1. Main directions and types of research work in museums
2. Organization of research work in the museum
1. Main directions and types of research work in museums
The research activities of museums consist of
profile and
museological research.
Scientific research within specialized sciences generally correspond to those areas of scientific research that are characteristic of branches of science whose source material is stored in museums. Museum specialists take part in the development of approximately the same problems as employees of other related research institutions. However, at the same time, they rely on funds and focus their attention on issues that are insufficiently studied in specialized disciplines, but are important for museums. It's all about research first and foremost. source studies, which are aimed at identifying the documenting properties of museum objects and their significance for the development of specialized disciplines. In other words, museum objects in these studies are studied from the point of view of the new knowledge that they can give to a specialized scientific discipline.
Thus, having a single subject of research, museums and specialized scientific institutions perform different functions. The first are engaged in the collection of empirical data, accumulation, storage, primary processing and systematization of sources, generalization of the data obtained, turning them into a system of scientific facts, and correlation with existing knowledge and ideas. The latter are engaged in global generalization of new data and their introduction into the system of already established scientific ideas. But this division of functions does not exclude the possibility for individual specialists to engage in one and the other work.
Museological studies are designed to generate new knowledge in the field of theory and methodology of collecting, storing, processing and using museum objects. In this area, the following areas of research activity of museums are distinguished:
Development of a scientific concept for the museum;
Research in the field of acquisition of funds
Study of museum objects and collections;
Research in the field of protection and storage of funds;
Scientific design of expositions and exhibitions;
Research in Museum Communication;
Studying the history of museum affairs;
Study of the historiography of museology.
Development of a scientific concept museum represents a comprehensive justification of the goals and objectives of the creation, functioning and development of the museum, as well as the ways and means of their implementation.
Research in the field of acquisition of funds are to develop a scientific concept of acquisition, that is, a comprehensive and deep justification of acquisition topics. Such justification is an integral part of the museum’s scientific concept, and its detailing is considered a special, relatively independent area of the museum’s research activities. The scientific concept of acquisition includes the following set of works:
Assessing the structure and content of the existing museum collection, including analysis of already established collections and determining the degree of their completeness;
Justification of the direction and nature of acquisition or replenishment of collections;
Determining criteria for selecting materials for collections, taking into account the goals and objectives facing the museum;
Determining the range and volume of information recorded in acquisition documents;
Development of a procurement catalog system. The main result of the research
work in the field of acquisition of funds is the creation or replenishment of museum collections. Based on the results of this work, scientific reports are compiled, exhibitions of new acquisitions are created, printed catalogs of new acquisitions are published, scientific articles and monographs are published.
Study of museum objects and collections is a necessary condition for their inclusion in scientific circulation. In the course of source analysis, new information is extracted from museum objects, which is subsequently used by specialized science for a more complete understanding of the processes, phenomena and patterns it studies. But the museum value of an object is not limited to its scientific value, because it can have a broader significance - historical, artistic, aesthetic, memorial, communicative. The study of museum objects is intended to identify and evaluate the entire complex of information about them.
Research in the field of storage and protection museum collections are aimed primarily at developing optimal conditions for ensuring the physical safety of museum objects and can be directly carried out only in those museums that have the appropriate equipment and specialists - restorers, preparators, taxidermists. But even museums that do not have the necessary technical and personnel capabilities can and should study the storage conditions of their collections in order to set certain tasks for specialists in a particular field.
IN last decades conservation, that is, activities aimed at ensuring the long-term preservation of museum objects have developed into an equally independent branch of applied museology as restoration, which aims not only to preserve museum objects, but also to eliminate damage to them and restore their original appearance.
Before starting restoration of a monument, experts always identify its state of preservation and predict the result of restoration work. Icons are necessarily subjected to x-ray studies, which show the layers of surviving painting and the condition of the board. Then these layers are identified, that is, the boundaries of the records and the author's paint layer are determined. But technology, even modern technology, does not always reveal the true condition of the monument.
Research in Museum Communication are conducted in museological, pedagogical, sociological and psychological aspects, which complement each other and require an interdisciplinary approach.
Museum psychological research, aimed at increasing the efficiency of communication. The visitor perceives the exhibition as a certain integrity, therefore its content and form must be in unity, therefore the selection of objects for display is important; and the most appropriate forms of placing exhibits in separate complexes. The aesthetic design of the exhibition, its color, light and spatial design, the selection and graphic design of texts, the use of audiovisual means - all this is important to carry out taking into account the data obtained from psychological research. The physiological characteristics of a person should also be taken into account when developing exhibition equipment, for example, display cases, the technical characteristics of which should be correlated with the height, eye level and field of view of the visitor.
Research devoted to the problems of the effectiveness of building exhibitions, are based on a generalization of previous exposure experience, and also use experimental methods. In the course of experiments, prototyping is widely used, and in recent years, computer modeling, which makes it possible to identify the most optimal option for an exhibition solution.
Explores all types of relationships between the museum and its audience museum pedagogy, which is one of the branches of pedagogical science, the subject of research of which is cultural and educational activities in a museum setting. She studies the museum audience, analyzes the needs of various social and age groups of visitors and the characteristics of their perception of the exhibition, in certain cases makes adjustments to the content of the exhibition itself, creates and tests new methods and programs for working with different categories of visitors.
The museum audience, its value orientations and spiritual needs, the effectiveness of museums in forming and satisfying them are also studied by a special branch of sociology - museum sociology. The first sociological studies in museums began to be carried out in the mid-1920s. and were aimed at studying the socio-demographic composition of visitors, their needs and interests. In foreign museums, using observation and timing methods, they determined the duration of visitors’ viewing of exhibitions and individual exhibits, thereby identifying their attractiveness and the behavioral reaction of the museum audience. In the 1960s not only socio-demographic indicators were analyzed, but also psychological and motivational ones; Based on differences in visiting motives, a typology of museum audiences was developed. In the 1980s foreign museums began a comprehensive study of the interests of visitors and identifying the effectiveness of museum activities based on such criteria as the composition and number of visitors, the degree of satisfaction of their needs. In Russian museums, sociological research began to gain momentum in the 1970s and 1980s; Sociological departments appeared in the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, the Historical Museum, and in a number of large museums - Tretyakov Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin - sociologists were added to the staff. In the 1970s on the basis of local history museums and museum-reserves, the Scientific Research Institute of Culture carried out a large-scale and representative study “Museum and Visitor”; in 1982 conducted a study of the socio-demographic composition of the audience art museum, which made it possible to model her “portrait”.
The main task of museum sociology is to determine the effectiveness of museum activities by studying the impact of museum exhibitions and various forms of cultural and educational work on different categories of visitors. At the same time, such aspects of the exhibition as objectivity, clarity, accessibility, consistency, imagery, attractiveness and emotional impact in general are analyzed. Based on the results of such an analysis, specific recommendations for preparing the exhibition are developed and the most effective forms of expressing its content are determined.
In recent decades, there have been socio-psychological research , aimed at studying the peculiarities of the process of thinking and perception in the specific conditions of a museum, as well as the problems of the psychological impact of a museum on a modern person. For example, psychologists have found that visual perception is much more effective than auditory perception, and the level of perception increases significantly if the activity of optical and acoustic “receptors” is combined with motor (motor) and tactile ones. And this discovery is already being actively used by museum pedagogy. The perception of other aspects of the museum exhibition, in particular its architectural and artistic design, is also studied.
Research in the field of history, theory and methodology of museum affairs can be carried out in every museum, but in practice they are carried out mainly by large museums that have the necessary experience and personnel for this. In addition, specialized scientific institutions - research institutes and departments of higher educational institutions - are engaged in the development of general problems of museology.
- This internal organization museum. It includes administration, funds, exposition, economic services, auxiliary units . The main structural divisions of the museum are: branch, scientific department (sector), laboratory, workshop. According to the main areas of activity, the museum has scientific departments or sectors: exposition, exhibition, stock, scientific and methodological, scientific and educational. To solve individual scientific problems, departments, sectors or complex task groups can be created in the museum for a certain period of time . The main activities of the museum are provided by scientific, auxiliary and production departments (library, archive, restoration workshops, sound recording laboratory, photo laboratory, printing house, as well as personnel department, office, etc.). The structural divisions of the museum operate in accordance with the regulations regarding them, approved by the director of the museum. In large museums, advisory bodies are also organized under the director: Scientific-Methodological, Editorial-Publishing, Scientific and Artistic Councils, and in the main museums - a Coordination Council.
Scientific research work in the museum - direction museum activities, determined by the objectives of the museum as a research institution. It consists of obtaining new knowledge based on studying the museum collection. Includes research in specialized disciplines and museological studies. Research work in the museum is the basis of all areas of museum activity - scientific acquisition of museum collections, stock, exhibition and scientific-educational work. Specific museum forms of scientific research work are, first of all, the scientific processing of museum collections and the scientific design of exhibitions. The main documents that determine the directions and forms of research work in the museum are: the scientific concept of completing the museum collection, the scientific concept of stock work, the scientific concept of the exhibition, united within the scientific concept of the museum.
Exhibition work - one of the main directions of museum activity, the subject of which is the museum exhibition. The main content of exhibition work in a museum is the design of museum exhibitions. This includes scientific design carried out research assistants– exhibitors, artistic design carried out by exhibition artists, working and technical design carried out by exhibition artists and engineers.
Methods of exhibition work have been developed. This is a set of methods and techniques for constructing a museum exhibition. It arises as a result of generalizing the experience of exhibition work. We can highlight: a methodology for designing a museum exhibition, reflecting the main ways of organizing exhibition work as a whole and specific recommendations and requirements related to the structure of the exhibition, specifying techniques for arranging and grouping materials. The specifics of the exhibition methodology are also determined by the profile of the museum.
In addition to design, exhibition work includes the development of themes and issues of the museum’s exhibition system, studying literature on museum-specific disciplines, re-exposition, monitoring the condition of exhibits in the exhibition, installation and dismantling of the exhibition. Exhibition work is carried out by employees of the museum's exhibition departments. Important section exhibition work in a museum is exhibition work.
Museum exhibition is a temporary museum exhibition dedicated to current topic and built on museum exhibits. It can be mobile or stationary. Museum exhibitions include: exhibitions of funds, exhibitions of new acquisitions, art, memorial, etc. Exhibition activities of the museum is an area of exhibition and scientific-educational work related to the planning, creation and operation of an exhibition system. Exhibition activities complement the work of the main exhibition and make it possible to more fully reveal the profile and direction of the museum’s work, make wider use of the capabilities of the museum’s collection, and attract materials from other museums and private collections. To quickly develop current topics using museum means and reach a larger number of visitors. Exhibition activities also contribute to the replenishment of the museum’s collections, development and improvement of methods of exhibition and scientific-educational work. An integral part of exhibition activities is the exchange of exhibitions with other museums. In general, exhibition activities are characterized total number, topics, types of exhibitions, attendance and the ratio of originals and reproductions included in them. Deployment of the exhibition system current topics is an important moment in the development of any museum and contributes to a more complete implementation of its social functions.
No museum could exist without a collection of objects. Forming a museum collection, ensuring its safety, studying museum objects and collections, and creating conditions for their use is one of the main areas of museum activity - stock work. Formation museum collections is the basis for the museum’s implementation of the documentation function. Items are grouped into collections based on one or more characteristics: by type of source, origin, content, etc. Collections are: personal, private, memorial, personal, systematic, thematic, educational. A museum collection is the main form of organizing the storage of museum objects.
Museum funds are structured. Their structure is a system for organizing a museum collection, which remains unchanged with any possible changes in the composition of the collections. Usually includes three main elements: the main fund, the scientific and auxiliary fund and the temporary storage fund. The main and scientific-auxiliary funds can be divided into a core fund, a non-core fund and a doublet fund. The last two funds can be combined within the framework of an exchange fund. The temporary storage fund is divided into a fund of museum objects and a fund of scientific and auxiliary materials. Natural science museums also have a fund of raw scientific materials.
The totality of specific objects and materials that form a given museum collection is called the composition of museum funds. If the structure of museum funds for a museum of the same profile is stable, then the composition of funds in each museum is different; it is characterized by dynamism, determined by the processes of acquisition and study of museum collections, as well as by the peculiarities of their storage. The composition of museum funds can be characterized by the number of items in the main fund and in the scientific-auxiliary fund or by the number of items belonging to each of the main types - material, written, visual, film, photo and phono sources.
All activities of the museum are based on a certain methodology. Scientific and methodological work in the museum
is an area of museum activity associated with the development, identification, description and implementation of advanced methods and professional techniques of museum work. It covers issues of acquisition of museum collections, stock, exhibition and scientific-educational work, as well as restoration of museum objects, advertising and promotion of museum collections, etc. Scientific and methodological work on the museum’s profile is coordinated by the central and head museums by distributing methodological literature, conducting consultations, reviewing, etc. An important element of scientific and methodological work is the system of advanced training museum works nicknames
Museum in the system of educational work. The concept of museum pedagogy.
The concept of “museum pedagogy” was formed and introduced into scientific circulation at the beginning of the 20th century in Germany. Its development is associated with the names of A. Lichtwark, A. Reichven, G. Freudenthal.
Initially, it was interpreted as a direction of museum activity, focused primarily on working with students. At the conference “The Museum as an Educational and Training Institution”, which took place in Mannheim in 1913, A. Lichtwark was the first to formulate ideas about the educational purpose of the museum and proposed a new approach to the visitor as a participant in the dialogue.
As a special area of knowledge and research, museum pedagogy began to take shape in the 1960s, which was facilitated by the processes of increasing the social role of museum pedagogy in society and its democratization. A great contribution to the development of museum pedagogy at the second stage was made by German-speaking countries, where a number of museum pedagogical centers appeared (for example, “School and Museum”).
For the formation of an understanding of the subject of museum pedagogy and its conceptual apparatus, the discussion that took place in 1970-1980, in which leading West German museum experts R. Romeder, A. Kunz, W. Clausewitz and others took part, was of serious importance. Its main result was an expanded interpretation of MP and an awareness of its connection with the research, exhibition, and collecting work of museums.
In the USSR, the concept of museum pedagogy began to be used in the early 1970s and gradually became increasingly widespread. Avram Moiseevich Razgon in 1982 at the conference in Ivanovo “Museum and School” was the first to say that the creation of such scientific discipline, as museum pedagogy, “located at the intersection of a whole complex of sciences, now seems no longer some distant prospect, but an urgent practical task.”
Modern museum pedagogy is developing in line with the problems of museum communication and is aimed primarily at solving the problems of activating the creative abilities of the individual. For this purpose, various methods of working with visitors are being developed, changing their role and position in the museum-pedagogical process. Despite the approval of the ideas of a differentiated approach to various categories of visitors, the main focus of museum pedagogy is still focused on the children's audience.
The main areas of activity of museum teachers in modern stage may be considered:
Work with museum audiences aimed at developing a value-based attitude towards cults. heritage and instilling a taste for communication with music. values.
Developing the ability to perceive museum information and understand the language of museum exhibitions.
Education of emotions, development of imagination and fantasy, creative activity.
Creating conditions in the museum under which work with the audience would proceed most effectively.
Use and popularization of new technologies for museum education in the form of separate projects, at different sites, with the involvement of various partners.
The process of transmitting cultural values and meanings carried out in a museum, the purpose of which is the perception of information by visitors, is defined as museum communication, during which the information potential of museum objects is revealed, educational and other functions are realized.
Contents cultural - educational activities is expressed in forms of organizing work with museum audiences and interaction with the education system. Back in the 1970s, it was noted that in the museum’s arsenal one can distinguish up to one hundred different forms, among which 10 basic forms are noted. These are: lecture; excursion; consultation; scientific readings; clubs, studios, clubs; literary evenings, film screenings, concerts; meetings with interesting people; holidays; historical games; competitions and quizzes. There are many characteristics of forms: traditional - new; dynamic - static; group - individual; active - passive; simple - complex; one-time - cyclic; commercial - non-commercial, etc. For example, traditional forms that served as the basis for the emergence of new ones include lectures and excursions, conferences, scientific readings, consultations, clubs, circles, and studios.
IN modern conditions cultural and educational activities are focused on the personality of a potential and actual museum visitor; in this regard, the following main directions can be identified: information, training, development creative beginnings, communication, relaxation.
To acquire methodological skills in museum - pedagogical activity it is necessary to clearly understand the purpose and objectives of work in each of these areas, as well as think through the most optimal form of work with museum audiences and methods of pedagogical influence. A set of different forms, united by a common theme and subordinated to a single pedagogical goal, become the basis of the museum-pedagogical program.
Most often, successful forms are complex in nature. Like
directions, forms are mobile, they are improved and developed. The basic principle of any form of cultural and educational activity is providing visitors with the opportunity to do what interests them, creating conditions for self-realization.
The main directions of research in the field of museum pedagogy can be structured as follows:
The problem of studying the educational specifics of the museum.
The effectiveness of museum communication.
Study of museum audiences.
Creation and testing of new methods and programs for various categories visitors.
Establishing optimal forms of interaction with partners in cultural and educational activities.
Studying the history of museum pedagogical thought and cultural and educational activities of museums.
LIST OF ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
Shlyakhtina L. M. Fundamentals of museum business: theory and practice. Textbook allowance / L. M. Shlyakhtina. – 2nd ed. erased – M.: Higher. school, 2009. – 183 p.: ill. – (Education through art).
Yureneva T. Yu. Museum Studies: A Textbook for high school. – 2nd ed. – M.: Academic Project, 2004. – 560 p. – (“Gaudeamus”).
The organizational structure of the museum has changed significantly since the 70s, which has made it possible to improve the work of museums and bring it to new level development. Over the years, the type of work of institutions has changed, and restructuring has been carried out repeatedly in order to improve the quality of work of the museum and each employee
In this field of activity there is very important factor is to search and attract sources of funding in order to be able to develop and improve the work of the museum.
Organizational structure of the museum: basics
In the early 90s, almost all museums in Russia worked according to a linear-functional management system. This type of functioning consisted of unity of command, where the main one is the director, who controls all his deputies. For example, in the Tretyakov Gallery there were six deputies, and in the State Hermitage - five.
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Such museums were fully funded by the state, which at that time was essential for proper functioning. In the 90s, all activities and work were aimed at implementation, which in turn made an additional contribution to government funding.
Since 1992, funding has been significantly reduced, which has led to various organizational problems. The employees were faced with the question of attracting new sources and developing additional areas of activity, since museums could not cover their expenses.
We also had to almost halve the number of exhibitions and various outdoor events. The search for new ones led to multiple organizational changes.
Transformation of the linear-functional management structure
It began its partial transformation of the linear-functional system starting in 1994. The new structure can be divided into two types:
An example of a system of double subordination organized at the Tretyakov Gallery
Creation of the museum project headquarters
Since in the transformation there were many project teams, there was a need to organize a special headquarters that should control them. Chiefs of Staff are project managers, and their number depends on the scale of the projects currently in progress.
The project team includes various heads of departments from construction, engineering, mechanical and so on.
This system allowed Russian museums to reach a new level of development and create the correct organization in the work process. However, over time, many new problems arose due to the inaccurate definition job responsibilities the entire project headquarters.
The project headquarters had very great power, and the heads of departments, directors, and project groups could not agree among themselves. After trying many options, Russian museums decided to introduce a new management structure.
New museum management structure
The new organizational structure was borrowed from McKinsey, which specializes in consulting and innovation development. Using this structure, the following hierarchy of positions is distinguished:
- Board of Trustees;
- Director and President;
- Deputy Directors and Vice Presidents;
- Departments;
- Society of friends.
Using this list, you can notice that the new structure has an additional leadership position - president. In terms of the level of power, they stand in the same place, but they have a different number of employees subordinate to them.
For example, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art currently has three deputies, and the president has five vice-presidents.
It allowed us to accurately determine everyone’s responsibilities, set employment limits, and properly organize the work process. The director and president bear equal responsibility and make decisions on all organizational issues together.
With the new structure, the Metropolitan has risen to a completely new financial level. It cannot be said that this Russian museum was the only one to use this system; it is also relevant in many other countries.
Thanks to this structure, the British Museum was able to expand its scope of activities in the areas of marketing, project management and others. Until this time, the British Museum used a linear-functional structure, just like in Russia, and encountered organizational problems.
Linear-functional structure for small museums
For small museums, the development of Treasury employee A. Edward became effective, where he tried to improve the linear-functional structure:
- Board of Trustees;
- General manager;
- Department directors
- Departments.
This system is perfect for small institutions.
Material verified by Aktion Culture experts
One of the tasks of management in the field of culture is the development of an effective organizational management structure. Since the early 1990s. The organizational structure of management of Russian cultural organizations has undergone significant changes. Let's look at these changes using the example of museums.
Most Russian museums in the early 1990s. had a linear-functional management structure.
Built on the principle of unity of command, the organizational structure united several functional areas. Thus, in the State Hermitage at the top level of management of the linear-functional structure
there was a director supervising five functional areas assigned to deputy directors (scientific, personnel, financial planning and administrative and economic, capital construction and reconstruction, storage and control over the safety of valuables (Fig. 10). In the State Tretyakov Gallery, subordinate to general director there were six deputies (for scientific work, economic issues, construction, storage, technical and administrative issues) (Fig. 11).
The linear-functional management structure of the museums under study was fully consistent with the peculiarities of their functioning at that time. Museums, which were fully supported by the state, focused exclusively on the implementation of ministerial programs and events that provided additional government funding. However, since 1992, museums have faced significant changes: their budget funding has been reduced by 30-50%, and the number of government programs has decreased significantly. As a result, museums faced acute financial and organizational problems. Thus, the size of the financial deficit of museums in some cases reached half of the annual budget, museums had difficulty covering their operating expenses, the number of temporary and traveling exhibitions decreased significantly, etc.
The crisis situation of museums, in turn, required significant changes in the strategy of their functioning. Museums began to focus on attracting extra-budgetary sources of funding, developing new areas of activity, such as marketing, entrepreneurship, etc. However, the implementation of the new strategy began to lead to more complex coordination of activities, which required changes in the existing organizational management structure. As a result, since 1994 there has been a clear trend in museums to transform the linear-functional management structure.
Transformations of the linear-functional management structure in Russian museums can be grouped in two directions.
First. In connection with the emergence of new areas of activity,
additional posts of deputy directors and departments subordinate to them. In 1994, the State Hermitage created a separate area for museum development activities, supervised by a new deputy director for development. This direction specializes in the development and attraction of extra-budgetary sources of funding, public relations, work with visitors, etc. In accordance with this, new structures were introduced under the deputy director, such as the press service, development department, hospitality service, etc. (see .fig. 12).
Second. Small project substructures responsible for the implementation of specific programs and coordinated by the museum’s senior management are becoming widespread within the management structure. The temporary project team consists of ten to twenty specialists from various departments, who simultaneously report to the project manager and their immediate department head. The principle of double subordination, a characteristic feature of the project structure, is clearly visible in the new organizational structure. One example of project groups is the project group of the Tretyakov Gallery, organized in 1997 to create a branch of the museum on Krymsky Val. It included twenty-eight employees from different departments - planning, technical, capital construction, development, scientific, etc. (see Fig. 13).
The increase in the number of project groups in the museum required the coordination of their work, which led to the creation of a project headquarters. The project headquarters represents a specially created management unit under the director of the museum, which is responsible for project management. The project headquarters includes project managers, the number of which is not constant, but depends on the number of projects being implemented in the museum. Project managers are fully responsible for the implementation of a particular project and coordinate general organizational issues with the museum director. Thus, at present, the Hermitage project headquarters, created in 1997, consists of three specialists - consultant of the British Memorial Foundation K. Philippe, leading specialist of the Danish engineering consulting company Niras S. Fox and Russian manager V. Zuev. Philippe is leading projects to modernize the main entrance to the museum and reconstruct the left wing of the General Staff building, Fox is leading the Russian-Danish project to reconstruct the museum's heating systems, and Zuev is responsible for implementing the project for the construction of the Hermitage Repository in the Staraya Derevnya area. The project teams reporting to the project headquarters include specialists from the museum’s internal services, such as the capital construction department, the chief engineer’s service, the chief mechanic’s department, the development department, etc. (see Fig. 12).
The considered transformations of the linear-functional management structure of museums lead to the creation of a certain new structure. As can be seen from Fig. 5.1.3 and 5.1.4, this structure is distinguished by the presence of project groups that report to the project headquarters. New structure allowed Russian museums to quite successfully solve the problems of coordinating work processes.
Firstly, the new structure increased the speed of completion of capital works through the creation of project teams. If in the early 1990s. In the museums studied, no more than one capital project was implemented per year, then in the second half of the 1990s. the number of capital projects implemented per year increased to three to five projects. For example, in the Hermitage, before the introduction of the new structure, a project to create a Museum Repository was gradually implemented over the course of several years, and currently, as mentioned above, three large-scale capital projects are being carried out simultaneously.
Secondly, due to the introduction of departments responsible for the development of new areas of activity, the specialization of museum work has increased. This was manifested in the growth of a number of museum performance indicators: income from commercial operations of museums and the volume of attracted funding sources increased significantly. If in the early 1990s. share of raised funds and income from entrepreneurial activity in the budget of the analyzed museums was close to zero, then in the second half of the 1990s. in total it accounted for up to 50% of all funding sources. For example, in the Tretyakov Gallery in 1991, attracted and commercial income was practically absent from the structure of the museum’s income. In 2002, these incomes amounted to 39% of the Gallery's budget.
However, gradually, as museums grew, they were faced with the task of strengthening organizational control. In addition, the diversification of museum activities and the increase in the number of functions in the organizational structure have confronted museums with the task of balanced development of commercial and non-commercial areas of work. The new structure was unable to solve the problems that arose, which led to the emergence of organizational conflicts in museums.
Firstly, the functioning of the project headquarters began to introduce greater uncertainty into the work of the museum and complicate management processes. The introduction of the project headquarters was not accompanied by a clear development of its job responsibilities, which led to ambiguities in matters of subordination and control. In particular, the relationship between the director and project managers, project managers and project teams, as well as the relationship between project managers among themselves were not defined. Informally, the project headquarters was vested with great power, which began to lead to organizational conflicts. Middle management employees were extremely skeptical about diverting their subordinates to work on project teams.
Secondly, the active development of commercial and non- commercial species activities led to a weakening of management coordination in the museum. Various departments, to the detriment of the general policy of the museum, began to pursue their own goals and objectives, which began to reduce the advantages of the current management structure.
The organizational problems that arose required museums to make further changes in their organizational structure. To determine trends in the development of the organizational structure of museums, foreign experience, in particular, the experience of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is of great interest.
Since the late 1970s. in front of the Metropolitan as well as in front of Russian museums, the issues of transforming the existing organizational structure, due to a change in the museum’s strategy, were extremely pressing. The Metropolitan was forced to move from attracting government funding to searching for new sources of income, as well as strengthening the control system in the museum. The change in the Metropolitan's strategy was due to financial and organizational problems. The financial deficit, according to American correspondent M. Bailey, was caused by cuts in subsidies local authorities authorities and the museum’s unsuccessful attempts to obtain grants from charitable foundations. Organizational problems were associated with poor coordination of major museum work - in the 1970s. The Metro has launched five large and seven medium capital programs.
At that time, the museum management structure was of the linear-functional type (see Fig. 14). The organization was headed by a director, subordinate to whom were three deputies for exhibition, educational, financial and administrative work. As a result of the changes that took place, the linear-functional management structure of the Metropolitan became ineffective in implementing the new tasks of the museum. This, first of all, manifested itself in the excessive workload of the museum director. The director's responsibilities included collections management, management of research and educational programs, domestic and international relations, as well as financial, marketing and administrative issues.
IN in this case The problem was not only in finding a specialist who would combine such diverse interests, but also in the fact that the full implementation of all these duties is physically beyond the strength of one person.
Rice. 15. Modern organizational structure of management of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The ineffectiveness of the linear-functional structure in the new conditions forced the Metropolitan to switch to a different management structure, developed with the help of the consulting firm McKinsey. Main feature The new structure is that, along with the director of the museum, the position of president appears. The president, an additional management level at the highest level of the organizational structure, is given responsibility for a number of areas of activity (Fig. 15).
The powers of the president include financial planning, project management, public relations, etc., while the director is responsible for the main activities such as exhibition, educational and administrative work. With the introduction of the position of president, certain areas of activity are highlighted that were previously part of the financial, administrative and economic functions and were controlled by one of the deputy directors. There are five structural units subordinate to the president - vice president for finance, development, public relations, commerce and economic activity.
These innovations indicate the emergence of a new type of organizational structure of the museum, which can be called parallel. It is based on the division of power at the highest level of management according to a functional principle. The director and president carry full responsibility for strictly defined areas of activity and have equal powers in deciding general management issues. They jointly determine the organization’s development strategy, implement various types planning, etc. The appointment and removal of the director and president, as well as the functions of resolving disputes between them, are performed by the Board of Trustees of the museum. As a result, the parallel structure is characterized by increased not only specialization, but also overall control in the management system. The advantages of a parallel structure are clearly visible in the example of the Metropolitan. The new management structure has allowed the museum to achieve a number of positive results.
Firstly, the financial management of the museum rose to a higher level, which, according to the President of the Metropolitan R. L. Hitch, “allowed to increase the museum’s income for 1978-1983.” with 132 million Americans. dollars up to 178 million US dollars Doll."
Secondly, according to Hitch, the share of fundraising and commercial income in the museum's funding structure increased over the period 1978-1983. from 26% to 43%. This became possible due to the development of such areas of activity as marketing, fundraising, entrepreneurship, which are subordinate to individual vice-presidents for development and commerce.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is not the only example. The parallel organizational management structure has become widespread not only in the United States, but also in other countries. Thus, in Great Britain, the experience of another largest museum in the world, the British Museum, deserves attention. In terms of the volume and significance of the collections, as well as the number of visitors and employed staff, the British Museum is on a par with the Metropolitan Museum and the State Hermitage (see Appendix 3).
The British Museum, classified as a national museum, is funded directly by Parliament. In 1998, only direct government subsidies The British Museum accounted for 81% of its total income, excluding additional indirect support from local and national budgets (9%). Like the Metropolitan, the British Museum was searching for an effective organizational management structure in connection with the change in the museum's strategy in 1998. In addition to developing scientific, educational, and exhibition activities, the museum began to introduce new areas of work, such as marketing, project management, etc. In addition, the British Museum moved from a policy of attracting exclusively public funds to diversifying sources of funding. The change in the museum's strategy, in turn, was caused by the following factors. Implementation of major capital projects dedicated to the new millennium and the 250th anniversary of the museum in 2003 (construction of a new main entrance, public library and training center) practically stopped in 1998 due to lack of resources. The current situation caused serious complaints from the Ministry of Culture regarding the policies of museum director A. G. Anderson and the existing organizational structure of museum management.
In the British Museum at that time, just as in the Metropolitan in the 1970s, the organization was headed by a director, subordinate to whom were deputies for scientific and exhibition activities, educational work, finance and administrative activities (see Fig. .16). This allows us to classify this structure as a linear-functional type.
The Ministry of Culture saw the ineffectiveness of the linear-functional management structure of the British Museum in the low level of control, poor coordination of work processes, etc., which led to the decision to transform the existing organizational structure of the museum. The main innovation was the appearance in 2000 of the position of chief manager along with the director (see Fig. 17). As at the Met, the director and general manager have overall responsibility for certain areas of activity and jointly make decisions on general organizational issues. According to the “Document on Cooperation” adopted by the museum’s board of trustees, “the director and general manager build their activities on the basis of a common understanding of the tasks and forms of the museum’s activities. There is a division of supreme powers between them: the director is responsible for the management of the museum’s collections, the responsibilities of the chief manager include accounting, project management, organization commercial activities museum, etc. Moreover, if the director develops a “general style” of the museum’s work, its public
Rice. 17. Modern organizational structure of management of the British Museum
Rice. 18. Parallel organizational structure for managing a large museum in Russia
image, then the chief manager takes care of the development of public relations.”
Subordinate to the director are deputies for collections, educational programs, and administrative issues, and the chief manager supervises the work of managers for finance and business activities, public relations and development. The new organizational structure of the British Museum can also be considered parallel.
Parallel structure management is not the only option for improving the organizational structure of museums. In 1996, a special study was carried out in the UK in the field of museum management under the leadership of Treasury officer A. Edward. The study revealed such shortcomings in the management of British museums as “conservatism”, “lack of sufficient clarity in goals and objectives”, “intricacy of management processes”, etc. Edward saw the solution to problems in transforming the organizational structure of museums. According to his recommendations, the position of the director as the head of the executive branch should be retained at the highest level of museum management. But subordinate to the director, according to Edward, four new organizational units should be introduced: the financial director, the director of corporate relations and personnel, the director of construction and development, and the director of public relations (see Figure 18).
Thus, in the new organizational structure its functional specialization was strengthened, but the principle of unity of command was preserved.
The recommendations developed by Edward found a positive response and were used by a number of English museums. Thus, the British Museum at one time made the following changes to the linear-functional structure. In November 1997, a new position was introduced under the director’s command—deputy director for administrative and economic work (see Fig. 16). However, with the introduction of a new parallel structure in 2000, the position of deputy. Director for financial and economic activities was transformed into the position of manager for finance and economic activities (see Fig. 17).
The experience of using Edward's linear-functional structure has shown that it is quite effective for medium- and small-sized museums. This structure fully ensures clear coordination of management processes and the necessary level of control. In large museums, Edward's linear-functional structure appears complex, inert, with a low level of control (for example, the British Museum). The identified shortcomings are solved by a parallel organizational management structure.
As V. D. Alexander, an American specialist in the field of museum management, notes, a parallel management structure is typical only for very large museums. Most museums “still prefer to maintain the principle of unity of command, based on the fact that a growing number of directors successfully combine art history and management qualities.”
Using foreign experience in the development of organizational structures of museums, we can suggest directions for further improvement modern structure management major museums in Russia. The shortcomings of the existing organizational structure of domestic museums can be solved, in particular, by a parallel structure. It allows the museum to develop equally various directions activities, both basic and additional, as well as eliminate the problems of subordination of the project headquarters, project groups, etc. Instead of the project headquarters at the highest level of management, the manager’s office, responsible for capital construction, financial activities and issues of museum development, seems more effective. In turn, increasing the director’s work efficiency is possible due to his concentration on such individual functions as scientific, educational, exhibition activities, etc. (see Fig. 19).
The parallel structure acquires special meaning in the conditions of the Russian economy. It fully meets such tasks of managing large museums as developing new areas of activity, attracting foreign sources of funding, etc. The parallel structure makes it possible to actively develop such areas of activity as marketing, fundraising, entrepreneurship, while ensuring the balanced development of non-profit and commercial types activities in the museum. High level organizational control in the new management structure allows the museum to maintain the necessary level of coordination of both its own activities and the work of subordinate charitable organizations within the country and abroad. The parallel structure in this case appears as one of the effective management structures for large museums in the Russian economy.