Museums and cultural organisations are facing significant challenges in the current, fast-changing environment: digital is revolutionising the way individuals engage with the world, the demographic make-up of society is undergoing a significant shift, and traditional funding models are no longer sustainable.
In order to turn these challenges into opportunities, museums and cultural organisations need to be adaptive, entrepreneurial and innovative. This one day conference will explore how museums and cultural organisations are changing their organisational cultures and encouraging their teams to try new ways of working, break down traditional barriers, and embrace risk.
Programme
10.00-10.30 - Registration and Coffee
10.30-10.45 - Welcome
Lucy Shaw, Head of Oxford University Museums Partnership & Director, Oxford Cultural Leaders
10.45-11.30 - Keynote
Paul Smith, Director, Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Encouraging and imbedding a culture of innovation
Paul will discuss his experience of encouraging a culture of risk-taking and innovation in organisations, particularly the Museum of Natural History at the University of Oxford. How can behaviours be changed? How can risk be controlled? And how can innovation be sustained?
11.30-12.40 - Session One: Alliances
Liz Hide, University of Cambridge Museums Officer, University of Cambridge
When ‘common ground’ is not as common as we thought… Developing the cross-disciplinary University of Cambridge Museums Consortium
Liz will share the process and experience of bringing nine very different museums and collections together to form the University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) consortium, aligning organisations with different histories, priorities and working cultures. Liz will share the behind-the-scenes, ‘slow-burn’ innovation of this organisational transformation.
Dr Oliver Cox, Knowledge Exchange Fellow, University of Oxford and Alice Purkiss, Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate, University of Oxford and the National Trust
Crowdsourcing & Curatorship: Knowledge Exchange with the National Trust
Using the case study of a new partnership between the University of Oxford and the National Trust, Oliver and Alice will explore how collaboration between heritage organisations and universities, institutions with different cultures, specialisms and resources, can accelerate development and encourage innovation.
12.40-13.30 - Lunch
13.30-14.15 - Keynote
Traci Dix-Williams, Director of Operations, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
14.15-15.10 - Session Two: Aptitudes
Rachel MacFarlane, Projects Development Officer, Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service and Scott Collins, Training Museum Trainee, Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service
The Training Museum: Museum Skills Exposed
Rachel will speak about ‘The Training Museum’, a three-year workforce development programme aimed at diversifying the museum workforce and developing professionals with the broad range of skills required for the museum of the future. As well as recruiting trainees today, the museum is working with children at multiple points during their school lives, taking a long term approach to diversifying the museum workforce. Rachel will be joined by one of CIMS’ current trainees.
Jo-Anne Sunderland Bowe, Director, Heritec Limited, on behalf of the Creative Museum Project
Cultivating Creative Practice across Borders: the Creative Museum Project
Jo-Anne will be sharing lessons from the Creative Museum Project, a 3 year Erasmus+ funded project involving 30 cultural organisations from across Europe. The project brings together museum professionals from varied organisations to exchange knowledge and experience, test new ways of working and develop new partnerships.
15.10-15.40 - Coffee Break
15.40-16.35 - Session Three: Disruptions
Lucy Marder, Cultural Partnerships Officer, South East Museum Development Programme
Better Business Bingo at the Bugsley Museum
Lucy will be sharing learning from the South East Museum Development Programme's work supporting museums to become more enterprising - including the Business Innovation Fund and the Lean Systems Thinking Project. Prepare to participate in this interactive session as you apply better business principles to the ‘Bugsley Museum’.
Elvin Turner, Director of Organisational and People Innovation, DPA
How to create a culture of innovation: lessons from leaders in the commercial sector including a case study on Sony Music
Elvin will share the example of how Sony Music implemented a global innovation culture programme to equip its leaders to create and sustain a culture of disruptive innovation. Elvin will take some key lessons from the major programme and give practical and pointed tips for the cultural sector.
16.35-16.45 - Closing Remarks
Booking Details:
The delegate fee for this conference is £70 to help cover the costs of room hire, refreshments and speakers.
Book you place on the Oxford University Online Store.
If you require any assistance with the booking process please contact the events team: aspire@museums.ox.ac.uk | 01865 613784
Public Engagement with Research
Contact email: aspire@museums.ox.ac.uk
Audience: Open to all
