So I came across a new term today whist looking through Reader 7 and that is benchmarking.
"Benchmarking is the search for industry best practices that lead to superior performance"
- Robert Camp, logistics engineer who initiated Xerox's benchmarking program.
It is a way to compare how your own business is doing with some of the best organisations out there. The aim is to learn to how to achieve this great standard and then set out to implement it in your own company. It is a good way to inform top level management how the company is doing, measures how successful you are being, what is working and what needs improvement. In a theatre setting it would be a good way to see what has worked, what hasn't and whether the audience is changing over time.
This made me think about what if our theatre had engaged in some benchmarking of their own. It seems that it needs to be a continuous process. you have to understand the way your company is currently operating and look for the best organisation in the business to compare it against. You then need a method to collect the data and a way to implement changes in the problems that emerge. We could have done some benchmarking on the financial aspects as well as management processes. For example, housing all our production staff as they were not from the local area was money wasted. If you compare to other entertainment venues around the beach, none house their production staff.
I feel that although the theatre is now closed benchmarking might still be useful in my inquiry to compare how we were operating and running, what were our management practices like and compare this to other theatres. This should help me to uncover what were the weaknesses and the areas that needed improvement, which helps to discover what went wrong.
Friday 30 September 2011
Inquiry Aims and Objectives
In order to make a start on my final inquiry I felt it would be beneficial to make a list of my aims and objectives. As my inquiry has taken a slight turn from what it originally was this has helped me to put my thoughts in order and also have a base to work from. I also plan to have print outs available to inform my participants about my inquiry so they know exactly what it entails and my overall goal. The following is still a work in progress. Any feedback would be much appreciated.
TITLE (in progress):
An inquiry into the life and death of Celebration Music Theatre. What led to the downfall and whether we were on a downward spiral from the beginning? What happened in management? How did this affect the employees and performers? What makes a successful theatre company? How can dancers work through this type of situation whether preparing for the next job or in career transition? How does this compare to the national and international performing scene?
AIMS:
* To look into the breakdown of Celebration Music Theatre, discovering what happened in management and what led to the downfall of the company. Comparing that to my professional background so far and to theories about running theatres/arts organisations.
* Discover what organisational structure works best in a professional theatre and what key factors help run a successful entertainment company.
* Inquire into the local entertainment venues, what problems they may be facing and comparing that to the national and international theatre scene
* Look at the dancer perspective. Inquire into how dancers cope with unemployment periods and how you can prepare yourself for future contracts
* Look at career transition for dancers. Mainly focusing on what skills a dance professional needs in order to gain a career in dance/arts management. .
OBJECTIVES:
* To carry out research into the following areas; the life and death of companies, dance management, skills for production managers, theatre organisation structure, entertainment in the Myrtle Beach area an information on first year of a new business
* To discover what it takes to set-up, run and manage a successful theatre company
* To conduct interviews with ex-employees of the theatre, other entertainment managers in the surrounding area not related to the theatre and investors and/or the theatre owner
* To create a new show-reel for future employers to view that showcases my skills as a dancer as well as my new skills learnt from the theatre in choreography. To aid my professional development as a performer.
TITLE (in progress):
An inquiry into the life and death of Celebration Music Theatre. What led to the downfall and whether we were on a downward spiral from the beginning? What happened in management? How did this affect the employees and performers? What makes a successful theatre company? How can dancers work through this type of situation whether preparing for the next job or in career transition? How does this compare to the national and international performing scene?
AIMS:
* To look into the breakdown of Celebration Music Theatre, discovering what happened in management and what led to the downfall of the company. Comparing that to my professional background so far and to theories about running theatres/arts organisations.
* Discover what organisational structure works best in a professional theatre and what key factors help run a successful entertainment company.
* Inquire into the local entertainment venues, what problems they may be facing and comparing that to the national and international theatre scene
* Look at the dancer perspective. Inquire into how dancers cope with unemployment periods and how you can prepare yourself for future contracts
* Look at career transition for dancers. Mainly focusing on what skills a dance professional needs in order to gain a career in dance/arts management. .
OBJECTIVES:
* To carry out research into the following areas; the life and death of companies, dance management, skills for production managers, theatre organisation structure, entertainment in the Myrtle Beach area an information on first year of a new business
* To discover what it takes to set-up, run and manage a successful theatre company
* To conduct interviews with ex-employees of the theatre, other entertainment managers in the surrounding area not related to the theatre and investors and/or the theatre owner
* To create a new show-reel for future employers to view that showcases my skills as a dancer as well as my new skills learnt from the theatre in choreography. To aid my professional development as a performer.
Wednesday 28 September 2011
Revising my Inquiry Plan
RE-DIRECTION
I have had to make some changes to my inquiry plan due to the fact that the theatre I was working at closed over the summer. The main reason for this was lack of funds. Since my inquiry was centered around the theatre and looking into the management there etc I have had to make some changes.
At first I was unsure what route to go. My inquiry involved looking at management and helping the theatre to succeed. Now there is no show and it has closed what could I inquire about? After my conversation with Paula yesterday, I realised that there are many issues there. What led to the downfall? What happened to management? How are the dancers dealing with this family organisation breaking up? When I say family organisation, it was not run by a family but felt like a home to many of us. We were all very close and treated eachother as such. But there are many issues with the way in which the theatre was run, what decisions were made and by whom and the organisational structure.
I also feel my time there developed my skills as a manager, being the dance captain and choreographer. I had never choreograhed in a professional setting before and now can put that on my CV. So some good came out of the experience for me personally. Financially there are still many ex-employees owed a lot of money, myself inclded and law suits going ahead. I still plan to interview employees of the theatre but will ensure they are kept anonomous for ethical reasons.
I am still focussing on the theatre, looking at what led to the downfall rather than how to improve management. This will still touch on management and marketing issues, what skills are needed for roles in arts and dance management as well as moving on from one job to another as a performer and career transition.
I decided to edit my plan using Wikispaces. This way you can see my original plan and the altered parts highlighted in blue. You can check this out at: https://inquiryplan.wikispaces.com/Inquiry+Plan
I have had to make some changes to my inquiry plan due to the fact that the theatre I was working at closed over the summer. The main reason for this was lack of funds. Since my inquiry was centered around the theatre and looking into the management there etc I have had to make some changes.
At first I was unsure what route to go. My inquiry involved looking at management and helping the theatre to succeed. Now there is no show and it has closed what could I inquire about? After my conversation with Paula yesterday, I realised that there are many issues there. What led to the downfall? What happened to management? How are the dancers dealing with this family organisation breaking up? When I say family organisation, it was not run by a family but felt like a home to many of us. We were all very close and treated eachother as such. But there are many issues with the way in which the theatre was run, what decisions were made and by whom and the organisational structure.
I also feel my time there developed my skills as a manager, being the dance captain and choreographer. I had never choreograhed in a professional setting before and now can put that on my CV. So some good came out of the experience for me personally. Financially there are still many ex-employees owed a lot of money, myself inclded and law suits going ahead. I still plan to interview employees of the theatre but will ensure they are kept anonomous for ethical reasons.
I am still focussing on the theatre, looking at what led to the downfall rather than how to improve management. This will still touch on management and marketing issues, what skills are needed for roles in arts and dance management as well as moving on from one job to another as a performer and career transition.
I decided to edit my plan using Wikispaces. This way you can see my original plan and the altered parts highlighted in blue. You can check this out at: https://inquiryplan.wikispaces.com/Inquiry+Plan
Friday 23 September 2011
Back in the game...
Hello my fellow BAPP friends!
Well after 3 days of trying to log onto myUniHub, I finally got a new password and I'm in! I like the new layout and the fact that I can access everything on one site.
It has been a crazy summer. Things have been..well hectic. The theatre I was working at has now shut its doors due to not making enough money this summer. There are deals in the work to sell the building and produce a brand new show. I am currently involved in the set up and some initial ideas to start this brand new theatre, so we will see what happens. Needless to say I haven't thought much about the course what with planning a wedding although I feel things have happened that I have made note of that may come in handy to my inquiry.
I have now downloaded the new 3760 modules, which I plan to read through this weekend. I may be making a slow start but I am now ready to tackle this final module and really focus on my inquiry. I will be writing some upcoming blogs on my thought and ideas.
Unfortunately, I will be unable to make any campus sessions this semester so I am relying on all your blogs to keep me updated as to what went on.
Well after 3 days of trying to log onto myUniHub, I finally got a new password and I'm in! I like the new layout and the fact that I can access everything on one site.
It has been a crazy summer. Things have been..well hectic. The theatre I was working at has now shut its doors due to not making enough money this summer. There are deals in the work to sell the building and produce a brand new show. I am currently involved in the set up and some initial ideas to start this brand new theatre, so we will see what happens. Needless to say I haven't thought much about the course what with planning a wedding although I feel things have happened that I have made note of that may come in handy to my inquiry.
I have now downloaded the new 3760 modules, which I plan to read through this weekend. I may be making a slow start but I am now ready to tackle this final module and really focus on my inquiry. I will be writing some upcoming blogs on my thought and ideas.
Unfortunately, I will be unable to make any campus sessions this semester so I am relying on all your blogs to keep me updated as to what went on.
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