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Understanding Organisational Change in Museums

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Understanding Organisational Change in Museums UNDERSTANDING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE IN MUSEUMS: AN INVESTIGATION OF EVOLVING MUSEUM PRIORITIES AND PRACTICES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE, TAIWAN Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Leicester by Wen-Ling Lin School of Museum Studies University of Leicester January 2018 Abstract Understanding Organisational Change in Museums: An investigation of evolving museum priorities and practices at the National Museum of Natural Science, Taiwan Wen-Ling Lin In this time of rapid political, economic, social and technological change, museums of all kinds face continuous pressures and demands from a variety of stakeholders. These demands are frequently competing (or at least in tension), arising from the different agendas, interests and requirements of diverse stakeholders which, in turn, raise questions around the purposes and priorities of museums. Although many literatures have contributed to the discussion around the museum’s purpose, there remains a lack of in-depth, grounded analysis that explores museums’ structures, processes, and practices and the role of individuals and broader forces for change in the making and reshaping of the organisation. In short, there has been relatively little scholarly attention given to the study of the museum as an ever-changing, dynamic and complex organisation. Drawing on organisational change studies, management theories and museum studies, this thesis seeks to understand the processes that contribute to the reshaping of the museum’s purpose, priorities and practices by staff and other agents through a qualitative investigation of change within a single institution. The aims of the research are to better understand the role of leadership in the process of change and the dynamic attitudes, values and power relations that underpin such processes. 2 In order to explore the hidden complexities of the internal workings in the museum, this paper employs a single case study - the National Museum of Natural Science (NMNS) in Taiwan – that was investigated through an organisational ethnography approach. This thesis focuses on two main forces for change. One is the increasing influence of market forces that encourage the museum to move towards more business-like practices. The other is a growing appreciation of the social responsibility of the museum. These two predominantly external forces play out in a different ways and, at the same time, emerge as significant factors which influence the museum’s move away from traditional functions and conventional works and practices. By revealing various values, interests and power dynamics intersecting at the organisational and personal levels, the thesis aims to contribute an enhanced understanding of how and why change occurs in museums and how potentially competing interests can be negotiated. 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Ministry of Education, Taiwan, for their support in funding this PhD. I am grateful to the staff and managers of the National Museum of Natural Science for their generous assistance and support throughout the investigation. I am especially grateful to Dr Tak-Cheung Lau for the opportunity to undertake the fieldwork and all the support. In addition, I wish to express my appreciation to the interviewees for generously sharing their thoughts and ideas. I owe my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Richard Sandell, for his guidance, inspiration, encouragement, support and continuous optimism throughout my PhD journey. I am grateful to Dr. Dave Unwin, my second supervisor, for his valuable feedback on the final thesis. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Suzanne MacLeod and Janneke Geene, Head of Special Collections, Manchester Metropolitan University – my examiners, for their very helpful comments and suggestions. I would like to thank all the staff, colleagues and friends at the School of Museum Studies and those individuals who helped me during this amazing PhD journey. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my parents and husband, Chao-Shiang Li, for their endless love, help and support. 4 Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 4 List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 8 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 8 1.2 Research questions ................................................................................................. 17 1.3 Research methods and data sources ...................................................................... 18 1.4 Case study ................................................................................................................ 19 1.5 Introducing the case study...................................................................................... 20 1.6 Contextual framework of Taiwanese museums .................................................... 22 1.7 Structure of the thesis............................................................................................. 39 Chapter 2 The complexity of organisational change ....................................................... 41 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 41 2.2 Facing the change: Identity crisis............................................................................ 42 2.3 The conflicting stakeholders’ interests and values ................................................ 44 2.4 Keep the mission of the organisation in focus ....................................................... 46 2.5 What organisational values matter? ...................................................................... 47 2.6 The images of organisation ..................................................................................... 49 2.7 Capturing change in organisations ......................................................................... 51 2.8 Power relations and organisation change.............................................................. 62 2.9 Unfolding resistance to change .............................................................................. 65 2.10 Leadership and organisation change .................................................................... 67 2.11 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 71 Chapter 3 Methodology and Research design ................................................................ 73 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 73 3.2 Investigating organisational change ....................................................................... 73 3.3 Positioning the researcher ...................................................................................... 76 3.4 Qualitative organisational research ....................................................................... 78 3.5 Research aims and questions ................................................................................. 80 3.6 Research strategy .................................................................................................... 81 3.7 Data sources and research methods ...................................................................... 91 3.8 Data analysis............................................................................................................ 93 3.9 Ethical considerations ............................................................................................. 93 5 Chapter 4 Negotiating with market force and ideology .................................................. 95 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 95 4.2 The underpinning value for a visitor-orientated museum .................................... 96 4.3 Financially driven museum ................................................................................... 102 4.4 Shifting special exhibition policy .......................................................................... 109 4.5 The impact of Cultural and Creative Industries policy......................................... 123 4.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 130 Chapter 5 Exploring museums’ social role ..................................................................... 137 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 137 5.2 The changing educational role.............................................................................. 138 5.3 Facing curatorial conflict -- Wounds of Natural History – Black-faced Spoonbill special exhibition ........................................................................................................ 147 5.4 Engaging with controversy – When the South Wind Blows – the Documentary
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