATIONS 59

5.1SocialMediaUsage 59

5.2SocialMediaandCulturalOrganizations 61

5.3Handel&HendrixinLondononline 65

5.3.1Socialmediametrics:FacebookandTwitter 66

5.3.2StaffandvolunteersonSocialMedia 71

5.4SocialMediaasperformanceindicators:prosandcons 73

CONCLUSIONS 75

BIBLIOGRAPHY 79

APPENDIXI 83

APPENDIXII 84

APPENDIXIII 85

APPENDIXIV 87

1

INTRODUCTION

Creative industrieshavepeculiar features, thatmakethemchallengingtobemanaged.

Thisispartlyduetotheirpassion-drivencharacterandthenatureoftheirproduct,which

is not always tangible or commercial.Moreover, their non-profit characteristicmakes

themfinanciallyfragileandextraneoustothemanagementdiscourse.Forthesereasons,

researchershavetriedtoinvestigatetheserealitiestoreachabetterunderstandingofthis

world.Inparticular,aninterestingdebateistheoneconcerningperformancedefinition

andmeasurementforculturalorganizations.Thepurposeofthisdissertationistogive

mypersonalcontributiontothisspecificobjectofresearch,throughtheanalysisofHandel

&HendrixinLondon,forwhichIworkedasanintern.

Handel&HendrixinLondonisasmallandyoungculturalorganization.Itislocatedin

Mayfair,centralLondon,whichisastrategictouristicarea,famousbothforshoppingand

business.Itisnotameremuseum,butanhistorichousewhereboththegreatmusicians

George FridericHandel and JimiHendrix lived. TheHandelHousewas opened to the

publicin2001,whiletheportionofthebuildingincludingtheHendrixFlatwasrecently

restoredandopenedinFebruary2016.TheopeningoftheFlatbroughthugechanges,

and themost important one is probably the diverse public. The organization need to

understand how tomanage the unusual and unique association between Handel and

Hendrix.Theyhavetoadapttheiractivities,communicationprogramandtoneofvoiceto

thenewanddiversified audience, understandinghow to approach theHendrix’s fans,

without forgetting the Handel’s ones. Being a young and small cultural organization

means that survival, growthand success arekey issues in its activity.Thus,Handel&

Hendrix in London is a perfectly suitable case study for the analysis of performance.

During my internship there, from February to April 2017, I collected data on the

organization and translated them into different indicators, in order to investigate the

diversesidesofperformance.

Inlastdecades,scholarshavebeenarguingonthemultidimensionalityofperformance,

which should be considered through different perspectives that go far beyond the

financialaspects.This is trueespecially fororganizations like theculturalones,which

mightnotbesuccessful inmonetary termsbuthaveotherpointsof strength.Creative

industriesarestrictlyconnectedtoanabstractdimension,wherethevalueofaproduct

oftendependsonsubjectivebiasesandpersonalattitudes.Asamatterof fact, it isnot

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alwayspossibletotranslatetheseaspectsintoquantitativedata,nonethelesstheyhave

to be included in the performance computation. Considering performance through its

diversedimensionsmeanstointegratefinancialdatawiththoseotherrelevantaspects,

whichareabletodefineanorganization’smeritinartistictermsanditspositiveimpact

onsociety.

Toreachmyobjective,Istartedmyworkwithareviewoftheexistingliteratureonthis

topic,tounderstandhowdifferentscholarsapproachedit.Withinthetheoriesconsidered,

IselectedthemodelbyHadidaasthemostsuitableformyspecificcasestudy.Themodel

was,infact,developedasaresultofananalysisofdifferentworks,andthusspecifically

addresses the cultural organizations’ world. It takes into consideration four diverse

performance dimensions: commercial performance, artisticmerit, societal impact and

managerial performance. I used this framework to analyse my case study Handel &

HendrixinLondon.

Thisdissertationisdividedinfivechapterswhicharestructuredasfollows.ChapterOne

isaboutthehistoryofHandel&HendrixinLondonasaculturalorganization,theidea

thatbroughttoitsopeningandhowithasevolvedintheseyears.Inthefinalpartofthis

sectionIalsoexplainthereasonswhyIchosetoinvestigateitsperformance.

The second chapter includes a review of the previous literature on performance

management in cultural organizations. After considering othermodel of performance

analysis,IfocusonthemodelbyHadida,justifyingmychoiceintheend.

The third section explains how I conducted data collection, exploiting my internship

periodatHandel&HendrixinLondon.Iwasgivensomesecondarydatafromthestaff,

andintegratedthemwithprimaryones,comingfrommydirectobservation,interviews

andsurveys.

Chapter 4 is about the empirical analysis on the case study. On the basis of Hadida’s

framework,IdecidedwhichaspectsofHandel&Hendrix’sactivitycouldhaveanimpact

oneachperformancedimension.IncommercialperformanceIincludeddataonfinancial

assetsandtotalattendancetothehouse.Asforartisticmerit,itfirstlyliesinthegreatness

ofthetwomusiciansHandelandHendrix,sincetheybothhadafundamentalroleinthe

historyofmusicand,thus,stillcountmillionsoffansworldwide.InthisdimensionIalso

includedtheopinionsoftheorganizations’stakeholders,fromthevisitorstothestaffand

press.Societalimpactisdifficulttoaccess,sinceitishardlyreducibleintoquantitative

data. However, I include in this section the valorisation of Mayfair area and the rich

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education program of the organization. Finally, managerial performance includes all

thoseactivitiesthatmanagersareactuatingtocontinuouslyimproveeveryaspectofthe

historichouse.

Inthelastchapter,IproposeanadditiontothemodelofHadida:includingsocialmedia

analyticsinthecomputationofperformance.Socialnetworksarestrongcommunication

channelswhichhavebecomefundamental innowadaysbusinesses.Giventherangeof

peopletheyareabletoreachandtheiralmostzerocost,theyappeartobeaveryattractive

toculturalorganizations.Thus,Ifirstlyconductedananalysisonhowthemajormuseums

worldwide use social networks, to understand how they exploit these powerful

communication means. Secondly, I focused again on Handel & Hendrix in London: I

analyseditspresenceonlinebyusingitssocialmediastatistics.Finally,inthelastpartof

this section, I tried tohighlightprosandconsof consideringsocialmediaaspotential

performanceindicators.

Performancedefinitionandmeasurementisanecessarytoolinthemanagementofevery

business,butculturalorganizationsneedspecialprecautionsinthissense.Throughthe

analysisonmycasestudyHandel&HendrixinLondon,Itrytogivemycontributionto

thisfieldofresearch.Asscholarsobservedintheyears,consideringmerelyfinancialdata

means to exclude some of the most important aspects of the cultural organizations’

activity.MyapplicationofthemodelbyHadidatoHandel&HendrixinLondonreflects

thisidea,showingthenecessityofobservingperformancefromdifferentperspectives.

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5

1. HANDELANDHENDRIXINLONDON

Handel&HendrixinLondonisanhistorichouselocatedinMayfair,centralLondon.The

building includes two residences which are separated by a wall: the house of the

composerGeorgeFridericHandelat25BrookStreet,andtheJimiHendrix’sflatatthetop

floorof23BrookStreet.TheHouseisnowopentothepublicasamuseum,butalsohosts

concertsandevents.

Figure1:Handel&HendrixinLondon,viewofthebuildingfromBrookStreet.Source:ArtFundwebsite

Theorganizationmissionisto“promoteknowledge,awarenessandenjoymentofHandel

andhismusic toaswideapublicaudienceaspossible.Westrive to inspire,educateand

informthroughtheinterpretationoftheGeorgianhouseat25BrookStreet,whereHandel

lived and composed for 36 years, through live music performances, educational and

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outreachactivitiesandcollecting,exhibitingandinterpretingobjectsrelatedtoHandel’slife

andworks.

Inaddition,weaimtopromotethecontinuinganddiversemusicalandculturalheritageof

23BrookStreetthroughitsassociationwithJimiHendrixwholivedhereinthelate20th

century.”1

1.1HistoryThehistoryofthishousestartedin1723,whenGeorgeFridericHandelmovedatthe25

BrookStreet.TheGermancomposerlivedinthehouseuntilhisdeath,in1759.Theidea

toconverthishouseintoamuseumcameoutinearly20thcentury.

Figure2:PortraitofGeorgeFridericHandelbyThomasHudson,ondisplayintheCompositionRoomofHandel’sHouse.

Source:Handel&HendrixinLondonwebsite

In1967,JimiHendrixmovedfromUnitedStatestoLondon,lookingforwardtodevelop

hiscareerofmusician.DuringhisveryfirstnightinLondonhemetKathyEtchingham,

withwhomhestartedarelationshipthatlastedtwoyearsandahalf.Atthetime,hewas

living ina flat thatwasrentedbyGeorgeHarrison.However,Hendrixusedtoplayhis

guitarlateatnight,causingthecomplaintsoftheneighbours,sohehadtofindamore

quiteareatomovein.InJuly1968,KathyEtchinghamrentedaflatattheupperfloorof

23BrookStreet,whereshemovedwithJimi.

1Source:Handel&HendrixinLondonwebsite

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Figure3:PhotographerBarrieWentzellcapturedJimiHendrixinhisbedroomin1967.Source:personalpostcard

ThecouplechoseMayfairbecausetheneighbourhoodwasmainlymadeupofoffices,so

itwas justa luckycoincidence that their flatwasadjacent theHandel’shouse. In fact,

althoughthedistinctiveEnglishHeritageblueplaguewasalreadypositionedonthefront

ofthebuildingtosignalthatHandel livedinthathouse,thecouplefigureditout later.

KathyandJimilivedintheflatuntilApril1969,beforetheybrokeup.Theyearlater,Jimi

HendrixdiedinLondon,attheSamarkandaHotelinNottingHill.

Figure4:HandelandHendrix’sblueplaques.Source:EnglishHeritagewebsite

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In 1979, during a party to commemorate the bicentenary of Handel’s death, the

musicologist Stanley Sadie started to investigate the possibility to finally convert the

HandelHouseintoamuseum.

Intheearly1990sStanley,togetherwithhiswifeJulieAnne,foundedtheHandelHouse

Trust,aimedatraisingfundsforthepurchaseofthebuildinganditsrestoration.InApril

1996 the Trust was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, and negotiations were

openedwiththeCooperativeInsuranceSociety,whohadheldthefreeholdsince1971,for

thepurchaseofthelease.Itwashopedthatthewholeof25BrookStreetandtheupper

floorsof23BrookStreetwouldbepurchasedforthenewmuseum.However,atthetime

thefreeholdersdecidednottoreleasetheretailunitonthegroundfloorof25.

InJune2000,TheHandelHouseTrustsignedtheleasefortheupperfloorsofNos.25and

23BrookStreetandwithinamonth,constructionworkbegan.Afterextensiverenovation

work,theHandelHouseMuseumopenedtothepubliconNovember8,2001.

In2007 theHandelHouseTrust acquireda999-year lease for thewholeof25Brook

Street,andatwo-stageMasterPlanwasdevelopedtorestoreJimiHendrix’sflatonthe

upperfloorsof23BrookStreetandthegroundfloorandbasementofHandel’shouseat

25BrookStreet.AsafirstphaseoftheMasterPlan,againassistedbytheHeritageLottery

Fundgrant,anewstudiospace,extended liftaccess toall floorsandadditionalvisitor

facilitiesweredevelopedandtheJimiHendrix’sflatopenedinFebruary2016.

TherenovationworkthatleadtotheopeningofJimiHendrix’sflatatthe23rdBrookStreet

haschangedalotthemuseum,notonlyintermsofitsfacilitiesbutalsoinitsstructure

andpublic.Beforetheopening,therewasonlyonepersoninchargeofsupervisingthe

volunteers,sotheyhadmuchmoreresponsibilities.Duetothenewroomsopened,the

museumneedstorelyonmorevolunteers.Actually,therearethreevolunteersupervisors

andabout90volunteers.WhenitwasonlytheHandelhouse,themuseumwasvisitedby

historiansorpeople fascinatedbyhistoryandclassicalmusic.Theopeningof the Jimi

Hendrix’sflathasbroughtnotonlytoabroaderaudience,butalsotoaverydifferentiated

one:visitorsofalltheagesandverydifferentbackgroundscometotheHousenow.

Asecondphaseofrenovationwilltakeplaceinthenextyears,againpossiblethanksto

thecapitalcomingfromtheHeritageLotteryFunds.Theplanistorestoregroundfloor

andbasementoftheHandelHouse.WhenHandel livedthere,thekitchenswereinthe

basementofthebuilding.Atthemoment,visitorscannotseethatspace,sinceitisrented

toashop.Therentalagreementisendinginfewyears,sotheideaistoincludethatspace

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in theexhibition, inordertogivevisitors thepossibility tounderstandhowthewhole

buildingwasatthetimeHandellivedthere.Aswewillseelaterinthefinancialanalysis,

themainchallengefortheorganizationinthecomingyearswillbetomakeitsactivity

workwithoutrelyingontherentoftheshop.

Figure5:Mapofthebuilding.Source:Handel&Hendrix’sleafletforvisitors

1.2Structure

Theorganizationactuallycountsnineemployees:

- Director:ElizabethNicholson

- HeadofLearningandCurator:ClaireDavies

- CommunicationsManager:SeanDoherty

- FrontofHouseSupervisors:AngharadHowell,ElenaMillis,NicoleMelotte

- Administrator:MinnaLapinoja

- SeniorFacilities&OperationalManager:SimonaTocco

- LearningandParticipationOfficer:JamieWilliams

Thefunctioningofitsactivityispossiblethankstotheworkof91volunteers,whoman

thehistoricroomsandmanagetheticketofficeandthegiftshop.

Handel&HendrixinLondonisnotameremuseum,butanhistorichouse.Visitorscan

paythetickettovisitthehouseasamuseum,ofcourse,buttheideaofHandel&Hendrix

inLondonistomakethemfeeltheatmosphereofthetwohistoricresidences,asifGeorge

FridericHandelandJimiHendrixwerestillthere.

Theirmission is not only to keep the atmosphereof the twohouses alive, but also to

promotemusicthroughconcerts,eventsandworkshops.Weeklyclassicalconcertstake

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placeintheHandelHouse,butatthesametimethemanagementistryingtodevelopa

scheduleofHendrixthemedevents.Forinstance,onthefirstanniversaryoftheHendrix

Flatopening,theyorganizedtheHendrixFlatParty.IncollaborationwiththeHardRock

Café, the buildingwas completely decorated as in the ‘70s,with the opening of some

special roomswhich areusually closed to thepublic, like the onewhere Jimi guested

GeorgeHarrisonforonenight.Theeventwascompletelysoldoutandwasahugesuccess,

so that they have proposed a similar party in August, on the 50th anniversary of the

Hendrix’sexhibitioninWoodstockFestival.

Handel&HendrixinLondonhasawellestablishedLearningProgram,aimedatinvolving

childreninMusicworld,notonlythroughvisitsattheHousebutalsothroughworkshops

intheschools.Childrencanthusmeetcomposersandmusicians,listentotheirmusicand

interactwiththem.

1.3ReasonstoinvestigateperformanceofHandel&HendrixinLondon

Iwasan internatHandelandHendrix inLondon fromFebruary toApril2017. Inmy

opinion, it is a very dynamic environment. Duringmy time atHandel andHendrix in

London,givenmyinterestforculturalorganizations,Idecidedtoinvestigatetheiractivity

aspartofmydissertation.

Cultural organizations are complex settings, because of their pluralistic nature. The

intrinsic motivation is a characteristic of this industry, as well as the passion-driven

character.Moreover,culturalorganizationshavealwaysbeenfinanciallyfragile,andthis

issue makes them difficult to manage. In the last decades, many scholars tried to

investigatetheserealitiesandreachabetterunderstandingofthisworld.However,we

stillknowlittleabouthowtheywork,standandsurvive.Capturingwhatis“Performance”

inaculturalorganization,Itrytocontributetothisbroaderunderstandingofhowthese

complexorganizationswork.

Inparticular,Handel&HendrixinLondonisasmallandyoungculturalorganization.Even

if the Handel House officially opened to the public in 2001, so they are already

experiencedinthisfield,theHendrixflatopenedonlyinFebruary2016.Aswehaveseen

before, the opening of the flat brought huge changes: not only in terms of number of

visitors,butalsointermsofaudience.Themanagementisthereforelearninghowtodeal

withboththedimensions,addingsomeHendrix’seventstothewellestablishedHandel’s

ones.

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“WearestillababyintermsoftheHendrixFlat.Let’ssayastheHandelhousewearelikea

teenager,butHendrixisjustalittlebaby.Westillhavesomuchtolearnandtoworkon.I

wouldsaywearedoingverywell,butIthinkthereisalotmorethanwecando.”

(ElenaMillis,VolunteerSupervisor)

Figure6:HandelandHendrix'sbedrooms.Personalpictures

BeingHandel&Hendrix in London a young and small cultural organization, issues of

survival,growthandsuccessareparamount.Theobjectiveofmydissertationistherefore

totrytodefinesuccessandmeasureperformanceofaculturalorganization,determining

whichvariableshave tobe consideredas relevant in the caseofHandel&Hendrix in

London.

Inmywork,IwishtounderstandwhicharethestrengthsandtheweaknessesofHandel

&HendrixinLondon,definingitsperformancethroughdifferentdimensions.Inorderto

reachmyobjective,Iexploitedmytimetheretocollectdata,askthevolunteerstorespond

toasurveyandIalsointerviewedthestaff,tohavedifferentpointsofviewandopinions

onthistopic.

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2. REVIEWOFPREVIOUSLITERATUREONPERFORMANCEMANAGEMENTINCULTURALORGANIZATIONS

Creative industriesare“characterizedbya seriesof features thatmake itachallenging

environmentinwhichtooperateandcompete”2.Firstly,culturalorganizationsdealwitha

widerangeofresources,whichsometimesarenoteasytomeasureduetotheirqualitative

andheterogeneousnature.Secondly,theyprovideacomplexandmultipleproduct,which

isnotalwaystangibleorcommercialinnature.Finally,theseinstitutionsareoftenpublic

ornon-profitentities,andfinancialassetsmightnotberepresentativeoftheirsuccessful

management.

Beforewe try to go deeper into this sector, it is fundamental to clarify the difference

betweenCreativeIndustriesandCulturalOrganizations.

2.1CulturalOrganizationsandCreativeIndustries

Creative Industriesasdefinedby theDepartment forDigital,Culture,MediaandSport

(DCMS)intheUK,are“thoseindustrieswhichhavetheirorigininindividualcreativity,skill

andtalentandwhichhaveapotentialforwealthandjobcreationthroughthegeneration

andexploitationofintellectualproperty”.

Addressingspecificallytheobjectofmydissertation,weneedtoclarifythepositionof

Handel&HendrixinLondonwithintheworldofCreativeIndustries.Handel&Hendrixin

Londonbelongstothecategoryofculturalorganizations.Toclarifythisconcept,Ireferto

thedefinitionbytheUSNationalCenterforCharitableStatistics(NCCS):“arts,culture,and

humanitiesorganizationsareprivatenon-profitorganizationswhoseprimarypurposeisto

promoteappreciationforandenjoymentandunderstandingofthevisual,performing,folk,

andmediaarts;thehumanities(archaeology,arthistory,modernandclassicallanguages,

philosophy, ethics, theology, and comparative religion); history and historical events;

and/orcommunications(film,video,publishing,journalism,radio,television)3”.Amongthe

others,asspecifiedbyNCCS,thedefinitionincludes“museumsandhallsoffame;historic

preservation programs; organizations that provide services to artists, performers,

entertainers,writers,orhumanitiesscholars;programswhichpromoteartisticexpression

oforwithinethnicgroupsandcultures;artandperformingartschools,centres,andstudios”.

2A.Zorloni,2010,“Managingperformanceindicatorsinvisualartmuseums”,MuseumManagementandCuratorship3M.O’Neill,2002,“Non-profitNation:AnewlookattheThirdAmerica”

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Todeeperunderstandtheworldofculturalorganizations,itisalsousefultoclarifythe

definitionofmuseum.TheInternationalCouncilOfMuseums(ICOM)adoptedin2007the

following:“amuseumisanon-profit,permanentinstitutionintheserviceofsocietyandits

development,opentothepublic,whichacquires,conserves,researches,communicatesand

exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the

purposes of education, study and enjoyment.”4 Museums are the representation of the

desire to preserve cultural heritage, and their main activities are acquisition,

conservation, research, communication and exhibition. However, their function is not

onlytogivevisitorsthechancetoobserveoriginalartefactsortowalkthroughhistorical

buildings:theirpurposesincludestudy,educationandenjoyment.

Atthispoint,weneedtospecifythatmycasestudyhasamulti-dimensionalnature.Even

ifHandel&HendrixinLondonisincludedbetweentheclassofhistorichouses,whichare

houses that have been transformed into museums, it presents some peculiar

characteristics that makes it impossible to be limited to that category. It hosts live

performancesandavarietyofactivitiesthatgoesfarbeyondtheonesofameremuseum.

Thisfeaturehastobekeptinmindinthefollowingchapters,duringtheanalysisofits

performance.

2.2EconomicsandtheArts

Nowadays,administratorsintheartssectorarefacingadoublechallenge.Theyhaveto

createunderstandingandaccessibilityinordertoinvolveasmanypeopleaspossiblein

thearts.Plus,theyneedtoprofessionalizetheirmanagementandmarketingtechniques

toadapttheirorganizationstotheever-changingenvironment inwhichtheyoperate5.

Thus,theyneedtothinktotheirorganizationasabusiness, lookingat it frombothan

artisticandamanagerialpointofview.

Thisprocessofeconomisationoftheartsdoesnotcomewithoutdifficulties.Themain

reasonisthatdecision-makersinthissectoroftencomefromanartisticbackground,and

arelessexpertsinmanagerialdisciplines6.However,applyingmanagementprinciplesto

4ICOMStatutes,adoptedbythe22ndGeneralAssemblyinVienna,AustriaonAugust24th,20075J.Scheff,P.Kotier.1996,"CrisisintheArts:TheMarketingResponse"CaliforniaManagementReview,Vol.39,n°1,p.28-526P.Dimaggio,1987,"Non-profitOrganizationsintheProductionandDistributionofCulture",TheNon-profitSector:AResearchHandbook,W.W.Powell,ed.(p.195-220).NewHaven,CT:YaleUniversityPress

15

theworldofArtshasbecomefundamentalforthefunctioningofculturalorganizations,

whichoperateinanincreasinglycompetitiveenvironment.Thus,evenifEconomicsand

theArtsmayseemcompletelyopposite,thesetwofieldsneedtointeractandsupporteach

other.

Fromaprocesspointofview,scholarstendtoassumethatartandbusinessconstitute

distinctandcontradictorypointsofreferenceforthoseinvolvedincreativeproduction.

The general assumption is that economic logics tend to overlook artistic logics,

endangering creative processes. Thus, there exists a “conflicting relationship between

art/creativity on the one hand and business/management on the other”.7 This tension

betweenArtandBusinesscomesfromthebeliefthateconomisationofcreativeindustries

affectstheintrinsicmotivationofcreativework.Bourdieuconceptualizedtheideathat

individualsaredrivenbyspecificlogicsofpracticeduringcreativeproduction.Between

these logicsareeconomicandartistic logicofpractice.The former ismarket-oriented,

withacentralideathat“individualbenefitsaregainedfromexchanginggoodsandservices

viamarketsofwhateverkind”8.Thelatteris,bycontrast,drivenbythedesiretoproduce

l’artpourl’art,togiveacontributiontoArtasagreatergood.

Evenifthecontroversythatemergesbetweeneconomicandartisticpointsofviewinthe

creative process is far frombeing solved, these two dimension are forced to interact.

Cultural organizations are characterized by a series of features that makes them

challenging to be treated as the usual objects of the management discourse, like

commercialactivities.Inmostcases,culturalorganizationsarenon-profitorganizations

and might also be part of the public sector. The common characteristic of Art

organizations is that “theyareprofessionalorganizations,wherea substantive-aesthetic

cultureprevailsoverthecultureofmanagement,genericanda-specificinitself”9.However,

although they may need special precautions in their management, they cannot be

excludedfromabusinesslogicforseveralreasons.

Firstofall,theheavyeconomicweightofthissectorpointsoutthisnecessity.Forinstance,

culturaltourismisestimatedtoreachthepercentageof40%oftheglobaltourismflows10.

7D.Eikhof,A.Haunschild,2007,“Forart’ssake!Artisticandeconomiclogicsincreativeproduction”,JournalofOrganizationalBehavior8P.Bourdieu,1990,“TheLogicofPractice”.Cambridge:PolityPress9L.Zan,A.Blackstock,G.Cerutti,MaestroC.Mayer,2000,“Accountingforart”,ScandinavianJournalofManagement10L.Zan,2003,“Economiadeimuseieretoricadelmanagement”,MondadoriElectaS.p.A.,Milano

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Secondly,culturalorganizationsoftenrelyongovernmentsupport.Thisareacannotbe

justifiedasessential,thuscriticsquestionthelegitimacyofthesedirect(i.e.funds)and

indirect (lowered cost for donors, favoured taxation policy) public aids to the artistic

industry11.It isverydifficulttodeterminebenefitscomingfromartsparticipation,and

thisdebateisfarfrombeingsolved.

Finally,culturalorganizationsdealwiththeeconomicdiscoursesince“makingheritage

resourcesavailableforvisitorenjoymentisaneconomicactivity”12.Thevisitingofcultural

sites likemuseums or historic houses is an important generator of income: economic

interests are involved. Given that in the public and private charitable sectors success

shouldnotbemeasuredinstrictlymonetaryterms,itremainsthat“theheritageindustry

isrootedinthelawofsupply-and-demandandguidedbybusinessprinciples”13.

2.2.1AmodelforArtsManagement

Aswehaveseen,artsmanagementmaybeaverytrickysubject.Thefollowingmatrix,

developedbyZan(2000),representsthismulti-dimensionalnatureofmanagementinthe

culturalorganizations’world.

First,hemakesadistinctionbetweensubstantiveandproceduralaspects,clarifyingthat

herefers to theconceptofsubstantiveand formalmeaningofeconomy,developedby

Polanyi (1977). According to his distinction, the formalist approach is based on the

“scarcity ofmeans for providing to human needs”, and has at the centre of its analysis

rationalindividuals,whoseobjectiveisonlytomaximizetheirgains.Ontheotherend,the

substantiveapproachinvestigatestheroleofeconomywithinsociety,and“dealswiththe

institutionalformstakenbytheprocessofsatisfactionofhumanneedsindifferentsocieties,

itsmainconcernissufficiencyratherthanefficiency”14.Thus,substantiveaspectsarethose

that refers to actual, historic and social elements, while procedural deals with the

practicesthatcouldleadtoimprovementsatasubstantivelevel.Zanuseasinstancesof

substantive elements the “amount and kind of fundingavailable, of expenses and costs,

11Craik,J.2005."DilemmasinPolicySupportfortheArtsandCulturalSector."AustralianJournalofPublicAdministration,Vol.64,n°4,p.6-1912M.Mallam,1989,“CanHeritageCharitiesBeProfitable?”,HeritageInterpretationvol.1:TheNaturalandBuiltEnvironment,DavidUzzell,ed.,pp.44-50.Chichester:Wiley13,R.L.Janiskee,1996,“HistoricHousesandSpecialEvents”,UniversityofCarolina14N.M.C.Machado,2011,“KarlPolanyiandtheNewEconomicSociology:NotesontheConceptof(Dis)embeddedness”,RCCSAnnualReview,PortoguesJournalRevistaCrıticadeCienciasSociais

17

possiblymatching themwith the amount andnature of inflowsand income”.As for the

procedures,hemakestheexampleof “actionsand/ordecisions in termsof fundingand

fundraising,expenditureallocationsormonitoringcost”.

Secondly, Zan clarifies the definition of effectiveness and efficiency. The former is

intended as the “degree of achievement of goals and purposes on the part of relevant

actors”15,whileefficiencyistherelationshipbetweeninputandoutput.

Thirdly,Zanhighlightsthateffectivenessismulti-dimensional,especiallywithregardsto

culturalorganizationsandmuseums,andneedstotakeintoconsiderationtheinterestof

thevariousstakeholders.

Finally,Zanexplainsthecolumnsofthetable.Bothsubstantiveandproceduralaspects

mustrefertoefficiencyproblems(supply-side)andmarket-relatedeffectivenessaspects

(demand-side)andtocollection-relatedeffectivenessissues(back-office).

EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY Historical–Aesthetic

judgement(Backoffice)

Customers’satisfaction(Demand-side)

Acquisitionanduseofresources(Supply-side)

Substantiveaspects

- Valueofcollections

- Developmentofcollections

- Maintenanceetc.

Satisfactionofdifferentsegmentsofpublic:

- Visitors- Schools- Scholarly

community

FinancialResources:- Collected/self-

generated- Costsand

Overallproductivity

HumanResources:- Quali-

quantitativedimensioning

- Labourproductivity

- Personnelsatisfaction

Proceduralaspects

Activitiesandpracticesof:

- Collecting- Documentation- Acquisition- Conservation

Practicesof:- Research- Servicestothe

customer- Education- Loans- Marketing- Exhibitionsand

relativecriteria

Logicandpracticesinmanagingresources:

- Financial- Human

15LucaZan,2000,“ManagementandtheBritishMuseum”,MuseumManagementandCuratorship

18

2.3Performancedefinitioninculturalorganizations

The most important concept emerging from the debate on management of cultural

organizations is that in this sector “product performance must be viewed as multi-

dimensional, because cultural goods have a two-fold nature: they are at the same time

artistic products and economic products”16. Basically, scholars sustain that financial

metricsarenotenoughto investigateanorganization’sperformanceandthat“systems

basedprimarilyonfinancialperformancelackthefocusandrobustnessneedforinternal

managementandcontrol”17.

Anapproachbasedonlyonfinancialvaluescouldbecounterproductivefororganizations.

Thus,mydissertationisaimedatquestioninghowshouldculturalorganizationsdefine

performance and which multi-dimensional variables should be included in its

measurement.

DelBarrio(2009)classifiedstudiesconductedonmuseums’efficiencyintotwogroups:

1- Worksaimedatmeasuringamuseum’sperformancethroughaseriesof indicators

(performance indicators). The purpose of these studies is to identify indicators or

ratiosenablingcomparisonstobedrawnamongthechosenmuseums’activities.

2- Studies trying tomeasure theefficiencyof a setofunitsusing frontier techniques.

These approaches allow comparisons betweenmuseums, and notmerely between

theiractivities.“Amuseumis felt toundertakeaneconomicactivity inwhichcertain

inputsorresourcesaretransformedintooutputsorperformance.Theproblemlies in

attemptingtodefinethistransformationprocess,anobstaclewhichmaybeovercome

throughtheuseofparametricornon-parametric18models.”19

DelBarriochoseamethodofresearchwhichfallsintothesecondgroupsofstudies,since

itisfocusedonasetofmuseumslocatedwithinaspecificSpanishregion.Thepurposeof

the study is to obtain results which enables efficiency comparisons between the

museums,andnotbetweentheirspecificactivities.

16R.E.Caves,2000,“Creativeindustries:Contractsbetweenartsandcommerce”,Cambridge:HarvardUniversityPress17Atkinson,A.A.,J.H.Waterhouse,R.B.Wells.1997,"AStakeholderApproachtoStrategicPerformanceMeasurement",SloanManagementReview,Vol.38,n°3,p.25-3718 Parametric models include distributions that can be described using a finite number ofparameters,whilenon-parametricaremoreflexibleincapturinginformationfromdataandthusare used to calculate the relative efficiency of service producers, where parametric approacheswouldbetoorestrictive.19M.J.DelBarrio,L.C.Herrero,J.A.Sanz,2009,“MeasuringTheEfficiencyofHeritageInstitutions:ACaseStudyofaRegionalSystemofMuseumsinSpain”,JournalofCulturalHeritage

19

Bycontrast, sincemydissertation is focusedonaunique case study, Ineed todeeply

investigateitsefficiency,activitybyactivity.Thus,IneedtoanalyseHandel&Hendrixin

London’sperformancethroughtheuseofdiversifiedperformanceindicators.

2.4MeasuringPerformancethroughtheBalancedScorecard

Acommonapproach toperformancemeasurement is theBalancedScorecard (BSC), a

frameworkcreatedbyRobertKaplanandDavidNortonin1992.Theirmethodologywas

developedthrougharesearchonasampleofcompanieswhose intangibleassetswere

central for value creation20.Thus, themain ideawas to integrate themeasurementof

these intangible assets into the strategic planning andmanagement system, which is

usuallyfocusedmainlyonfinancialmetrics.

BSCservesasaframeworkforevaluatingperformanceasitrelatestotheorganization's

strategies, by emphasizing the linkages between current operations, performance

measurementandstrategy21.Aswehavealreadysaid, themain idea is thatmanagers

shouldnothavetofocusonlyonfinancialnoroperationalmeasures,becausethereisnot

asingleindicatorwhichcanprovideaclearandcompleterepresentationofperformance.

Stillmaintaining financialmetrics as important indicators of companies’ success, BSC

links them to other three different performance perspectives: Customer, Internal

BusinessandInnovationandLearning.

Giventhismulti-dimensionalapproach,thismodelcanbeappliedtodiversebusinesses.

Moreover, since it takes into account intangible assets and various performance

indicators,scholarsappliedittoculturalorganizations.AnarticlepublishedbyWeinstein

andBukovinskyontheInternationalJournalofArtsManagementhadasitsobjective“to

showthattheBSCprocessisaneffectiveandprovenmeasurementtoolforArtsandCulture

Organizations (ACOs). […] We intend to demonstrate that, while BSC is not a new

managementtool,itsapplicationisinfluencedbytheuniquecharacteristicsofACOs”22.The

followingparagraphsynthetizestheprocessofdevelopingBSCforaculturalorganization.

20R.S.Kaplan,1990,“MeasuresforManufacturingExcellence”,Boston:HarvardBusinessSchoolPress21R.S.Kaplan,D.P.Norton,1992,“TheBalancedScorecard:MeasuresthatDrivePerformance”,HarvardBusinessReview,(January-February):71-79.22L.Weinstein,D.Bukovinsky,2009,“UseoftheBalancedScorecardandPerformanceMetricstoAchieveOperationalandStrategicAlignmentinArtsandCultureNot-for-Profits”,InternationalJournalofArtsManagement,Vol.11,No.2(WINTER2009),pp.42-55

20

2.4.1 DevelopingaBalancedScorecardforculturalorganizationsThefirststeptobuildaBSCistoclarifyanorganization’smissionandvision.Strategy

shouldbetranslatedintoshort-andlong-termobjectives,inordertoallowmanagersto

monitorandevaluateprogresses.

Secondly,criticalsuccessfactors(CSFs)havetobeidentified.CSFsare“characteristics,

conditions,orvariablesthathaveadirectandseriousimpactontheeffectiveness,efficiency,

andviabilityofanorganization,program,orproject”23.Thislistshouldbenottoolongto

beeffective:acommonmistakeistoconsidereverythingascritical.

The third stage is to translate the CSFs into measurable, specific activities. These

supporting activities are those thatmust be successfully completed tomeet the CSFs’

objectives.

Finally, it is important to identify which metrics can give a clear evaluation of the

supporting activities. In this phase, BSC uses four different facets, or factors of

organizationalperformance.

I. Financial perspective. It provides ameasure on the financial results of actions and

decisionsrelatedtotheoperations.Forculturalorganizations,commonmetricsare

cashflows,netincome,excessofrevenuesoverexpenditures,abilitytomeetbudget,

averageticketrevenues.

II. Customerperspective. Itgives feedbackson theability tosatisfycustomers.Typical

measuresinfor-profitbusinessaremarketshare,customersatisfactionandcustomer

retention,marketgrowthrate.Ontheotherhand,artisticorganizationsmaytakeinto

accountthenumberofseasonticketssold,averageaudiencesideperperformances,

numberofdonorsandnewdonors.

III. Internal business perspective. This facet evaluates to what extent an organization

performsitscoreprocesses,whicharefundamentaltosucceed.Commonexamplesfor

firms aremanufacturing excellence and efficiency, responsiveness to customers or

qualityofcustomerservices.Asforculturalorganizations,indicatorsarenumberof

newperformances,abilitytoattractguestperformers,diversityofofferings,qualityof

reservationserviceandpositivereviewsbycritics.

IV. Innovation and learning perspective. This final dimension evaluates how well the

organization prepares for the future. Its typicalmetrics are employee satisfaction,

23Source:www.BusinessDictionary.com

21

training, research and development. In the arts industry,metrics should catch the

abilitytoretainperformers,compositionofnewworks,investmentinequipmentand

instruments.

These four facets, which are represented in the following schema21, are strictly

interrelatedandgivebirthtoaperformancemeasurementsystem,providingfeedbacks

on performance of critical activities and guidelines for decision-making processes.

Managersshouldlookatthebusinessfromthesefourpointsofviews,whichareseenas

thedriversforcreatinglong-termshareholdervalue.

2.4.2 BSC’sdrawbacks

Balancedscorecardmethodologyhasgainedgreatacceptancebybothfor-profitandnot-

for-profitorganizations.However,EldenburgandWolcott24highlightedtheconsofthis

approach. Firstly, BSC implementation might be very expensive and time-consuming.

24L.G.Eldenburg,S.K.Wolcott,2005,“CostManagement:Measuring,MonitoringandMotivatingPerformance”,Hoboken,NJ:JohnWiley

22

Secondly,theremightbedifficultiesintheidentificationoftheappropriatemetricsand

objectives.

OthercriticsemergefromtheworkbyHeinzAhnin2001,whowroteanarticleonhis

experienceintheprocessofelaboratingtheBSC.Hiscasestudywasabusinessunityof

theABBIndustrieAG,aleadingworldwidesupplierofelectronicsystemsandautomation

products.HisarticleunderlinesdifficultiesinintroducingtheBSC,bothinitsdevelopment

andinitsapplication.Firstly,developingtheBalancedScorecardmaybedifficultduetoa

“lackofdecision-makingaidsforcompaniesbothwhengeneratingandlinkingthestrategic

goals,andwhengeneratingthemeasuresandtheirvaluestobeattained”25.Theprocessof

consideringtoomanycause-and-effectchainswascomplex,aswellasthedefinitionof

measures.Moreover, lifecycle development is always unpredictable, and thusmake it

hardtoderivefuture-orientedstatements.Basically,Ahnfoundguidelinesinliterature

insufficientforsettingtargetsandmeasureinthedevelopmentoftheBalancedScorecard.

Asforitsapplication,evenAhnhighlightsthegreatamountoftimeandenergyrequired:

recordingandmonitoringthedefinedmeasure,whichinhisspecificcaseweretwenty-

five,neededahugeeffort.

Finally,empiricalresearchesshowthatsometimesthissystemhasdifficultiesinselecting

andevaluatingtherightperformancemeasuresandthismightcompromise“theabilityof

theinformationsystemtocost-effectivelyprovidetimely,reliableandvaliddata”26.

2.5Hadida’sModel

Another very important work on the topic of performancemeasurement for cultural

organizationsistheonebyProfessorAllègreHadida,fromtheUniversityofCambridge.

Shebuildsacompositeframeworkofperformanceinthecreativeindustries,drawingon

an extensive literature review. She considers the previous researches on the topic of

performancedefinitionforcreativeindustries.

Her sample is based on 182 different studies, 159 articles, 5 book chapters and 18

monographs,allpublishedwithinJanuary2012andincludedwithinfivesocialsciences

disciplines:management,culturalpolicy,culturaleconomics,psychologyandsociology.

25H.Ahn,2001,“ApplyingtheBalancedScorecardConcept:AnExperienceReport”,ElsevierScienceLtd,LongRangePlanning,vol3426K.S.Cavalluzzo,C.D.Ittner,2004,“ImplementingPerformanceMeasurementInnovations:EvidencefromGovernment"Accounting,OrganizationsandSociety,Vol.29,n°3/4,p.243-267.

23

Shehighlightspointsincommonanddifferencesinthepreviousliteratureandusesher

observationtobuildherfinalmodel.

Firstofall,shestartsquotingtheworkofBourdieu(1986),whichidentifiesthreeformsof

capital: economic, cultural and social. Economic capital includes the financial assets,

accesstoliquidity,monetaryincomes.Culturalcapitaldealswithlong-lastingdispositions

forandownershipofacademicknowledge,skillsandculturalgoods.Finally,socialcapital

is defined as the resources accumulated through belonging to a durable network of

institutionalizedrelationships.Onelastformisthesymboliccapital,whichtranscendsall

theothersasaformofprestige,anacknowledgementofcompetenceandauthorityforits

owner.

Thesefourcategoriesofcapitalarewellrepresentedinliteratureandputthepremises

forthetaxonomyofperformance.

First of all, symbolic capital represents a dimension of value and performance in the

creative industries, as they all display a significant ratio of “symbolic contents” to

“functionalusage”.

The other three forms of capital are well reflected in three core dimensions of

performance:

- CommercialPerformance(economic)

- ArtisticMerit(cultural)

- SocietalImpact(social)

The first two are traditionally key components of creative industries performance

research.Thelastdimensionconsiderstheeffectsoftheseactivitiesonthecommunity

theyaredevelopedbyandforwhich.

24

Although it is lessconsidered in the literature,Hadidaspeaksabouta fourthpotential

dimension:ManagerialPerformance.Itisdefinedas“creativemanagers’commitmentto

andeffectivenessintheexecutionoftheirfunctions”27.

In literature, two distinct categories identify the levels of analysis of performance in

creativeindustries,towhichthetaxonomyisapplied:

- Processlevel.Thisanalysisfocusesonthecreativeproductionprocess.Itconsiders

therolesandcontributionsoftheindividualcreativeworker,thecreativeproject

team,andthecreativegrouptothisprocess.

- Outcome level. This level of analysis focuses on the creative outcome and its

distribution and consumption. It looks into the creative project, the creative

organization,andthecreativenetworkoforganization

2.5.1CommercialPerformance

The commercial value of creativity and art is difficult to determine objectively.

Nonetheless, the recent process of “extension of economic discourse to museum

organizations”28putspressureson themanagementof these institutions.This trend is

leadingmuseumstobetreatedasrealcompanies,thatneedtobecomemarket-orientated

and to focus on an efficient use of resources. For this reason, financial and economic

perspectivehastobecarefullymonitored.

Creative organizations may lack the technological capability to generate qualitative

information,butaccountabilityisfundamentalforthefunctioningofthemasbusinesses.

Researchesinthisfieldmainfocusonthevaluechainonthedistributionandconsumption

of the creative outcome. Analysis of creative project performance focus on creative

productsandculturalgoods.

This set of indicators includes the total attendance, the box office receipts and the

financial statements. These dimension are fundamental for the functioning of cultural

activities.However,economicimpactshouldnotbeoverestimated,creativeactivitiesalso

entailsignificantinvestmentsandsocialcosts.

27A.L.Hadida,2015,"Performanceinthecreativeindustries."In:Jones,C.,Lorenzen,M.andSapsed,J.(eds.)TheOxfordhandbookofcreativeindustries.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress28L.Zan,2000,Dip.toDisciplineEconomicoAziendali,UniversityofBologna,“Managerialisationprocessesandperformanceinartsorganizations:TheArchaeologicalMuseumofBologna”

25

2.5.2ArtisticMerit

This dimension derives from institutionalized assessments of artistic recognition.

TogetherwithCommercialPerformance,ArtisticMeritisoneofthepillarsofperformance

literatureandareofteninvestigatedinconjunction.Theyarebothmeasuredinaggregate

termsandtrytomeasureartisticquality.

“Artisticquality,isacknowledgedasthemostimportantandthemostdifficulttomeasure.”29

Most indicators of artistic merit are factual and tangible, and thus can be reported

objectivelyandquantified.Theycanbothcomefromexpertsandnon-experts:theformer

aremorepreciseintheirjudgementsandthereisusuallyahighagreementamongthem.

However, non-expert spectators’ opinions are necessary to evaluate the whole

performance.

Artisticmeritencompassesbothshort-termpeer-(nominationsandawards,ratingsby

professional critics) and expert-based evaluations and longer-term expert-based

evaluation(“bestofalltimes”rankings).

Artsconsumers’experiencesofthecreativeoutcomeandthesupportingservicesbuilt

around it “should form the basis for performancemeasurement and the development of

reward systems”30. Especially for performing arts, atmospheric attributes and service

qualityofthecreativeconsumptionexperience,whichisdistinctlypredicatedupon:

- Consumers’perceptionofHOWtheexperienceisdelivered

- Consumers’perceptionofWHATisdelivered

2.5.3SocietalImpact

Existingliteraturepointsoutthatsomeindicatorsofartisticmeritmaybeconferredon

subjectivepoliticalorsociallyconstructedcriteria,ratherthanobjectiveintrinsicvalueor

quality.Evenifsomescholarsstatestheusefulnessofthesedimensiononthedefinition

of the overall performance in the creative industries, most of them consider Societal

Impactasfundamental.

Studies of the creative class demonstrate its members’ contribution to regional

development. Creative projects and organizations may be publicly commissioned to

increasetheexposuretoartsandcultureofspecificcommunities,citiesandregions,and

29A.Zorloni,2010,Managingperformanceindicatorsinvisualartmuseums30BoorsmaM.,2006,“AstrategiclogicforArtsMarketing.Integratingcustomervalueandartisticobjectives”,InternationalJournalofCulturalPolicy,vol.12,p.87

26

toimprovetheirabilitytoattractandsupportarts-relatedactivities.Therecouldbealso

policiesaimedatprotectingandshoring-upnationalculture.

Thesocietalimpactdimensionofperformanceiscrucialtothejustificationofthepublic

fundingandsocietalimportanceofthecreativeindustries.Exposuretoarthasa“civilising

effect” on society and “excellence in culture occurs when an experience affects and

changes an individual”. The societal impact of the creative industries is therefore

potentially incommensurable, which makes it extremely difficult to determine. This

partiallyjustifywhythiscoredimensionisstillunder-researched.

2.5.4ManagerialPerformance

Managerial performance is defined as creative managers’ commitment to and

effectiveness intheexecutionoftheir functions.Thispotentialdimensionistakeninto

considerationonlyinaverysmallpartoftheexistingliterature(fivearticlesoutof182

reviewed).AccordingtoHadida,thissectionis lessconsideredasitmightbeseenasa

prerequisite to the other three dimensions, as organizing effectively the activity of a

culturalorganizationmightbefundamentalforitsfunctioning.

Figure7:Hadida'smodelisbasedonthreefundamentaldimensionsofperformance,plusthe

managerialone

27

2.5.5Correlationsbetweendimensions

The arrows of the model are there to represent the direction and nature of

interconnectionsamongandwithinperformancedimension.

- Fullarrows:complementaryrelationships

- Dasharrows:competingorconflictingrelationships

- Dottedarrows:substitutiverelationshipsamongdimensions

Commercial Performance and Artistic Merit have an ambiguous relationship and the

majority of scholars notes its antagonistic nature. For instance, economic logic may

representanobstacleto innovativeartists,whowishtomaintainartistic integrityand

refuse to forfeit it to commercial objectives. Creative and cultural products also face

competingaestheticandmarketimperatives.Nonetheless,thetwodimensionshavealso

acomplementaryaspectandrecognitionofartisticmeritcanbeconvertedintoprizesthat

can enhance costumer awareness and induce customer trial, and thusmay positively

influencecommercialperformance.

CommercialPerformanceandArtisticMerithavebothacomplementaryrelationshipwith

SocietalImpact.Seeingeconomicandsocietaldimensionsasconnectedisfundamental

forthedevelopmentofbusinesscompetitiveness.Moreover,societalimpactmayalsobe

adirectconsequenceoftheformer.Forinstance,thesuccessfulpromotionofacultural

heritage site leads to increasing its social impact, supporting tourism and local socio-

economicdevelopment.

Finally,Hadidastatesthatanegativeperformanceinonedimensionmaybecomepositive

throughtimeinthatsamedimensionorinanotherone.Thisistheso-called“sobad,it’s

good”phenomenon.Thus,shemakessomesuggestionsforfurtherresearches:

- To provide more systematic definitions and measurements of managerial

performanceincreativeindustriesperformanceresearch.

- To focuson theunderlying foundationsof theexisting tensionbetweenartistic

meritandcommercialperformance

- Todevelopmoreintegrativestudiesofperformanceacrossdimensions,industries

andunitsofanalysis,inducingashiftawayfromtheactualfocus,quasi-exclusively

oncommercialperformance.

28

2.6SelectionofHadida’smodelforthepurposeofmydissertation

EventhoughtheBalancedScorecardmethodology isverycommon in literatureand is

suitableforthosekindoforganizationsthatrelydeeplyonintangibleassets,itwasnot

developed specifically for cultural organizations. On the other hand, Hadida’s model

addressesdirectlycreativeindustriesandrepresentsasummaryofliteratureonthetopic

ofperformanceindicators,takingintoaccountverydiversifiedindicators.

Allthesethingsconsidered,IhavedecidedtoselectHadida’smodelforthepurposeofthis

dissertation.Followingherscheme,Iconsideredthefourdimensionsofperformanceand

relatedthemtomycasestudy.

29

3.DATACOLLECTIONMETHODOLOGY

Aswehaveseeninthepreviouschapter,performancedefinitionandmeasurementisa

verybroadconcept,especiallywhenappliedtoculturalorganizations.For thisreason,

Hadida’smodeltakesintoconsiderationavarietyofdimensionsandsubjects.

ApplyinghermodeltoHandel&HendrixinLondonmeanstoexamineverydiversified

data,thatcouldpotentiallyinfluenceperformance’svariablesinsomeways.Inorderto

reachtheobjectiveofthisdissertation,datawerecollectedthroughvariousmethods.

3.1Primarydata

Primarydataarethosecollectedspecificallyforthepurposeoftheresearch,thusarenew

andoriginal.

To collect primary data, I used both surveys and descriptive researches through

observation,directcommunicationandpersonalinterviews.

3.1.1Surveys

I askedvolunteers to respond to anonline survey,whichwasdelivered through their

newsletter.Iworkedonasampleof30respondents.

Thesurveywasmadeupofclosedandopenquestionsandwasstructuredinfourparts.

The first part was aimed at understanding the respondent’s attitude toward the

30

organization,withquestionsonthelengthoftheirvolunteeringandonthewaytheythink

ithaschangedaftertheHendrixFlatopening.

Thesecondpartwasaddressedtosocialmediausersonlyandwasdesignedtoinvestigate

theirusageofsocialnetworks.

Thethirdpartexaminedvolunteers’opinionsonthesuccessofHandelandHendrix in

London,questioningalsowhichcouldbeperformanceindicatorsaccordingtothem.

Finally,thelastpartaddressedthecompositionofvolunteers’population,theirageand

theirgenre.

3.1.2Observationanddirectcommunication

IusedmyinternshiptimeatHandel&HendrixinLondontoobservefromtheinsidemy

casestudy,andtrytoseeitthroughtheeyesofpeopleinvolvedinitsactivity.Ispenttime

intheroomswithvolunteers,thattoldmeabouthowthemuseumhadchangedthrough

theyearsand,especially,aftertheopeningoftheHendrix’sFlat.Someofthevolunteers

havebeenatHandel&Hendrixforadecade,thustheyarewitnessesofthesehugechanges

andtheirtestimoniesarefundamentaltotheobjectiveofthisresearch.

3.1.3Personalinterviews

Tohaveabetteroverall comprehensiononHandel&Hendrix inLondonasa cultural

organization,Iorganizedsomepersonalinterviewswiththestaff.Firstofall,interviews’

aimwastounderstandwhichperformanceindicatorsshouldbeconsideredasrelevant

forculturalorganizations,accordingtotherespondents.Secondly,theirpurposewasto

infertowhatextentrespondentsbelievethatHandel&HendrixinLondonissuccessful,

andwhichareitsstrengthsandweaknesses.Thequestionswerestructuredasfollows:

• HowlonghaveyoubeenworkingatHandel&Hendrix?

• HowdoyouthinkthemuseumhaschangedaftertheHendrix’sFlatopening?

• Inwhichtermsdoyouthinkthesuccessofaculturalorganizationshouldbemeasured?

• DoyouthinkthatHandel&HendrixinLondonissuccessfulasaculturalorganization?

• Inyouropinion,whichareitsstrengthsandweaknesses?

Staffmembersarebiasedbytheirrolewithintheorganization,andthusseeperformance

fromverydifferentpointsofview:

• DuringtheinterviewwiththeDirectorElizabethNicholson,attentionfocusedmainly

onCommercialandManagerialPerformance.

31

• InthemeetingwiththeHeadofLearningandCuratorClaireDaviesandtheLearning

andParticipationOfficerJamieWilliams,focalpointshiftedtotheLearningProgram

and the importance of Music in the historic house. Their words were very useful

especiallyinthedefinitionofHandel&HendrixinLondon’sSocietalImpact.

• SeanDoherty,CommunicationManageroftheorganization,concentratedmainlyon

opinionsandreviewsofvisitorsandstakeholdersoftheHouse.

• Finally,thethreeFrontofHouseSupervisorsAngharadHowell,ElenaMillisandNicole

MelottehelpedindefiningtheimportanceoftheVolunteerTeam’sworkintheactivity

ofHandel&Hendrix.

3.2Secondarydata

Secondarydataarethosecollectednotspecificallyforthepurposeoftheresearch.Iused

bothdatacomingfromtheorganizationandfromthirdparties.

3.2.1Managementstatistics

Asforsecondarydata,Iwasgivenbythemanagementsomestatisticsontheticketssales

andnumberofvisitorsoftheHousefromitsopeningin2001.

Moreover,Handel&Hendrix inLondonprovidesasurveyat theexitof theHouse, for

visitorswillingtoleavefeedbacks.Iworkedonasampleof107responsestoinvestigate

visitors’opinions.

Thissurveyismainlymadeupofclosedquestions,aimedatdiscoveringthereasonsfor

visitingtheHouseorattendinganevent,understandingwhethervisitors’experienceis

positiveornotandtheirmotives.

Finally,Iwasgiventheaccesstosocialmediapagesandtheiranalytics(Facebookand

Twitter).

32

3.2.2Financialdata

Asforfinancialdata,beingHandel&HendrixinLondonacharity,itsfinancialstatements

are available online at http://www.charitycommission.org.uk, by typing its Charity

Number1006009. IusedthemasoneofthemetricstodefineitsCommercialPerformance.

3.2.3Visitors’reviews

Todeepenknowledgeonvisitors’opinions,itisfundamentaltotakeintoconsideration

alsoreviewsavailableonline.Forthepurposeofmydissertation,Iconsideredcomments

and feedbacks on TripAdvisor, Google and Facebook and tried to summarize them in

generaltrendstoextracttheoverallperceptionofvisitorstowardstheirexperienceinthe

House.

3.2.4StatisticsofotherHistoricHouses

Considering the fact that Handel & Hendrix is located in a very touristic city, it is

interestingtocompare itsstatistics tothoseof its“competitors”.Manyhistorichouses

havebecomemuseumsinLondon,soIselectedfourofthemtosetabenchmark.Allof

themarelocatedintheCitycentre(Zone1or2oftheTube)andhavebeentheHouseof

importantartists:SirJohnSoane,CharlesDickens,LordLeighton,andJohnKeats.

• SirJohnSoaneMuseum,locatedin13Lincoln'sInnFields,isprobablythemostfamous

HouseinLondon.Atthearchitect’srequest,thehousehasbeenleftuntouchedsince

hisdeathandopentothepublicforfree.

• CharlesDickensMuseum,in48DoughtyStreet,isthewriter’sfamilyhome,wherehe

wrotehismasterpieceslike“OliverTwist”.

• LeightonHouseMuseumisin12HollandParkRoad.TheVictorianartisthadprecise

requirementsinbuildingitasastudio-house.Beingheamusiclover,theHousehosts

concertsandevents,andit’ssimilartoHandel&Hendrixinthissense.

• KeatsHouseisinHampstead,at10KeatsGrove.ItisthehomeoftheRomanticpoet

JohnKeats,nowconvertedintoamuseumandliterarycentre.

Ifoundtheirdataonvisitorsthroughthewebsitewww.statista.com,wherepossible,and

theirfinancialdatathroughtheirCharityNumber.

33

4.HADIDA’SMODELAPPLIEDTOHANDEL&HENDRIXINLONDON

AsHadida’smodelisdesignedspecificallyforculturalorganizations,inthischapterItry

toapplyittomycasestudyHandel&HendrixinLondon.Takingintoconsiderationher

fourdimensions,IhighlightwhichfeaturesofHandel&Hendrix’sactivityinfluencethe

variousperformanceindicators.

4.1Commercialperformance

Culturalandcreativeorganizationsarecurrentlyonapaththatleadthemprogressively

toamoremanagerialapproach.Eveniftheseinstitutionsarenotfocusedonprofit,forthe

functioning of their activities it is fundamental to take into account financial and

economics aspects. This is even more important for an organization like Handel &

Hendrix,whichisprivateandthuscannotrelyonpublicfunds.

Inthisfirstperformanceindicatorweincludenotonlydataonfinancialassetsbutalso

thetotalattendancetothehistorichouseanditsevents.

4.1.1FinancialData2016

BeingHandelandHendrix inLondonacharity, itsbalancesheet isavailableonlineby

typingitsCharityNumber1006009.

Unlikemostofculturalorganizations,Handel&Hendrix inLondonhasaconsiderable

income coming from the rent of the space at the ground floor, which is on a rental

agreement that is expiring in three years.Aswehave seen, themain challenge in the

following yearswill be to keep the activity workwithout this income. The idea is to

includethatspaceintheexhibition,inordertomakevisitorsseethewholebuilding,asit

waswhenitbelongedtoHandel.

IncomeResources

Databelowshowtheincomingresourcesperyearfrom2014to2016.Fundamentally,the

increasein“Donationsandlegacies”in2015and2016isduetothefundscomingfrom

theHeritageLotteryFundsforthecapitalprojectthatleadtotheopeningoftheHendrix

Flat(£334.263in2015and£518.864in2016).

Financialstatementsforculturalorganizationsdividesincomeinearnedandvoluntary.

Earned incomes are defined as those coming from trading of goods and services.

34

Voluntaryincomesincludedonations,legaciesandgrantsfromwhichthedonorreceives

nomaterialbenefits.Legaciesarethosedonationslefttocharitiesinthewillofthedonor,

thusafterhisorherdeath.Legacyfundraisingisthesinglebiggestsourceofvoluntary

incometocharitiesandnon-profitorganizationsintheUKandmanyothernations.31

Tradingactivitiesremainsconstant,sincetheyincludetherentofthegroundfloor,rented

totheshopArsenalofLondonfor210.000£peryear.Incomingfrominvestmentsrefer

insteadtobankinterests.

INCOMINGRESOURCES2016

Incomingresourcesfrom:

Totalfunds Percentage

Donationsandlegacies £1.377.482 73,90%

IncomefromCharitableactivities £276.019 14,81%

TradingActivities £209.816 11,26%

IncomingfromInvestments £688 0,04%

TOTALINCOMEANDENDOWMENTS £1.864.005 100,00%




Donationsandlegacies £948.161 75,17%

IncomingfromCharitableActivities £101.665 8,06%


Incomingfrominvestments £1.483 0,12%

TOTALINCOMEANDENDOWMENTS £1.261.309 100,00%




Donationsandlegacies £550.058 62,18%

IncomingfromCharitableActivities £123.224 13,93%


Incomingfrominvestments £633 0,07%

TOTALINCOMEANDENDOWMENTS £884.605 100,00%

31Source:RadcliffeConsulting,leadingworldwidelegacyfundraisingconsultancy

35

Aswecansee,in2015and2016DonationshaveaheavierweightonTotalIncomesthan

in2014,duetothefundsforthecapitalproject.AsforCharitableActivities,theyareona

positivetrendandarealmosttriplicatedbetween2015and2016.Thismightbedueto

increasingincomesfromthesellingofticketsaftertheopeningoftheJimiHendrix’sFlat.

Going deeper into details, we can understand which incomes are included in each

category.32 Donations include the funds coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund, plus

legaciesanddonationsfromindividualsandtheHandelHouseFoundation.Aswecansee

in the following bar chart, 2016 was a good year for legacies, which are obviously

unpredictable.However, individual’sdonationswere lower,despitean increaseonthe

funds coming from theHandelHouseFoundationofAmerica. Finally, aswehave said

before,themajorportionoffundscomingfromtheHeritageLotteryFundwasgivento

theHousein2016.

32SeeAppendixIfordetails

£-£100.000£200.000£300.000£400.000£500.000£600.000£700.000

HeritageLotteryFund HandelHouseFoundationof

America

Donationsfromindividuals

Legacies

DONATIONS

2016 2015

36

CharitableActivities ofHandel&Hendrix in London include income coming from the

museumandeducationactivities,theeventsandtheincomefromtheshop.Wecansee

thattheopeningoftheHendrix’sFlatleadtoahugeincreaseinincomesfromAdmission

fees,whichisjustifiedbythegreatpeakinnumberofvisitors,aswewillseeintheanalysis

ofTotalAttendance(4.1.2).IncomesfromExhibitionandEventsareonagrowingpath

too,despiteareductionofincomesfromthegiftshop’sactivity.

Expenditures

TablesbelowshowstheexpendituresofHandel&HendrixinLondonforthelastthree

years.Expenditures inRaisingFunds include costsof generating fundsandmarketing

activities.Governancecosts,whichonaverageareapproximately£25.000-£30.000per

year,areincludedinthevoice“ExpenditureonCharitableactivities”.

EXPENDITURES2016 TotalFunds Percentage

ExpenditureonRaisingFunds £166.818 17,54%

ExpenditureonCharitableactivities £784.310 82,46%

TOTALEXPENDITURES £951.128 100,00%





£-£20.000£40.000£60.000£80.000

£100.000£120.000£140.000£160.000£180.000£200.000

Admissionfees Education Exhibitionandevents

Shopincome

CHARITABLEACTIVITIES

2016 2015

37





Aswecannoticefromthepreviouspiecharts,theproportionbetweenExpenditureson

RaisingFundsandthoseonCharitableActivitiesstaygenerallythesame.However,the

heaviest weight of charitable activities in 2016 is justified by an increase of these

expendituresthatbecametwiceasmuchin2015.

Goingdeeperintodetails,wecanseehowexpendituresaredividedwithintheprevious

macro categories.33 As the following bar chart demonstrates, expenditures on raising

fundsaredividedintoFundraisingandMarketingandSupportcosts.Aswecouldexpect,

both of them increased in 2016, for the growing need for communication due to the

openingoftheHendrix’sFlat

33SeeAppendixIIfordetails

£-

£50.000

£100.000

£150.000

2016 2015

RAISINGFUNDS

Fundraisingandmarketing Supportcosts

38

Asforcharitableactivities,costsreferstoprecisemicrocategories,asthefollowingpie

chartshows.

As we could expect, the main portion of expenditure address the museum running

expenses,followedfirstlybycostsforexhibitionsandevents,andsecondlybyeducation

andshop.In2016thecapitalprojectcovered6%ofthetotalexpenditures.

The followingbarchartcompares theseexpenses in2015and2016.Expendituresare

muchhigherin2016,againduetothenewopeningthatbroughttoanincreaseincosts.

NetIncome

AsfortheNetIncome,Handel&HendrixinLondonisonaverypositivetrend,withan

amountin2016whichisalmostsixtimesastheamountof2013.

50%

8%

19%

8%

3%6%

6%

EXPENDITURESONCHARITABLEACTIVITIES2016

Museumrunningexpenses Education Exhibitionsandevents

Shopcosts Capitalprojectcosts Ex-gratiapayment

Governancecosts

£-£50.000£100.000£150.000£200.000£250.000£300.000£350.000£400.000

Museumrunningexpenses

Education Exhibitionsandevents

Shopcosts Capitalprojectcosts

Ex-gratiapayment

Governancecosts

CHARITABLEACTIVITIES

2016 2015

39

2013 2014 2015 2016150.504€ 251.667€ 689.613€ 912.877€

Aswecanobserveinthegraph,thepeakoccursin2016withthenewopening.

However,ifwetakeintoconsiderationthemeremuseumactivity,actuallytheHouseis

notabletorunitsactivitywithoutexternalsupports.Thisisacommoncharacteristicof

creative industries, which makes scholars discuss. The main challenge for this

organizationwillbetofunctioningwithouttheresourcesfromtherentalagreementof

theshopatthegroundfloor,whichisactuallyagoodsourceofincomes.

4.1.2 TotalAttendance

Handel House opened in November 2001. Since then and until 2015, the average

attendanceisabout19.000visitorsperyear.In2016,aftertheopeningoftheHendrix

Flat inFebruary, theattendancereached30.716visitors.As for2017,only in the first

threemonthsof theyearvisitorswerealreadymore than6.000.The followinggraph,

updatedtoMarch2017,givesanideaofthispath.

- €

200.000€

400.000€

600.000€

800.000€

1.000.000€

2013 2014 2015 2016

NETINCOMETREND

05.000

10.00015.00020.00025.00030.00035.000

TOTALADMISSIONPERYEAR

40

Goingdeeperindetails,wenoticethattotalattendanceatHandel&HendrixinLondon

hasincreasedsincetheopeningoftheHendrixFlat.Thefollowingchartrepresentsthe

totalattendanceofvisitors(includingbothGeneralAdmissiontothehouse,Admissionto

theEventsandSchoolGroups).DataareagainupdatedtoMarch2017,andshowsavery

positivetrendinthefirstthreemonthsof2017.

ApartfromtheexpectablepeakoccurredwiththeopeningoftheFlatinFebruary2016,

itisinterestingtonoticehowthevisitorshaveincreasedwithrespecttotherecentyears.

TheopeningoftheFlathasbroughttotheHouseawideranddifferentpublic.

Visitorsdistribution

AttendanceatHandel&Hendrixhasdramatically increased in2016,becomingalmost

twice as attendance in 2015. Going deeper, it is interesting to notice how this total

attendance is distributed into the categories General Admission, Groups, Events and

SchoolVisitors.

0500

100015002000250030003500400045005000

TOTALVISITORSPERMONTH

2014 2015 2016 2017

41

Aswecanexpect,themajorpercentageofvisitorscomeasGeneralAdmissioninboththe

years.Lookingatthetwopreviousgraphs,whatimmediatelycatchestheeyeisthatthis

percentagebecomesmuchwiderin2016.However,datashowsthatthemaincauseofthe

othercategories’lossofweightisnotduetoreductionswithinthem:theopeningofthe

HendrixFlatbroughttoagreatincreaseinthesalesofGeneralAdmissiontickets,which

passedfrom10.388of2015to25.961in2016.Nonetheless,Eventsaregoingwelland

hadaconsiderableincreaseinattendance(attendeespassedfrom2708to3211).Despite

asmallreductionintheGroupscategory,Handel&Hendrixisdoingreallywellwiththe

SchoolVisitors,bringingtothehousemore2.000ofstudentsin2016.

AttendancetootherHistoricHouses

The following graph represents a comparison between Handel & Hendrix’s Total

Attendance and those of its “competitors”: Sir John Soane Museum, Charles Dickens

Museum, Leighton House Museum and Keats House. All these houses are located in

centralLondon(zone1or2)andhavebeentheresidenceofanartist.

Aswecaninferfromthegraph,Handel&Hendrixfallwithintheaverageofthemostwell

knownhistorichouses,whichisaverypositiveindicator.Theonlyonewithanumberof

visitorssignificantlybiggerthanHandel&HendrixisSirJohnSoaneMuseum,whichis

probablythemostfamoushistorichouseinLondon.However,weneedtomentionthe

factthatthismuseumispublic,thusvisitorsdonotpayatickettovisitit.

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

Handel&HendrixinLondon

LeightonHouseMuseum

KeatsHouse CharlesDickensMuseum

SirJohnSoaneMuseum

VISITORS2016

42

4.2ArtisticMerit

GiventhehighlysubjectivecharacterofevaluationsintheArts’world,ArtisticMerit is

alwaysdifficulttoaccess.However,itisthemostconsidereddimensioninliteratureand

itisoftenidentifiedasthemostimportantone.

ArtisticMeritdealswiththeartisticrecognitionoftheorganization.Acknowledgements

may come both from experts and non experts, so it is important to collect different

opinionsandpointsof view tounderstand if and towhat extentHandel&Hendrix in

Londonissuccessfulinthiscategory.

In order to define andmeasure ArtisticMerit ofHandel&Hendrix in London, I used

differenttypesofdata.IinterviewedtheCommunicationManagerSeanDohertyandthe

threeVolunteerSupervisorsAngharadHowell,ElenaMillisandNicoleMelotte.Iwasalso

giventheresponsestothevisitors’survey,whichisavailableattheexitofthemuseum

forthemtoleavefeedbacksandsuggestions.Finally,IinterviewedsomeoftheVolunteers

and Interns and prepared an online survey which was sent to them through the

newsletter.

4.2.1 HandelandHendrixmadethehistoryofMusicThe first sourceofartistic recognition forHandel&Hendrix isobviouslygivenby the

greatness and fameof the two inhabitants of thebuilding. The lucky coincidence that

broughtboth themusicians to live inBrookStreet is the central keyof themuseum’s

success.

BothHandelandHendrixgaveahugecontributiontotheworldofMusic:fansfromall

overtheworldcometovisittheirhouse,theplaceswheretheylivedandcomposedtheir

music.HandelwrotehisMessiahintheCompositionRoom,onthefirstfloorofhisHouse

anddiedinhisbedroomonthesecondfloor.Ontheotherhand,Hendrixwasalreadya

well-knownmusician when hemoved to Brook Street and apparently he was a very

hospitablepersonandofteninvitedfriendsandfansinhisflat.

The association of this two greatmusicians is a key point of strength forHandel and

HendrixinLondon,whichisthusabletoattractaverydifferentiatedaudience.Visitorsof

verydifferentages,ethnicity,backgroundsandmusicaltaste.Thefollowinggraphs,with

a sample of 188 people that filled themuseum’s survey, give an idea of the visitors’

compositionsandthemotivationsthatbroughtthemtotheHouse.

43

“OnekeycomponentofourUSP(UniqueSaleProposition) is thatweattractavarietyof

differentvisitorsandgroupsandthiscreatesaspecialenvironmentinsidethehouse.”

[ElenaMillis,FrontofHouseSupervisors]

4.2.2 Opinionsofvisitors

AcoredimensionofArtisticMeritistheopinionofArtConsumers.InHandel&Hendrix

case,consumersarevisitorsandtheaudienceoftheevents.Thus,theiropinionsonthe

experience delivered by the organization has to be considered as a fundamental

performanceindicator.

Asmanymembersofthestafftoldme,whatreallymakesanhistorichouselikeHandel&

Hendrixsuccessfulisnotthenumberofvisitorscomingtothehouse,buttheiropinions

on the experience, their perceptions of what is delivered and how it is delivered,

85%

2%

6%3% 4%

VISITORS'ETHNICITY

White Black Asian Mixed Other

6%

30%

37%

27%

VISITORS'AGE

Under18 19-34 35-54 55+

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

"IamagreatfanofHandel'smusic"

"IamagreatfanofHendrix'smusic"

"IwanttofindoutmoreaboutHandel'slife…

"IwanttofindoutmoreaboutHendrix'slife…

"Nostalgia"

"Generalcuriosity"

"SomeonerecommendedthisMuseumtome"

"Ijusthappenedtobepassing"

"Iaminvolvedinmusicprofessionally"

MOTIVATIONSFORVISITING

44

atmosphericattributesandservicequality.ElenaMillis,oneoftheVolunteerSupervisors,

underlined during her interview that, although ticket sale is important, what really

matters is reputation: “Iwould ratherhave lesspeople comeandall leavewithpositive

attitudetowardsus,thanhavelotsandlotsofpeoplecomingandonlyasmallpercentageof

thembeing happy.”TheCommunicationManager SeanDoherty underlinedhowmuch

visitors’opinionsareimportanttotheactivityofHandelandHendrixinLondon.Theidea

ofHandelandHendrixasanhistorichouseistogiveacompleteexperiencetoitsvisitors,

tomakethemfeeltheatmospherewerethetwomusicianlived.“Whenvisitorsspendtime

insidetheHendrix’sbedroom,theyfeelhewasexactlythere,hereflectedonthatmirror,he

sleptthere,theycanfeelthatatmosphere.Thisiswhatwewantasaculturalorganization,

theaimofourHistoricHouse”,hesaid.“Ifyoulistentoaconcertyoumightjustenjoythe

music,butif inthemeanwhileyouareinsidetheHandel’sHouse,wherehecomposedhis

masterpiecesliketheMessiah,thentheexperienceiscompletelydifferent”.

Tounderstandifthisemotionisconveyed,weneedtoanalysedeeplyreviewsandtryto

see themuseum through theeyesof its visitor. For this reason, I consideredboth the

responsestothesurveyandreviewsandcommentsavailableonline.

Responsestovisitors’survey

Thefollowinggraphssummarisewhatemergedfromthemuseum’ssurvey.Feedbacks

areoverwhelminglypositive,evenifsomeaspectscouldcertainlybeimproved.

58%37%

4% 1%

OVERALLRATINGS

Excellent Good JustOK Poor VeryPoor

45

Aswecansee,thegreatmajorityofvisitorsissatisfiedwiththeofferofHandel&Hendrix

inLondon.Criticsareingeneraladdressedtosomeaspectsofthevisit, likethelackof

activitiestodointheroomsorthepoorinformationontheexhibition.Forthisreasons,

newleafletsarenowavailableattheentranceofthebuilding,sopeoplecanhaveamore

detailedoverviewoftheHouseduringtheirvisit.

4.2.3Reviewsofvisitors

In addition to the survey, hundreds of reviews are available online and are always

monitoredbymanagers.Forthepurposeofmydissertation,Iconsideredcommentson

Google,FacebookandTripAdvisor.

Ingeneral,reviewsaregoodandHandel&HendrixinLondonhasagoodpositionalsoon

theranking“ThingstodoinLondon”onTripAdvisor(281on1644).Peopleleavepositive

comments towards the staff and the volunteers, and seem to like the interesting but

unusualassociationofHandelandHendrixmusic.

Thefollowingarethedataononlinereviews:

- 55Googlereviews4.0/5

- 188Facebookreviews4.6/5

- 259TripAdvisorreviews3.99/5

Consideringthewholesampleofonlinereviews,Handel&HendrixinLondonreachan

averagescoreof4.23outof5.Thisgraphshowsthecompositionofthisscore.

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Thelayout/presentationoftheHendrixexhibition

Informationonexhibitionpanels

Roomsettingsanddecoration

Themesandstoriesintherooms

Thingstodointherooms

OTHERASPECTS'RATINGS

Verygood Quitegood Notverygood Notatallgood N/A

46

The followingare fewexamplesofpositivevisitors’ reviews, available respectivelyon

Google,FacebookandTripAdvisor.

5% 3%

11%

26%55%

AVERAGESCOREONONLINEREVIEWS:4.23/5

Terrible Poor Average VeryGood Excellent

47

Asaproofofthispositivetrend,Handel&HendrixinLondonhaswontheTripAdvisor

CertificateofExcellence in July2017.Thisacknowledgment isgiventoestablishments

thathaveconsistentlyachievedgreattravellerreviewsonTripAdvisoroverthepastyear.

ToqualifyforaCertificateofExcellence,abusinessmust:

- MaintainanoverallTripAdvisorratingofatleastfouroutoffive

- Haveaminimumnumberofreviews

- HavebeenlistedonTripAdvisorforatleasttwelvemonths34

Apartfromthispositiveattitude,visitorsexpresssomenegativefeedbackstoo.Oneof

themainweaknessesofHandel&HendrixinLondonisthattheHandelHouseislesslikely

toconveythefeelingthatthegreatcomposerlivedthere.

IftheHendrixFlathasbeenrecentlyrestoredandrecreatedexactlyasitwas,thanksto

thepicturesandthetestimoniesofhisgirlfriendKathyEtchingham,theHandelHousehas

been refurnished as it could have been, but there is obviously no evidence of it.

Harpsichords,paintingsand furnitureareof the18th century,butnoneof themreally

belongedtoHandel.

WehavetoconsiderthatallthemoneyofthelastprojectwhereinvestedontheHendrix

Flat,torecreatethatkindofatmosphere.Whenvisitorswalkthroughhisbedroomthey

canseehisoriginalmirrorandpicturesprovingtheFlatlookedexactlylikethatin1968.

Obviously,itismoredifficulttorecreatethisfeelingintheHandelHouse.

Managers are trying to improve this situation and the idea is to create a permanent

exhibitiononHandeltheManintheExhibitionSpace.Toreachthisobjective,theyare

involving volunteers,which are thosedirectly in contactwith visitors andknow their

reactionsandthoughts.SomeofthemaregreatHandel’sfansandareveryexpertsonhim,

soaseriesofmeetingsbetweenthemandmanagershasbeenorganizedtodevelopnew

ideasforthisproject.

34Source:TripAdvisor

48

4.2.4 Press

Assessments of artistic recognitions toHandel&Hendrix in London comes also from

some experts. Being the House were two great musician lived, Handel & Hendrix in

Londonisoftenabletocatchthemedia’sattention.

TheGuardianpublishedanarticleonthehistorichouseontheoccasionoftheOpeningof

theHendrixFlat.ThecommunicationManagerreleasedaninterviewonRadioBBConthe

firstanniversaryoftheopening,duringtheHendrixFlatParty.

Other articles were published when Jimi Hendrix’s brother Leon Hendrix and Kathy

Etchingham,hisformergirlfriendvisitedtheFlat.

TheHouseisreachingawareness,andsomerecognitionscomealsofromroyaltiesand

video-makers.SometimestheHousebecomesaphotographicorfilmsetformusicians’

performance andmusical videos. Even somemuseum bloggers visited theHouse and

postedreviews,picturesandvideosintheirwebpages.

4.2.5 Opinionsofpeoplewithintheorganization

AstheCommunicationManagersaidduringourinterview,“successofanorganizationlike

ours shouldbemeasurednotmerelyon thenumberofvisitorswehave,but through the

opinionsofpeopleinvolvedinouractivity”.StakeholdersofHandelandHendrixinLondon

are not visitors, but employees, volunteers and interns, musicians rehearsing in the

historichouseorhavingconcerts:whoevergetsintouchwiththehistorichouse.

Opinionsofstaff

Startingwiththeopinionsofstaff,interviewsrevealedthatmostofthemthinkHandel&

HendrixinLondonissuccessful,butthereisstillspacefromimprovement.Aswehave

previouslyconsidered,probablythemainchangebroughtbytheopeningoftheHendrix

Flatisthekindofpeoplethatvisitthehouse,andthereforthekindofmessagetodeliver,

therighttoneofvoicetousetoreachthisnewdiversetarget.Employeesgenerallythink

theorganizationisstillinveryearlystages,butitisonacurvethatisgoingup,evenif

thereisalwaysawaytodobetter. Mostofthemalsostatethatitisimportanttoimprove

theexperienceofvisitorsintheHouseandworkonmarketingactivitiestoincreasethe

awarenessandbecomemorewellknown.

49

Aswe can expect, members of staff, with different roles within the organization, see

successfromdifferentpointsofviews.Thisemergedalsofromtheinterviewsanditwas

interestingtoconsiderallofthem.

ElizabethNicholson,DirectorofHandel&HendrixinLondon,underlinedhowthehistoric

house is still in a half-finishproject.Whenasked about their success, Elizabeth spoke

aboutthefacttheyrelyontherentoftheshopatthegroundfloor.Themainchallenge

will be tomake the activityworkwithout this income. Finally, she quoted as part of

successthecommunityofvolunteers,whichisthecoreofHandel&Hendrix’sactivity.

Withoutthemmanningthehistoricrooms,themuseumcouldnotbeabletoopen.

SeanDoherty,CommunicationManager,thinksthatHandel&Hendrixissuccessful,but

since the Flat opened only one year and a half ago, they can do better. To justify his

answer,heconsideredvisitors’opinionsandreviews,thefactthatHandel&Hendrixin

LondonappearedmanytimesonlocalnewsandalsoonTheGuardian.

AngharadHowell, ElenaMillis andNicoleMelotte, Volunteers’ Supervisors, think that

thereisstillspacefor improvementsincemanagingtheHendrixFlat isstillsomething

newtothem.However,theyconsideralsotherichnessoftheirmusicprogramandthatis

importanttocreateacommunityofpeoplethatenjoytheeventsandcometotheHouse

morethanonce.

IfinallyinterviewedClaireDavies,HeadofLearningandCurator,togetherwithandJamie

Williams,LearningandParticipationOfficer.Theythinkthatsuccessshouldbemeasured

notonlyonthebasisofpositivefeedbacks,butalsoonthewaytheyareabletoengage

people. Linking workshops and activities inside the House to people’s lives and

establishingrelationshipswiththemisthekeytobecomepartofsocietyandthereforeto

createarealcommunity.EducationisessentialtothelifeofHandel&Hendrixandthe

mainpurposeoftheprogramistomakepeopleinformedaboutsubjectofstudy,whichis

Art,History,MusicbyHandelandHendrix.Accordingtothem,aprettygoodmeasureof

acertaintypeofsuccessisthatvisitorscomeawayfromthehistorichousefeelingthat

theyhavelearntalotaboutwhattheycametosee.

Opinionsofvolunteersandinterns

TheactivityofHandel&HendrixinLondonrelyextremelyontheworkof internsand

volunteers.TheDirectorElizabethNicholsonsaid“volunteersarethecoreofouractivity:

wewouldnotbeabletoopenifpeoplewantstobepaidformanningtherooms.Weareso

50

gratefultoourvolunteersandinternsforthepassiontheyputinwhattheydo”.Thisactivity

is certainly not their job, nonetheless volunteers have great responsibility on the

museum’sactivity.Beingtheonesindirectcontactwithvisitors,theyhaveaninfluence

ontheirexperienceandthusrepresentthebrand“Handel&HendrixinLondon”.

Allthesethingsconsidered,I triedtounderstandwhatvolunteersandinternsthinkof

Handel&Hendrix’sactivity,throughaquestionnairesentthroughtheirnewsletterand

somepersonalinterviews.

Asthesurveyrevealed,mostofthemthinkthatthehistorichouseissuccessful,butfor

verydifferentreasons,manyofthemrelatedtoitsArtisticMerit.

Whenaskedtoexplainthisanswerinfewlines,volunteersgavevariousresponses.The

following graph tries to synthetize those answers, cataloguing them in five main

categories.Themajorityofvolunteers,relatessuccesstoreasonswhichdealswiththe

ArtisticMerit(theorangebarsinthegraph).

83%

3%

14%

"DoyouthinkHandel&HendrixinLondonissuccessful?"

YES NO DON'TKNOW

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Goodattendancerate

Visitorsaresatisfied

Interestingcontentoffered

Goodeducationandconcertsprogram

Wellorganized

Reasonswhyitissuccessful

51

In addition to these answers, some volunteers quoted as part of Handel & Hendrix’s

successthefactthatitisintheheartofMayfairanditsuniqueness,sinceitisabletounify

twoepochs,twoculturesandtwodifferentgenresofmusic.Aswehaveseenbefore,this

representscertainlypartofitsstrength:itattractstheattentionofmanydiversevisitors.

Thefollowingarefewexamplesoftheiranswers.

“Ithinkthemuseum'ssuccessliesinthefactthatitisintheheartofMayfair.Theuniqueness

ofthemuseumisthatitunitestwoepochs,twocultures,twodifferentgenresofmusic.These

attractstheattentionofmanyofthevisitorswhoarenotevenfansofbothofthemusicians.

ButIstillbelievethatallvisitorsarebigfansofHandelandHendrix.”

“TherehasbeenaconstantandincreasingeffortformthestaffoncetheHendrixflatopened

lastyearandIthinkit'snowstartingtopayoff”

“Everyonethatvisitsthemuseumleaveswithasmile,soIthinkthatisasuccess!”

Othervolunteersarelessconfidentonthemuseum’ssuccess,mostlybecausetheythink

that visitors’ number could be increased thanks to marketing activities aimed at

increasingawareness.

“ItisbrillianttorevivetheHandelHouse.Iwonderitsfinancialsuccess;itdoesnotlookas

wehavemanyvisitorsbutwemighthaveexternalfundsliketheheritagelotteryfunds.”

“Ithinkthatthebiggestchallengeofthisculturalorganizationistobemorewellknown,

receivemorevisitorsandengagedifferentaudiences.”

4.3SocietalImpact

Culturalorganizationshaveapositiveimpactonthesocietytowhichtheyaddress,that

hastobeconsideredinthemeasurementoftheiroverallperformance.Hadidahighlights

how“exposuretoarthasacivilisingeffectonsociety”,butthisishardtobequantifiedand

translatedintovariables.

4.3.1 ValorisationofLondonMayfairareaFirst of all,Handel andHendrixHouse is strictly related toLondonhistory.The lucky

coincidencethatbroughtboththeArtiststochoosetoliveinBrookStreetiscertainlythe

reasonwhythemuseumexists.

AlthoughMayfairisalreadyawell-knownLondondistrictfortourismandshopping,the

Househasapositiveeffectonthearea.Itattractsnewvisitorseverydayandthushelpin

thelocalsocio-economicdevelopment.Accordingly,partofHandelandHendrixmission

52

is to “promote the continuinganddiversemusical and cultural heritage of 23-25Brook

Street”. Both themusicians left theirmark inMayfair and thus this contributes to the

valorisationofMayfairarea.

Figure8:Handel&HendrixinLondonMayfairarea.Source:GoogleMaps

Apartfromthoseactivitiesthattakeplaceinsidethehistorichouse,liketheconcertsand

the workshops for children, many events related to Handel or Hendrix occur in the

neighbourhood.

For instance, London Handel Festival takes place every year in memory of the great

composer.HandelusedtoattendStGeorgeChurch,inHanoverSquare,whichisnowa

regular venue for the concerts of the festival, with the support of the Handel House.

Another example is the event held in July 2017 on the 300th anniversary of Handel’s

masterpiece“TheWaterMusic”.IncollaborationwithHandelandHendrixinLondon,this

galaeveningrotatesaroundtheexhibitionofa13-pieceensembleofHandelplayerswho

willperformonaboatontheThames.

Ontheotherhand,JimiHendrixwasalreadyawellknownartistwhenhemovedinBrook

Street.Apparently,hewasaveryopenpersonandusedtoleavehistelephonenumber

and address to fans. Theupper floor of 23Brook Street became then aplace tomeet

people,havepartiesandlistentogoodmusic.Evenifthelengthofhisstaywasshort,itis

undeniablethatJimiHendrixhadanimpactontheneighbourhoodandonthehistoryof

53

Mayfair,welldeservinghisblueplagueon thebuilding.Tomark the linkbetween the

musicianandhisquarter,themuseumorganisessomeHendrixthemedtoursaroundthe

area.“HendrixWalkingTours”takevisitorstodifferentlocationsconnectedtohisLondon

life,likethestudioswhereFoxyLadywasrecorded,ortheplacewhereTheJimiHendrix

Experiencehadtheirdebutperformance.

4.3.2 Schools

HandelandHendrix inLondonhasaLearningProgramwhich is currentlyona really

successfulpath.Itincludesactivitiesandworkshopsaddressedtoschoolgroups,which

bringhundredsofchildrentothehouse.Thissuccessiswellrepresentedbytheincrease

inthenumberofschoolvisits,whichpassedfrom60to100schoolgroupsbetween2014

and2016.

Asthegraphshows,theeffortstopromotetheProgramwaswellrepaidbetween2015

and2016anditisstillonthetracktotheadvancing,ifweconsiderthatonthefirstthree

monthsof2017almost800childrenhadalreadyvisitedthehouse(thesamenumberas

inthewhole2014).

ThewaytheLearningProgramisstructuredisaverycreativewayofteachingmusicand

musicalhistorytothechildren.TheyhavenotonlyatouroftheHouse,wheretheyare

given the history side of Handel and Hendrix’s lives, but they also have composition

workshops-thattheydobothatthehouseandatschools-inwhichtheycanlistento

musicianandcomposersandinteractwiththem.Thisisrareinmusiceducationworld,

butprovideschildrenwithuniqueexperiences.Someofthemmightreallybeinspiredby

0

250

500

750

1000

1250

1500

1750

2000

2250

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 (Jan-Mar)

SchoolVisitorsperyear

54

the performers that these activities give them the access to, and asHadida highlights

“excellenceincultureoccurswhenanexperienceaffectsandchangesanindividual”.

“Ithinkaprettygoodmeasureofacertaintypeofsuccessisthatchildrencomeawayfrom

thishistorichousefeelingthattheyhavelearntalotaboutwhattheycametosee.Through

ourLearningProgram,weareabletoimprovetheaccessofchildrentoMusic,asareally

importantpartoftheireducation.Childrenmightbeprovidedwithakeyspotthatinspires

themtodosomethingthattheyreallylovedoinginthemusicworld.Inthissense,froman

educationalpointofview,Handel&HendrixinLondonisatleastonthepathofsuccess.”

[JamieWilliams,LearningandParticipationOfficer]

Enrichingchildren’sknowledgeofmusicalhistory,giving themthechance tospeak to

musiciansandcomposersandtovisittheHousemightinfluencetheirfuturecareers.This

has certainly a positive impact on society: getting kids not just sitting and passively

listeningtomusicorlisteningtofactsandhistoryaboutmusic,butactivelyengagingthem

in music as part of this historical thing is something that could possibly make a big

differenceinchildren’smusicallives.

AnotherfundamentalpointofstrengthnotonlyfortheLearningProgram,butforHandel

&Hendrix in London in general, is the dynamicity of theHouse,which is not amere

museum.

“ThecharacteristicofourHistoricHouseisthatitwehaveMusicembeddedineverything

wedo.Wearesoluckybecausewecantalknaturallyaboutmusicandhistory:historyofthe

architecture,socialhistory,historyofartandhistoryofmusic.ThismaketheHouseaneasy

placetoselleducation,becausethat“musicelement”justmakesitthatlittlebitmoresensory

and,therefore,educational.”

[ClaireDavies,HeadofLearningandCuratorship]

4.3.3 Volunteer

Athirdelement thathasapositive impactonsocietyandcan thusbe included in this

performancedimension,istheimportanceofvolunteering.

Handel&HendrixinLondoncountsactuallymorethan90volunteers,whichenablesthe

HistoricHousetobeopeneverydayfromMondaytoSaturday.Theirpassionistheonly

waytokeeptheactivitywork.Keepingthehouseopenmeanstospreadknowledgeand

culture.

55

Volunteering in a cultural organization likeHandel&Hendrix has certainly a positive

impact on society, but it represents a benefit for volunteers themselves too. Studies

demonstrate thatbeing involved inadynamicenvironmentand speakingwithpeople

helps in maintaining the brain healthy and in fighting loneliness and depression.

Undoubtedly,volunteeringinanorganizationlikeHandel&Hendrixcouldbeofgreathelp

inthissense,especiallyfortheelderly.

4.4ManagerialPerformance

Finally, Hadida takes into consideration a forth potential dimension, Managerial

Performance. This section is taken into account only in a small part of the existing

literatureand isdefinedas “creativemanagers’ commitment toandeffectiveness in the

executionoftheirfunctions”.AccordingtoHadida,thereasonwhythisdimensionappears

lessinliteratureisthatitisoftennotseenasaseparatecategory,butasaprerequisiteto

theotherthree.Theconceptisthusthatorganizingeffectivelytheactivityofacultural

organizationisfundamentalforitsfunctioning.

Aswehaveseeninthefirstchapter,ProfessorZanhasdevelopedamatrixwhichgivesa

frameoforganizationalaspectsforculturalorganization.Thetableisaframeworkthat

considerssubstantiveandproceduralaspectsandevaluatethemintermsofEffectiveness

and Efficiency. Zan defines effectiveness as the “degree of achievement of goals and

purposesonthepartofrelevantactors”,whileefficiencyis“therelationshipbetweeninput

andoutput”35.

ThismatrixisdefinitelyusefultounderstandwhichaspectsofHandel&Hendrix’sactivity

shouldbetakenintoconsiderationaspartofManagerialPerformance.Nonetheless,itis

not perfectly suitable to Hadida’s model, since some elements have already been

considered in other performance dimensions. For instance, the second column is the

market-relatedoneandtakesintoconsiderationCustomers’Satisfaction,whichisalready

countedaspartofHandel&Hendrix’sArtisticMerit.Schoolsandscholarlycommunities

havealsobeenalreadymentionedintheorganization’sSocietalImpact.

However,wecantakeintoconsiderationthefirstcolumn,Historical-AestheticJudgement,

whichaddressesproperlycollection-relatedeffectivenessissuesandthelastwhichrefers

toefficiencyproblemsonasupply-side.

35LucaZan(2000)ManagementandtheBritishMuseum,MuseumManagementandCuratorship

56

EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY

Historical–Aestheticjudgement(Backoffice)

Customers’satisfaction(Demand-side)

Acquisition and use ofresources(Supply-side)

Substantiveaspects

- Valueofcollections

- Developmentofcollections

- Maintenanceetc.

Satisfactionofdifferentsegmentsofpublic:

- Visitors- Schools- Scholarly

community

FinancialResources:- Collected/self-

generated- CostsandOverall

productivityHumanResources:

- Quali-quantitativedimensioning

- Labourproductivity

- Personnelsatisfaction

Proceduralaspects

Activitiesandpracticesof:

- Collecting- Documentation- Acquisition- Conservation

Practicesof:- Research- Servicestothe

customer- Education- Loans- Marketing- Exhibitions

andrelativecriteria

Logicandpracticesinmanagingresources:

- Financial- Human

4.4.1CapitalProjects

Startingfromthemaintenanceanddevelopment,valueofHandel&Hendrix’scollection

hasbeenenhancedwiththeopeningoftheHendrix’sFlat.Thecapitalprojectwaspossible

thankstotheHeritageLotteryFunds,whichfinancedtheworkingswithalmost1million

pounds.

In order to obtain this funds, Handel & Hendrix in London had to present a detailed

businessplanoftheproject.BeforetheFlatwasrenovated,theHendrix’sbedroomwas

usedasanofficebytheorganization.Theprojectthatledtotheopeningincludedalso

morefacilitiestotheHouse,withaliftonthebackofthebuildingandanewspaceforthe

giftshop.Thus,thatprojectbroughttohugechangesalsointermsoftheHouse’sphysical

elements.

However,thiswasonlythefirstpartofahalf-finishedproject.Theideaisinfacttoinclude

thespaceoftheshopontheGroundFloortotheexhibition.Thissecondphasewouldgive

visitorsthechancetowalkthroughHandel’skitchensandthusvisitthewholebuilding

57

thatbelongedtohim.Ontheotherhand,therentofthespaceguaranteesanincomeof

more than 200.000£ per year. Therefor, themain challenge for Handel & Hendrix in

Londonwillbetomaketheactivityworkwithoutthishugerevenue.Forthisreason,the

projecthastobeplannedverycarefully.

Asforthefirstpartoftheproject,thiswillbeacapitalprojectofwhichthemainsponsor

will be again theHeritage Lottery Fund. A consultantwhich is external to the staff is

developingtheplantobepresentedtotheBoardinordertoobtainthisfunds.

Figure9:Mapofthebuilding.Source:Handel&Hendrix’sleafletforvisitors

4.4.2HandelTheManExhibition

Oneshort-termobjectivetoreachforHandel&Hendrixistoimprovevisitors’experience

withintheHandelHouse.Peoplesometimescomplaintheroomsareemptyanddonot

givethefeelingthatHandellivedthere.

Thus,theorganizationdevelopedtheideatoopenanExhibitionon“HandeltheMan”in

theExhibitionSpaceonthefirstfloor.Themainobjectivewillbetogivevisitorsinsights

onthelifeofHandel,makingthemdiscoverhishabitsandhowtheroomsofthehouse

wereusedatthetimehemovedin.

58

Ataprocesslevel,thestaffisconsciousoftheimportantofvolunteersinthedevelopment

ofthisExhibition.TheyaregreatHandelfansandknowmanyinterestingthingsabouthis

privatelife.Moreover,beingtheonesincontactwithvisitors,theiropinionsandideasare

fundamental to improve this situation. Therefor, volunteers have been involved in

brainstormingactivitiesandmeetingswiththestafftocollecttheirideasandthoughts.

59

5.ANOTHERPOSSIBLEDIMENSION:SOCIALMEDIAMANAGEMENTFORCULTURALORGANIZATIONS

Theroleofsocialmediahasagrowingimportanceinmodernbusinesses.Theybridgethe

gapbetweenbrandsandconsumers,creatingadialogue.

There is not a definition of “social media” officially approved. However, I found the

followingasthemostcomplete:socialmediaare“formsofelectroniccommunication(such

aswebsites for socialnetworkingandmicroblogging) throughwhichusers createonline

communities to share information, ideas, personalmessages, and other content (suchas

videos)”36. Thus, social media are powerful communication channels which enables

peopletoengagedialoguesandshareinformation.

Thisisexactlytheirmainsourceofpower:tomakepeopleconnect.Humansaresocial

creatureswhoneedtobeinvolvedinsocialdynamics,indialogues,tobuildrelationships.

Socialnetworks’purposeisnotmarketingnorpromotion,theywereborntoallowhuman

interactionsandthisistheirstrength.

Undoubtedly,socialmediahavebecomepartofnowadaysbusinesses,asbrandsusethem

tointeractwithconsumersandcreatecommunities.Managementhastokeepinmindthat

“tappingintothisneedforgroupvalidationandsocialconnectionsisthefoundationupon

whichbrandandcustomerloyaltyarebuilt”37.Moreover,agreatadvantageofsocialmedia

liesintheiralmostzerocost.Theyalloworganizationstoreachmillionpeoplewithvery

loweffort,whiletraditionalchannelswouldbemuchmoreexpensive.

Thepurposeofthischapteristoinvestigatetowhatextentculturalorganizationsdeal

withsocialmediaandwhetherthiskindofsuccessmighthaveanimpactontheiroverall

performance.Afterageneralintroductiononsocialmediaglobalusage,Iwillfocusfirstly

on theirapplications in theculturalorganizations’worldand finallyonmycasestudy

Handel&HendrixinLondon.

5.1SocialMediaUsage

ThelatestGlobalDigitalSnapshotpublishedbyWeAreSocialandHootsuiterevealsthat

onaworldpopulationof7.524billionpeople,3.819billionhasaccesstotheInternet.This

36Source:www.merriam-webster.com37O.Blanchard,2011“SocialMediaROI:ManagingandMeasuringSocialMediaEffortsinYourOrganization”

60

meansthatthe50,76%oftheglobalpopulationareInternetusers,with3.028billionof

themactiveonsocialmedia.38

Thefollowingchartshowsarankingofthemostusedsocialnetworksworldwide.The

mostfamousisstillFacebook,whichreaches2.047billionactiveusers.39

InGreatBritain,Internetusersareabout60milliononatotalpopulationof65.51million

people.Thismeans that thepenetration rate overcomes90%. In2016, 82%of adults

(41.8million)inUKusedtheInterneteverydayoralmosteveryday40.Asforthenumber

38UpdatedtoAugust2017,source:www.wearesocial.com39Updatedto7August2017,source:wearesocial.com40Source:OfficeforNationalStatistics,www.ons.gov.uk

ActiveSocialMediaUsers79%

NonSocialMediaUsers21%

GLOBALINTERNETUSERS

- 300.000.000 600.000.000 900.000.000 1.200.000.000 1.500.000.000 1.800.000.000

Twitter

Tumblr

Qzone

Instagram

YouTube

Facebook

Globalrankingofsocialnetworksbynumberofactiveusers

61

of social media users, in the first months of 2017, it reached over 39 million users,

meaningthat65%ofInternetusersarealsosocialmediausers.

Asfortherankingofsocialnetworkingsitesperusers,UKshowstobealmostinlinewith

theglobaltrend.ApartfromQzone,whichisdiffusedonlyinChina,allthemostdiffused

socialnetworksatagloballevelarepresentintheUKrankingaswell,withaconfirmed

dominance of Facebook. However, UK ranking shows little differences in the other

positions and includes also LinkedIn, which is a professional social network, and

Snapchat,aplatformtoshareshortvideosandpics.41

Theseimpressivedataclarifywhybusinessesneedtoaffirmtheirpresenceonline.The

questioniswhetherthisistrueforCulturalOrganizationswhich,aswehaveseeninthe

previouschapters,mighthaveaverypeculiarcharacter.

5.2SocialMediaandCulturalOrganizations

Asforanybrandorbusinesses,socialmediamighthelpculturalorganizationsincreating

acommunityandengagepublic,buttheycouldserveformore.

Ifweconsiderspecifically themuseums’world,wecannoticehowsocialmediacould

potentiallyimpacttheiractivities.AswehaveseeninChapter2,thestandarddefinition

ofICOMstatesthat“amuseumisanon-profit,permanentinstitutionintheserviceofsociety

and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches,

41Source:www.social-media.co.uk

- 5.000.000 10.000.000 15.000.000 20.000.000 25.000.000 30.000.000

Tumblr

Snapchat

Instagram

Youtube

Linkedin

Twitter

Facebook

UKrankingofsocialnetworkbynumberofactiveusers

62

communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its

environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment”. Starting from this

definition, we can see how social media might impact each museums’ dimensions:

acquisition, conservation, research, exhibition and communication. As for

communication, social networks’ power is clear, since they are able to involve awide

rangeofpublicwithverylowefforts.However,theirutilitygoesbeyondtheirstrengthas

communication channels. A presence online could increase awareness and create

networks,thatmightfacilitateacquisitionprocesses.Asforconservation,reachingavast

audience,theseplatformscouldactivatediverseresourcescomingfromthecommunity.

Concerning the research field, ordinary people could help the process by giving new

perspectives, throughcommentsorquestionsonline.Finally,as for theexhibitionside

andcuratorialpractices,socialmediaareextremelyusefultocollectvisitors’feedbacks,

commentsandrankings.Moreover,theyallowinteractionsbetweenthemandcouldbe

usedtoimprovetheirexperienceduringthevisit.

In order to understand if success for cultural organizations is related also to their

presenceonsocialnetworks,Itriedtoinvestigatewhetherthereisacorrelationbetween

numberofvisitorsandsocialmediafollowers.Todothat,Itookintoconsiderationthe

tenmostvisitedmuseumsintheworldin2016.Themuseumsarerankedasfollows42:

I. MuséeduLouvre,Paris,France:7.4millionvisitors

II. MetropolitanMuseumofArt(MET),NewYork,USA:7.01millionvisitors

III. BritishMuseum,London,UK:6.42millionvisitors

IV. NationalGallery,London,UK:6.26millionvisitors

V. MuseiVaticani,CittàdelVaticano:6.07millionvisitors

VI. TateModern,London,UK:5.84millionvisitors

VII. NationalPalaceMuseum,Taipei,Taiwan:4.67millionvisitors

VIII. NationalGalleryofArt,Washington,USA:4.26millionvisitors

IX. StateHermitageMuseum,StPetersburg,Russia:4.12millionvisitors

X. ReinaSofia,Madrid,Spain:3.65millionvisitors

Lookingattheirsocialmediapages,Icollectthenumberoftheirfollowersandcompered

thedatawiththeirvisitornumber.Thefollowingchartsummarizesthesedata.

42Source:statista.com

63

The ranking based on visitor number seem to be partly reflected on the number of

Facebookfollowers.MuséeduLouvrehadmorethan7millionvisitorslastyearandis

alsotheleaderintermsoffollowersonFacebook,withmorethan2millionLikesonits

page.However,all theothersownaFacebookpage,eventheonesthatapparentlyare

investinglessonsocialnetworks:MuseiVaticani,NationalPalaceMuseumofTaipeiand

StateHermitageMuseum.

ApartfromtheFacebookcase,whosedataappearsproportionedtothemuseumranking,

ontheothersocialnetworksthingsaremuchdifferent.Whatimmediatelycomestothe

eyeisa leadershipofthetwomuseumsofModernArtonTwitterandInstagram.Tate

Modern43winsonTwitter,with4.3millionfollowersagainstthe3.5millionfollowersof

MET.Nonetheless,MET isundoubtedly the leaderon Instagram,overcoming2million

followers.

Thus,thereisnotaperfectproportionbetweenfollowersonsocialnetworksandnumber

ofvisitors.Thesameconsiderationemergesifwelookatthesedatainnormalizedterms.

Thevisitorsofthesemuseumsin2016weredividedasthefollowingpiechartshow.44

43Notice:dataonTateGallery’ssocialaccountsareoverestimated,sinceithasauniqueprofileforallitsmuseums.TheyincludeTateBritainandTateModernlocatedinLondon,plusTateLiverpoolandTateStIves.44SeeAppendixIIIforthedetailsoneachmuseum

0 1000000 2000000 3000000 4000000 5000000 6000000 7000000

ReinaSofia

StateHermitageMuseum

NationalGalleryofArt

NationalPalaceMuseum

Tate(TateModern)

MuseiVaticani

NationalGallery

BritishMuseum

MetropolitanMuseumofArt

MuséeduLouvre

Mostvisitedartmuseumsworldwidein2016

Visitors2016 Facebook Twitter Instagram

64

Normalizingdataonsocialmediafollowers,weconsiderthetotalnumberoffollowerson

thethreesocialnetworksinabsoluteterms,meaningthatwearenolongerconsidering

the number of visitors in 2016. As these following charts show, the 10 most visited

museumsworldwidehavedifferentweightonsocialnetworks.45Forinstance,Museédu

Louvreistheleaderintermsofvisitors’numberandof followersonFacebook,but its

sharedecreaseintheothersocialnetworks.

Thisanalysisdemonstratesthatsocialnetworksaredangerousperformanceindicators,

sincetheirstatisticsdonotperfectlyreflectonnumberofvisitors.Havingauserlikea

museum’ssocialnetworkpagedoesnotimplythatheorshehasvisitedit.However,as

we have said in the previous chapters, visitors’ number is not the only indicator of a

museum’ssuccess.Moreover,datashowincrediblyvastrangeoffollowers,withpeaksof

2millionpeoplefortheleaders.Thisdemonstratesthatmuseumscannotrefraintocreate

apresenceonline,whichgivethemthechancetohaveastrongpointoftouchwiththeir

onlinecommunities,withverylowmonetaryefforts.

45SeeAppendixIVfordetaileddata

MuséeduLouvre13%

MetropolitanMuseumofArt

13%

BritishMuseum12%

NationalGallery11%

MuseiVaticani11%

Tate(TateModern)10%

NationalPalaceMuseum

8%

NationalGalleryofArt8%


7%

ReinaSofia7%

VISITORS2016

65

5.3Handel&HendrixinLondononline

Followingthefinalreasoningofthelastparagraph,IconductedananalysisonHandel&

HendrixinLondon’spresenceonsocialmedia.

Handel&HendrixinLondonpossessesawebsite,throughwhichvisitorscanbooktheir

tickets,seetheprogramoftheevents,readarticlesandshoponline.Apartfromthis,the

organizationisveryactiveonsocialnetworks.TheorganizationhasaFacebookpage,plus

aprofileon InstagramandTwitter. ItalsohasaYouTubechannel throughwhichthey

publishvideosandinterviews.Moreover,allmembersofthestaffareactiveonTwitter,

andVolunteersSupervisorshavetheirownaccount,throughwhichtheytrytoattractnew

internsandvolunteers.

The following graph compares the visitors of last year to the followers of Handel &

Hendrix’ssocialnetworkprofiles.

To understand howHandel &Hendrix’s socialmedia pages are going, I compared its

numberoffollowerstothoseoftheotherhistorichousestakenasabenchmark.

0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000

YouTubeChannel

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Visitors2016

Handel&HendrixinLondononsocialnetworks

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000

SirJohnSoaneMuseum

CharlesDickensMuseum

KeatsHouse

LeightonHouseMuseum

Handel&HendrixinLondon

Followersonsocialnetworks

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTubeChannel

66

EvenifHandel&HendrixinLondonhaslessfollowersthantheotherhousesonFacebook

andTwitter,itsaccountsaregoingquitewell.ApartfromSirJohnSoaneMuseum,which

aswehavesaidbeforeisprobablythemostfamoushistorichouseinLondon,Handel&

Hendrixowns themostsuccessfulaccounton Instagram.This ispositive,especially to

reach the youngest, since almost the 90%of Instagramusers are teenagers or adults

under35.46

5.3.1SocialMediametrics:FacebookandTwitter

Onewaytomeasuresuccessonsocialmediaplatformsistolookatinteractionmetrics,

aimedatunderstandinghow“thetargetmarketengageswiththesocialmediaplatform

andactivities”.Thesemeasuresare fundamentalKPI insocialmediamarketing,where

interactionsaredefinedas“allthewaysinwhichuserscanparticipateinasocialmedia

relationshipwiththebrand”47.

Inthissection,ItrytoanalysethesedatatakingintoconsiderationHandel&Hendrix’s

FacebookandTwitterpages, intheperiodof timethatgoes fromMarchtoSeptember

2017.Iselectedthemfirstofallsincetheyarethetwomajorsocialmediaaccountsfor

the organizations, in termsof number of followers.Moreover, aswehave seen in the

previous paragraphs, they are the most common social media platforms for cultural

organizations.

The first interaction metric deals with the social account itself. The most important

indicatorofsuccessisthenumberoffollowersoftheprofile.Thegraphbelowshowsthe

trendofthisdataonFbandTwitter.

46Source:“Instagrambehaviourforteensdifferentthanadults”,2015,PennsylvaniaStateUniversity,CollegeofInformationSciencesandTechnology,“ScienceDaily”onlinemagazine47T.L.Tuten,M.R.Solomon,2014,“SocialMediaMarketing”,Pearson,2ndedition,page300

2500

3500

4500

5500

6500

March April May June July August September

Followers'numbertrend

Facebook Twitter

67

Aswecannotice,both theprofilesareonagrowingpath in termsof followersrange.

However,thenumberoffollowersoftheFacebookpagehasamoredramaticincrease.

Othermetricsdealwiththespecificcontentspublishedbythepage.Thefirstindicatorto

beconsideredistheimpressionsnumber,whichisthenumberofusersthatvisualizethe

post.Thefollowingrankingsshowthetop3postsinFacebookandTwitterintheperiod

thatgoesfromMarchtoSeptember2017.

Facebook Impressions Twitter Impressions

25.491

9.756

18.238

8.231

15.432

7.401

Impressions could be useful to understand the range of audience of a page’s posts.

However,theyrepresentaweakindicator:havingauserseeingapostdoesnotimplythat

he really read or looked at it. Thus, it is important to consider another data: the

68

engagements.Numberofengagementscountsalltheinteractionsofuserstotheposts:

likes, comments, retweets,mentions, shares.Aswecanseeon the following table, the

rankingofthepostwithhigherengagementnumberisquitedifferentfromtheprevious

one.

FacebookEngaged

usersTwitter

Engaged

users

920

416

656

332

537

285

Finally,another indicatorofperformanceonsocialmedia is theengagementrate.This

indexiscalculateddividingthenumberofengagementsbythenumberofimpressions.It

showsthepercentageofpeopleinteractingwiththepost,onthetotalviewersofthatpost.

Itisaveryusefulindex,sinceitwhichallowsperformancecomparisonbetweenposts,

evenwithverydifferentnumbersofimpressions.Thefollowingtablesshowtheranking

ofthetop3postsintermsofengagementrate.Aswecannotice,thisisdifferentfromthe

69

previousones.Thesepostsreacheda lowernumberofusers,butwereable toengage

themproportionallymuchmore.Thisdemonstratethatinordertobesuccessful,apost

shouldnotalwaysreachthehighestnumberofpeople,butbeabletoengagethoseusers

thatsawit,havingthemlikeit,shareitorcommentit.

Facebook Impressions Engagedusers Engagementrate

3326 183 5,50%

2965 157 5,30%

13334 656 4,92%

Asaproofofwhatwehavesaidbefore,onecannoticethatthetwomostsuccessfulposts

inFacebook,intermsofengagementrate,arethepicturesoftheeventWoodstockFriday

late,wherepeoplecantagthemselvesandlikepicsoftheirfriends.Finally,sincewecould

imaginethatmanyofthepage’sfollowersareJimiHendrix’sfans, it isnotsurprisingly

that thepostonthe thirdposition is theonereferringto theanniversaryof the tragic

deathofthegreatmusician.

70

Finally, the following table represent the three Twitter posts showing the highest

engagementrate.

Twitter Impressions Engagedusers

Engagementrate

1087 74 6,81%

3253 214 6,58%

7315 416 5,69%

Aswehavesaid forFacebook,even theTwitter rankingofpostsperengagementrate

showsthatthesuccessofapostisnotnecessaryrelatedtothenumberofviewsitreaches.

On Twitter, the first two post that proportionally engaged more users are about

71

anniversaryof JimiHendrix’s life.The thirdone is about aneventof thehouse,when

Hendrix’sFlathostedtheperformanceoftheAmericanbassistAndreCymone.

Inconclusion,Handel&HendrixinLondonhasagoodperformanceonsocialmedia.The

pagesareable to reachagood rangeofusers, andalso toengage them through likes,

shares,retweetsandcomments.Wecannoticethatthemostsuccessfulpostsoftendeal

withJimiHendrix:news,themed-eventsorfactsofhislife.However,thereisalsoavery

successfulpostrelatedtoHandel:theoneontheeventofthe17thJuly,whichcelebrated

the300-years anniversaryof thepremierofHandel’sWaterMusic. Finally, otherwell

performingpostsarethoserelatedtotheHouse’sactivities,likethevideoofaguidedtour

of the studentsof theStetsonUniversity (Florida,US), that spontaneously endedwith

themperformingasong.

5.3.2StaffandvolunteersonSocialMedia

Marketingresearchershavealwayssustainedthathappinessofemployeescanpositively

affectbrand’ssuccess.Recentstudiesrevealthatismightbetruealsoonsocialmedia.

Havingemployeeswhoareactiveonsocialmediacouldpossibly increasethereachof

postedcontentsbyat least10%48.Asmarketerssay,word-of-mouth is stilloneof the

mostpowerfulmeanstocreatebrandloyalty,eventheelectronicone(eWOM):comments

andposts from friendsor colleagues are seen asmore relevant and trustworthy than

those from corporate accounts. If this is true in socialmediamarketing, also cultural

organizationsmightexploittheinfluenceoftheirstaffonline.

StaffmembersofHandel&HendrixinLondonhavetheirownTwitteraccountsthrough

which theyshare theofficialcontentsocreatenewones.Throughmyquestionnaire, I

triedtounderstandfromHandel&Hendrix’svolunteersandinternsiftheydothesame

ontheirpersonalaccounts.

Alltherespondentsthatdeclaredtohaveatleastoneactiveaccountonsocialmediaare

onFacebook,whilehalfofthemuseTwitterandInstagram.Onlyonethirdofthemuse

Snapchat.Asforthefrequencyofsocialmediausage,Iaskedthemtodeclarehowoften

theychecktheirprofile,readorshareothers’contentsonsocialnetworksorcreatetheir

owncontents.Thefollowingbarchartsynthetizestheirresponses.

48I.Vermeren,2015,“Marketing:WantSocialMediaAdvocates?StartwithYourEmployees”,BrandWatchBlog

72

What emerges is that if themajority of themuse social networksdaily to check their

profile(68%)andreadcontentscreatedbyothers(69%),theyarelesslikelytocreate

theirownposts.However, the46%of themdeclarestopersonallywritepostsat least

once in amonth,while the 41%uploadsmultimedia files at least once aweek. Thus,

Handel&Hendrix’sinternsandvolunteersarequiteactiveonsocialnetworks.

Atthesepoint,Itriedtoinvestigatetheirengagementthroughtheofficialaccountsofthe

historichouse.AlmostoneoutoffourrespondentsfollowsHandel&HendrixinLondon

social pages. The following chart summarises the responses to the request to specify

which pages they follow. As we can expect, most of them follow the Facebook page.

However,alsoonTwitterboththeofficialaccountandtheoneofVolunteerSupervisors

haveagoodpercentageoffollowerswithininternsandvolunteers.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Checkyoursocialprofile

Read/watchcontentscreated

byothers

Likecontentscreatedbyothers

Sharecontentscreatedbyothers

Writepostsonyourown

Uploadpics,videosorother

personalmultimediafiles

Socialmediausage

Rarely(lessthanonceamonth) Sometimes(atleastonceamonth)

Often(atleastonceaweek) Onceaday

Morethanonceaday

0,00%

10,00%

20,00%

30,00%

40,00%

50,00%

60,00%

70,00%

YouTube VolunteersSupervisors'

account(Twitter)

Instagram Twitter Facebook

73

Todeepentheengagementratebetweenvolunteersandinternsandtheofficialaccounts

ofHandel&HendrixinLondon,Iaskedthemhowoftentheysharenewsonthehistoric

housesthroughtheirpersonalaccounts.

Ifontheonehandmorethanhalfofthemoftenlikesofficialpages’posts,theyareless

likelytosharethem.Moreover,morethan70%ofthemneversharenorcreatecontents

onthehistorichouse.IfweconsiderthateWOMisbelievedtobeoneofthebestmeansto

increasebrandawareness,thisdataisdefinitelynegative.

Finally,Iaskedthemiftheyaddedtotheirpersonalinformationofthesocialaccountthat

theywerevolunteersorinternsatHandel&HendrixinLondon.Almostathirdofthem

declaredtohavedoneso.Writingthisinformationonasocialnetworkprofilemeansto

beveryproudofone’svolunteeractivityorinternship,andthustobeabrandambassador

ofHandel&HendrixinLondon.

Allthesethingsconsidered,Ipersonallythinkthattheorganizationcouldengagethem

moreon socialnetworks, inviting them to sharenewsandmultimedia files.However,

Handel&Hendrixisalreadydoingquitegoodonsocialnetworks.

5.4Socialmediaasperformanceindicators:prosandcons

Considering Handel & Hendrix in London online community, we could say that the

organizationisgenerallysuccessfulonsocialmedia:itspostsaregenerallyabletoreach

agoodrangeofusersandinteractwiththem.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

LikeHandel&HendrixinLondonposts

Share/retweetHandel&HendrixinLondonposts

Like/sharepostcreatedbythirdparties(friends,

visitors,press…)onHandel&HendrixinLondon

Createposts(uploadpics,videos,multimediafiles,

events,news,…)onHandel&HendrixinLondon

AttitudetowardspostsonHandel&HendrixinLondon

Never Onceonly Sometimes Often

74

However,thisindicatorhastobetakenintoconsiderationverycarefully.Ontheonehand,

empirical analysis shows that there is not a perfect correspondence between visitors’

numberandfollowersonsocialmedia.Thisdemonstratesthatthefactthatauserfollows

amuseum’spageorlikesitspostdoesnotimplythatheorshehasevervisitedit,orwill.

Thiscouldmakeonethinkthatstatisticsonsocialmediaaremerelyrelatedtothatvirtual

world,andthattheydonotaffectamuseum’sperformance.

On the other hand, nowadays every organization which aspires to keep its activity

working in the future needs to be present online. As we have seen in the previous

paragraphs,socialmediausersarecontinuouslyincreasingandintheUKmorethanhalf

populationhasatleastonesocialnetworkprofile.Theonlinechannelcertainlyrepresents

afundamentalpointoftouchwithpotentialconsumers(inourcase,visitorsandevents’

attendees)anditisimportanttoengagecommunitiesinadialogue.Socialnetworkscould

potentially be a mean of advertising and eWOM is very helpful in increasing an

organization’s awareness. Moreover, their almost zero costs make their use very

appealing,especiallyfororganizationsliketheculturalones,whichmostofthetimeare

notprofitoriented.

Inconclusion,socialmediacouldbeincludedbetweenthemultidimensionalindicatorsof

performance, with the right precautions. One could not think that every virtual data

directlybringstoconcreteresults.However,intangibilityisacharacteristicalsoofother

performance indicators inHadida’smodel, like the artisticmerit or societal impact. If

thosedimensionsaredifficulttobemeasured,socialmediastatisticsareeasilyaccessible.

But in their case, thedifficulties lie in their virtualdimension,whichmakedifficult to

distinguishtheirpracticaleffects.

75

CONCLUSIONS

Thepeculiarcharacteristicsofcreativeindustriesbringdifficultiesintheirmanagement.

Thisispartlyduetotheintrinsiccomplexityoftheartisticproduct,whosevalueisoften

difficult to be determined, due to intangible and highly subjective characteristics.

However, cultural organizations are experiencing a process of economisation, which

makes them increasinglysubjected to themanagementdiscourse.Thus, thedebateon

performance definition and management for cultural organizations is far from being

solved.Thepurposeofthisdissertationistogivemycontributiontothisfieldofstudy,

throughtheanalysisofthecasestudyHandel&HendrixinLondon.

Myresearchstartswithareviewoftheexistingliteratureonthistopic,andfocusesin

particularonthemodelbyHadida.Inmyopinion,herframeworkisthemostcomplete,

since it is developed specifically for cultural organizations and use very diversified

performanceindicators.ItriedtoapplythismodeltomycasestudyHandel&Hendrixin

London,usingdatacollectedduringmyinternshipthere.

Finally, I proposed another potential performance dimension: social media. Firstly, I

conductedananalysisonthetenmostvisitedmuseumsworldwideandtheiruseofthese

instruments.Secondly,IinvestigatedtheeffectivenessofHandel&HendrixinLondonon

socialnetworks.

Handel&HendrixinLondonperformancehastobeinvestigatedthroughdiversepoints

of view since the organizations is itself multidimensional: the historic house hosts a

museum but also a rich education program, concert and events. As for Commercial

Performance,theanalysisshowthattheopeningoftheJimiHendrix’sFlatbroughtmore

anddiversevisitorsandthusmoreincome.

Handel&Hendrix’sArtisticMeritfirstlyliesinthegreatnessofthetwomusicians,whose

fame remains untouched in years, as they still count millions of fans worldwide.

Moreover,thehistorichouseseemstoofferagoodexperiencetoitsvisitors,whicharein

generalverysatisfied.AssessmentofartisticrecognitionstoHandel&HendrixinLondon

also comes from experts, since this special House is often able to catch the media’s

attention. Finally, I included in theArtisticMerit the opinions of staff, volunteers and

interns,whichareoverallverypositive.

76

SocietalImpactisthemostdifficultindicatortoaccess:culturalorganizationsarebelieved

tohaveapositiveinfluenceonsociety,butthiseffectishardlytranslatedintovariables.

Inthissection,IincludedthevalorisationofMayfairarea,wherebothHandelandHendrix

choose to live.Moreover, theHouse hosts a rich education program,which is able to

improvechildren’saccessibilitytoMusic.Finally,volunteers’workisfundamentaltothe

House’sactivity,andhasbenefitsonvolunteersthemselvestoo.

Managerial Performance is the less considered indicator in literature. However,

managers’commitmenttoeffectiveness isobservable inthecontinuous improvements

theyactuate.Thecapitalprojects(theonethatleadtotheopeningoftheHendrix’sflat,

andtheone thatwill include thespaceof theshopto themuseum)are,ofcourse, the

greatestones.Butothersmallerprojectsarebeingimplementeddaybyday,withnew

exhibitionsandlittleimprovementstovisitors’experience.

Asemergedfrommyanalysis,performanceindicatorsforHandel&HendrixinLondon

seemtobeoverallpositive.TheHandelHousehasopenedmorethanfifteenyearsago,

but the opening of the Hendrix Flat has brought to a complete renovation of the

organization.Thankstotheabilityofthemanagementandthestaff,thehistorichouseis

kept alive through visits, concerts and events. This dynamism is what makes the

environmentunique,andgivesHandel&HendrixinLondonthepotentialtogrowinthe

future.

Performance definition and measurement is a necessary tool for businesses, as its

findingscouldgiveusefulhintstodevelopplans.Everyorganizationneedstobefuture-

oriented,andindoingsoit isnecessarytolearnfromthepastexperience.Thisiswhy

internalanalysisissoimportantinmodernbusinesses.Theeconomisationprocesswhich

culturalorganizationsarelivingmakesthemsubjectedtothesemanagerialexaminations.

AstheinvestigationonHandel&HendrixinLondonshows,performanceneedstobeseen

as multidimensional. Considering only the financial assets means to lose important

aspects, especially in the case of cultural organizations. As a matter of fact, creative

industriesmightlacktheeconomicperspective,astheyarenotprofitoriented.However,

thereismuchmoretobetakenintoconsiderationtodefineandmeasureperformance.A

proofofthisemergesinmycasestudy:Handel&HendrixinLondonseemtobedoingwell

inalmostallperformanceindicators,evenifitmightnotbeabletosurvivewithoutthe

volunteers’activity,donationsandlegacies.

77

Culturalorganizationsareverypeculiar,andtheirenteringinthemanagerialdiscourse

does not have to change their nature. Even if it is undoubtedly necessary to analyse

financialassetsandtoconductstudiesofefficiency,therearemanymoreaspectstobe

considered.Scholarscannotreduceculturalorganizationstomerebusinesses,without

consideringtheirintangibledimensions.Artisticorganizationsdealwithhighlysubjective

matters, which are difficult to be translated into numbers and data. In this field,

individualsareoftendrivenbypassionmorethanbyeconomicobjectives,becausethey

arewillingtocontributetotheArtasagratergood.Inmyopinion,thesecharacteristics

representthestrengthofculturalorganizations.EvenifEconomicsandtheArtsneedto

interact for the functioning of creative industries, they still remain separated entities.

Managing cultural organizations requires economic and financial analysis, but these

logics should never overcome the other aspects. Thus, a framework representing the

overallperformanceofaculturalorganizationmustlookatitsactivityfromverydifferent

perspectives.

ThemodelbyHadidaisverycompleteinthissense,asittakesintoaccountperformance

indicatorsofverydiversenature.However,newindicatorscouldalwaysbefoundinthis

dynamic sector. In my work, I decided to introduce social networks as performance

indicators.Thesepowerfulcommunicationchannelsarehelpingnowadaysbusiness,as

theyallowtoreachbillionsofusersatalmostzerocost.Thischaracteristicmakesthem

veryappealingfornonprofitorganizationsliketheculturalones.Usingagainthecaseof

Handel & Hendrix in London, we have seen how the organization is able to keep its

followersupdatedtonewsandevents.Socialnetworksarehelpful in increasingbrand

awarenessandcreatecommunities.However,theycouldbeincludedintheanalysisof

performancewiththerightprecautions,sincesomeoftheirstatisticsmightbelimitedto

their virtual dimension and have not a considerable impact on concrete results.

Nonetheless,consideringtheimpactsocialnetworkshaveonmodernbusinessesandthe

multidimensionality of performance, they coulddefinitely be included in performance

analysis.

In conclusion, this dissertation was aimed at contributing to the existing debate on

performance definition and measurement for cultural organizations. The framework

developedbyHadidadirectlyaddressesthisobjective,takingintoaccountverydiverse

indicators. Thus, I applied the model to my case study, evaluating each performance

78

dimension through empirical data and observations. Given the multidimensional

characteristicofperformance, I believe that themodel couldpotentiallybe integrated

withothervariables.Finally,Iproposemyadditiontothemodelbyincludingsocialmedia

intheperformanceanalysis,showingagainthepracticalexampleofHandel&Hendrixin

London.

79

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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82

83

APPENDIXI

Incomedetails(2016and2015)

DONATIONS 2016 2015

HeritageLotteryFund £518.864 £334.163

HandelHouseFoundationofAmerica £39.022 £22.789

Donationsfromindividuals £174.958 £460.099

Legacies £644.648 £131.110

CHARITABLEACTIVITIES 2016 2015

Admissionfees £175.839 £52.767

Education £3.556 £2.952

Exhibitionandevents £30.805 £22.258

Shopincome £65.819 £101.665

OTHERTRADINGACTIVITIES 2016 2015

Rentalincome £209.816 £210.000

INVESTMENTINCOME 2016 2015

Bankinterestreceivable £688 £1.483

84

APPENDIXII

Expendituresdetails(2016and2015)

RAISINGFUNDS 2016 2015

Fundraisingandmarketing £126.726 £98.777

Supportcosts £40.056 £33.258

CHARITABLEACTIVITIES 2016 2015

Museumrunningexpenses £395.276 £282.592

Education £60.349 £28.334

Exhibitionsandevents £149.084 £65.801

Shopcosts £65.124 £25.675

Capitalprojectcosts £21.158 £6.928

Ex-gratiapayment £50.000 £-

Governancecosts £43.419 £30.331

Detailsgovernancecosts 2016 2015

Legalandprofessionalfees £26.130 £13.560

Auditfees £9.575 £10.050

Othercosts £2.097 £5.611

Trustees'indemnityinsurance £1.450 £1.110

Staffcosts 2016 2015

Wagesandsalaries £347.168 £240.817

Socialsecuritycosts £31.954 £24.255

Otherstaffcosts £26.695 £1.153

85

APPENDIXIII

Dataonmuseums’visitorsandfollowersonsocialnetworks

Mostvisitedmuseums(2016) VISITORS

2016

Facebook

Followers

Twitter

Followers

Instagram

Followers

MuséeduLouvre 7.400.000 2.371.923 1.175.132 1.200.000

MetropolitanMuseumofArt 7.010.000 1.873.684 3.542.139 2.100.000

BritishMuseum 6.420.000 1.359.706 1.491.998 877.000

NationalGallery 6.260.000 858.244 867.651 611.000

MuseiVaticani 6.070.000 205.573 - 3.800

Tate(TateModern) 5.840.000 1.118.501 4.391.712 1.800.000

NationalPalaceMuseum 4.670.000 117.783 - -

NationalGalleryofArt 4.260.000 825.761 211.000 199.000

StateHermitageMuseum 4.120.000 42.876 896.000 163.000

ReinaSofia 3.650.000 366.355 724.000 7.414

TOTAL 55.700.000

86

Thefollowingpiechartsshowthedetailedproportionbetweenvisitorsandsocialmedia

followers for each museum. As we can notice, some of the most visited museums

worldwidedonotexploitverymuchsocialnetworks.However, the top fourmuseums

haveagoodpresenceonthethreesocialmedia.

Visitors2016 Facebook Twitter Instagram

MuséeduLouvre

MetropolitanMuseumof

Art

BritishMuseum

NationalGallery(London)

MuseiVaticani

Tate(TateModern)

NationalPalace

Museum

NationalGalleryofArt(Washington)


ReinaSofia

87

APPENDIXIV VISITORS

2016Single

museum'svisitorsontotalvisitors

FacebookFollowers(weighted)

TwitterFollowers(weighted)

InstagramFollowers(weighted)

MuséeduLouvre 7.400.000 0,1329 315.121 156.122 9.032.432MetropolitanMuseumofArt 7.010.000 0,1259 235.808 445.788 16.686.163BritishMuseum 6.420.000 0,1153 156.720 171.968 7.608.863NationalGallery 6.260.000 0,1124 96.456 97.513 5.436.534MuseiVaticani 6.070.000 0,1090 22.403 - 34.870Tate(TateModern) 5.840.000 0,1048 117.272 460.460 17.167.808NationalPalaceMuseum 4.670.000 0,0838 9.875 - -NationalGalleryofArt 4.260.000 0,0765 63.155 16.138 2.601.948StateHermitageMuseum 4.120.000 0,0740 3.171 66.275 2.203.665ReinaSofia 3.650.000 0,0655 24.007 47.443 113.140TOTAL 55.700.000 1,0000

RINGRAZIAMENTI

SpecialthankstothestaffofHandel&HendrixinLondon,forbeingsohelpfulinthese

months.Yougavemethechancetoliveagreatexperienceandhaveaperfectcasestudy

forthisdissertation.Inparticular,IwouldliketothankAngharad,Elena,NicoleandSean

forbeingfriendsmorethan“bosses”.Iwillalwaysrememberthetimewespenttogether.

VorreiringraziarelamiaRelatrice,laProfessoressaMariaLusiani,peresserestatacosì

disponibileinquestimesidilavoro.Mihasempresupportatoconentusiasmoedèstata

sicuramente di grande aiuto sin dall’inizio, durante il periodo all’estero e una volta

tornata.

GrazieaPapàPaoloperessermidiesempionellavitadiognigiorno,perdarmipiena

fiducia, per volermi così bene e per il continuo sostegno, anche nelle mie scelte più

inaspettate.

GraziealmiofratelloneRiccardoperesserecresciutoalmiofianco.Holacertezzadipoter

contare su di te in qualsiasi occasione, anche quando ho semplicemente voglia di

discutere.

Grazieatuttalamiafamiglia,perriuscireafarmisentireacasainqualunquecircostanza.

Grazieagliamicidisempre,chesannoesserepresentianchequandolontani.

Grazieaimieicompagnidicorsoperaveraffrontatoquestabellaavventurainsiemeame.

GrazieaNonnoAnselmo,NonnoOlindoeNonnaRinaperproteggermisempre.

GrazieaMammaTeresa,pertutto.

Documents

Exploring performance in cultural organizations: Handel