I remembered seeing Natalie’s post quite a few months ago when I read last week media comments on the latest immigration figures published by the Office of National Statistics.
Andy Travis from the Guardian wrote in the article Immigration falls and set to decline further in recession: A decline in immigration is starting to accelerate as the recession bites, with a 36% fall in the number of Poles and other east Europeans coming to work in Britain recorded so far this year.
Apparently 59,000 Polish people and other east Europeans registered to work in Britain between July and September 2007, and only 38,000 over the same period this year. This is the lowest level since Poland joined the EU in 2004.
When you map out your strategic staircase for the next 5 years, what are the big drivers that will create really powerful opportunities and threats for your beneficiaries in the period up to 2012? Don’t say you can’t possibly know – if you don’t have an informed view of that – who will have one?
What are the big drivers that will impact your beneficiaries over the next 5 years? How can you lead a strategic conversation in your organisation that will ensure that you can respond positively and proactively to new challenges and opportunities?
These are the questions that Megan and I will be seeking to answer in what promises to be a fun and interactive session at the Alive and Kicking conference on 11 December. In our session – Look out! How to do a foresight analysis – we will be taking participants through the stages of strategic analysis, with a difference! Intrigued? Come and join us (there are still a few places left).
a few weeks ago I attended a consultation on the NHS Constitution. what struck me about the idea of the constitution was that it changed the way the individual will relate to the NHS. My grandparents were proudest of the NHS of all the post-war welfare state reforms and strongly believed in the idea that the NHS was “owned” by the people for the people as a collective entity. the proposed NHS Constitution changes this by affirming the relationship between an institution and the individual.
According to this viewpoint by JRF, museums are experiencing their biggest cultural shift in 150 years. Since my last news post which highlighted four potential scenarios for museums in the future and explored how museums were changing in response to challenges from technology and shifting ideas about authority and hierarchy, I’ve been thinking about some of different ways in which museums are changing. As museums encompass particularly traditional ideas of culture, heritage and history, the rapidly changing external environment and the drivers operating within it are more likely to have a considerable impact. And with museums making up a significant sub sector of civil society (about an eighth of civil society to be more exact), I thought it might be interesting to explore some of the changes affecting museums in this forum. Those of you working in museums might want to add your thoughts about how you think museums are changing and how you think they are likely to change further in the future, or I’m sure most people have been to a museum at some point in their life so can add their thoughts from another perspective.
The viewpoint explores whether we have moved into the age of the social museum or the “post-museum” and considers whether museums are now the powerful force in social and urban regeneration they have promised to be. It contains some detailed case studies of current initiatives, looks at how far museums now go beyond the display and interpretation of collections; their potential role in regeneration; and whether they can create a space where social issues can be examined in a way the public finds accessible. The case studies show that some of the scenarios I linked to before might not be as far away as people might first think.
Some of the key points in the viewpoint are worth a mention and a good example of how some of the main drivers affecting all VCOs can interlink and have an impact on different subsectors:
Museums are playing a key part in social change, addressing a range of social issues such as crime prevention, this reflects the changes we have seen in the opening up of different spaces to tackle social change, generate social cohesion and as such play a valuable role in the workings of civil society.
As a free meeting place, museums increasingly provide a friendly meeting place for young people to meet off the street. Are the days when independent meeting places were limited to the community centre gone? These shifts are not that far removed from the world of the forum scenario.
Curators are coming from a range of different backgrounds, reflecting the trend for multiple careers as well as the widening of career opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds.
Curators are increasingly aware of their role in making sense of history, and are aware that any curatorial choices they make need to respond to other voices within the community. This reflects the increasingly diverse make up of UK society as well as the rising expectations and assertiveness" of citizens.
Museums are also increasing becoming central spaces of mutual understanding where cultural identity can be developed, driven by either museum professionals or communities. Such identities may reflect recent social change or previously unacknowledged histories.
However, the view point also highlights some challenges for museums in the modern world:
Convincing other agencies of museums’ role in tackling social change;
Reflecting the speed of social change which may require adapting complex organisational structure;
Acknowledging concerns about traditional curatorial remits;
Exploring legitimate ideas that some still feel are too sensitive for social history;
Addressing the physical accessibility of older museums.
It is interesting that these challenges which arise from changes in the world around us are pretty much affecting all VCOs, not just museums, albeit in different ways.
What challenges do you think are facing museums?
Do you have any examples of how they are increasingly reflecting our changing society?
In addition to the usual evidence based futures analysis I am a keen supporter of the concept of ‘preferred futures’. Focus here is identifying what you want to achieve. It takes account of emerging challenges and opportunities but also seeks to build a vision of what we want to achieve.
I believe I once saw an American survey that said ‘visioning’ was the second most commonly used futures technique in that country. In the UK in the public and voluntary sector I wish visioning was given more focus.
Véronique
Is migration from Poland reaching a tipping point?
I remembered seeing Natalie’s post quite a few months ago when I read last week media comments on the latest immigration figures published by the Office of National Statistics.
Andy Travis from the Guardian wrote in the article Immigration falls and set to decline further in recession: A decline in immigration is starting to accelerate as the recession bites, with a 36% fall in the number of Poles and other east Europeans coming to work in Britain recorded so far this year.
Apparently 59,000 Polish people and other east Europeans registered to work in Britain between July and September 2007, and only 38,000 over the same period this year. This is the lowest level since Poland joined the EU in 2004.
Caroline
Crystal Balls - don't just think about next year's challenges - get to grips with 2012
When you map out your strategic staircase for the next 5 years, what are the big drivers that will create really powerful opportunities and threats for your beneficiaries in the period up to 2012? Don’t say you can’t possibly know – if you don’t have an informed view of that – who will have one?
What are the big drivers that will impact your beneficiaries over the next 5 years? How can you lead a strategic conversation in your organisation that will ensure that you can respond positively and proactively to new challenges and opportunities?
These are the questions that Megan and I will be seeking to answer in what promises to be a fun and interactive session at the Alive and Kicking conference on 11 December. In our session – Look out! How to do a foresight analysis – we will be taking participants through the stages of strategic analysis, with a difference! Intrigued? Come and join us (there are still a few places left).
Mark
NHS Constitution
a few weeks ago I attended a consultation on the NHS Constitution. what struck me about the idea of the constitution was that it changed the way the individual will relate to the NHS. My grandparents were proudest of the NHS of all the post-war welfare state reforms and strongly believed in the idea that the NHS was “owned” by the people for the people as a collective entity. the proposed NHS Constitution changes this by affirming the relationship between an institution and the individual.
Policies on rights and responsibilities
Natalie
The age of the social museum?
According to this viewpoint by JRF, museums are experiencing their biggest cultural shift in 150 years. Since my last news post which highlighted four potential scenarios for museums in the future and explored how museums were changing in response to challenges from technology and shifting ideas about authority and hierarchy, I’ve been thinking about some of different ways in which museums are changing. As museums encompass particularly traditional ideas of culture, heritage and history, the rapidly changing external environment and the drivers operating within it are more likely to have a considerable impact. And with museums making up a significant sub sector of civil society (about an eighth of civil society to be more exact), I thought it might be interesting to explore some of the changes affecting museums in this forum. Those of you working in museums might want to add your thoughts about how you think museums are changing and how you think they are likely to change further in the future, or I’m sure most people have been to a museum at some point in their life so can add their thoughts from another perspective.
The viewpoint explores whether we have moved into the age of the social museum or the “post-museum” and considers whether museums are now the powerful force in social and urban regeneration they have promised to be. It contains some detailed case studies of current initiatives, looks at how far museums now go beyond the display and interpretation of collections; their potential role in regeneration; and whether they can create a space where social issues can be examined in a way the public finds accessible. The case studies show that some of the scenarios I linked to before might not be as far away as people might first think.
Some of the key points in the viewpoint are worth a mention and a good example of how some of the main drivers affecting all VCOs can interlink and have an impact on different subsectors:
However, the view point also highlights some challenges for museums in the modern world:
It is interesting that these challenges which arise from changes in the world around us are pretty much affecting all VCOs, not just museums, albeit in different ways.
Susan
Plausible and/or preferred futures
In addition to the usual evidence based futures analysis I am a keen supporter of the concept of ‘preferred futures’. Focus here is identifying what you want to achieve. It takes account of emerging challenges and opportunities but also seeks to build a vision of what we want to achieve.
I believe I once saw an American survey that said ‘visioning’ was the second most commonly used futures technique in that country. In the UK in the public and voluntary sector I wish visioning was given more focus.