Photo Credit: Miran Kim

It seems the well-known aphorism “culture eats strategy for breakfast” is quoted everywhere these days. Although management theorist Peter Drucker did not write these words exactly, his meaning was clear: strategy is necessary, but culture is critical to an organization’s success.

In the last 20 years, corporate employers have begun to understand that ignoring Drucker’s warning comes at a cost in both the financial bottom line and employee retention. “Chief People & Culture Officers” and “Chief Talent Officers” have become ubiquitous as organizations respond to a multi-generational labor force that demands well-being, mentorship, professional development, agency, and meaningful benefits. 

Yet arts organizations and their satellite ecosystems have barely scratched the surface of culture: what it is and how it can positively affect the industry. Consistent administrative churn, acrimonious contractual bargaining, and burnout are, for the most part, still accepted as the cost of doing business. 

As we continue to experience the reverberations from the recent Vulture articles accusing two musicians of sexual assault, it is time for us to confront our deeply held cultural norms.

Organizational theorist Edgar Schein defined culture as “the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization, that operate unconsciously, and that define in a basic ‘taken for granted’ fashion an organization’s view of itself and its environment.” Every orchestra has a fundamental way of doing things. As someone who has worked to change orchestra culture from both the inside and outside, I know firsthand that some of these can be sclerotic, patriarchal, and, occasionally, abusive. 

Musicians are taught to do things the way they have always been done. Rarely do we hear that it could or should be different. This makes sense, since research shows a human drive to uphold the status quo. Some musicians actively maintain current rules and beliefs, others eschew change, and some simply “go with the flow.”

Recently, however, a growing number of people in the industry have found the status quo unacceptable. To move forward, we must confront the tension between maintaining the traditions of our past and the necessity of creating modern, inclusive, and safe cultures. 

Catalyzing change in an orchestra requires everyone to actively re-examine the cultural values, both implicit and explicit, that underpin their processes and systems. Many orchestras in this country are governed by collectively bargained agreements. While unions can be a great democratizing force–especially for the middle class–orchestras are most definitely not democracies. They are rife with power imbalances and rigid hierarchies. Furthermore, there can be contentious relationships with management due to financial constraints, inconsistent artistic values, nontransparent communication, or siloed decision-making. 

But orchestras are unique groups that, if harnessed appropriately, can produce significant change. In playing together, the group can react in a millisecond to the slightest gesture, a moment of eye contact, or a quick inhaled breath. Musical ideas can be communicated without verbal communication. We are inherently interdependent, with a shared emotional connection. This awareness and connectedness is a result of what studies have called neural entrainment. We are literally connected through brain waves. 

We must make good on this urgent opportunity. It is time for orchestras across the country to begin the hard work of rooting out inequitable and historical practices. Black Orchestral Network issued a call to action to embed our institutions with “practices that promote respect, fairness, grace, and equity.” To do this, we need to start by orchestrating honest and transparent dialogue across a diverse set of stakeholders to re-evaluate and innovate our processes. 

To do so, we must address years-old control systems (unchanged audition excerpt lists and strict dress code standards), origin stories and myths (historic orchestra heroes and villains), routines and mindsets (anything from how we warm up on stage to bullying and discriminatory behaviors), and power structures (tenure committees and processes). While some of these may contribute to an orchestra’s valuable institutional memory, others perpetuate outmoded values and belief systems that can cause harm. 

There is no fast route to success. There are approximately 80 people in an orchestra with a wide variety of opinions. These conversations will take time, commitment, and, above all, a desire to be collaborative. Here are a few places to start:

• What are the orchestra’s values? How do you want to be together as a living, breathing, playing organism?
• How are recruiting practices, hiring approaches, and tenure processes serving the orchestra’s values?
• What protocols can you codify and clarify? Some orchestras are instituting job expectations, creating robust onboarding processes, and normalizing systems for giving and receiving civil and transparent feedback. 
• How can you manage conflicts of interest? A shared code of ethics can create a transparent and positive community. 
• What professional development is needed to sustain these changes? Investment in the musicians’ growth beyond their artistry will be necessary to sustain some of these changes.

To do this, we must acknowledge that we stand on the shoulders of our complicated and storied past practices, some of which no longer serve us. New cultural norms are not simply nice to have; they are imperative to the success of our unique organizations.