Introducing Operationally
I’ve spent most of my life around some of the best cultural organizations in the world. Spending weekends as a kid, and later as a parent, watching generations of hatching baby chicks and seeing familiar paintings for the first time in person, skipping class for field trips to museums, gardens, theatre, and historic sites throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods and suburbs, and, without fail, happily returning home with another molded plastic souvenir. This excitement for cultural organizations began for me as a child, and it’s what took me from McKinsey & Company to the Art Institute of Chicago over 8 years ago.
Cultural organizations have the potential to transform spaces, tell stories, make indelible memories, and potentially change the lives of their audiences. However - regardless of their type or size - every cultural organization depends on viable operations, notably the people, space, processes, and resources needed to deliver this impact. Despite their importance, operations functions typically receive less attention than the public-facing components - collections, programming, education, engagement, etc. - with fewer support options than other areas within the cultural industry.
I launched Operationally to change this dynamic. Operationally is a new kind of operations consultancy designed for cultural organizations. It draws on elements of top-tier management consulting, deep experience from within the cultural sector, and practical techniques to drive change in a mission-aligned way. I believe in the potential for operational improvement to enable organizational transformation, and Operationally aims to contribute in its small way to the long-term sustainability of our sector.
Operationally specializes in providing targeted advice and guidance in six focus areas, all of which are critical components of today’s operating model:
Data and Analytics, including developing the road map for growing analytics capabilities, finding “quick wins” and insights across the organizations using existing data, and managing organizational change in response to applied data and analytics.
Digital Transformation, including the movement toward online ticketing, retail, and content, automating business processes to improve speed and quality, and understanding how physical processes should change to support this transformation.
Executive Leadership, including the creation of concise and impactful Board materials, providing independent perspective on different organizational structures, and assisting organizations at any phase of a strategic planning exercise.
Financial Sustainability, including the pursuit of net revenue growth across sales channels, finding opportunities for non-salary expense reduction, and developing a strategic and conversational understanding of organizational finances.
Operational Excellence, including the identification of relevant best practices from different industries, finding ways to conserve and reclaim physical space, and recommending practical ways to integrate technology into operations.
Talent and Culture, including tactics to recruit non-traditional talent, creating growth opportunities for high-performing staff, and making culture initiatives more inclusive for operations teams.
Thanks to everyone who has encouraged this leap, and things are just getting started. Sign up for email updates, check out our website, and most importantly, reach out and say hello. I’m excited to hear your thoughts and ideas on how to best help our sector, observations on great things happening at cultural organizations, or creative ways to care for a mild plastic burn.
Now time to get back to work 👋
