The People Theme

A Mission Models Money project investigating the competencies, qualities and attributes which will enable creative practitioners and organisations to thrive in the challenging environment of the 21st Century

Report of research undertaken by Roanne Dods and Nadine Andrews

forMMM

May 2010

“In a world of risk we can judge dangers and opportunities by
using the best evidence at hand to estimate the probability of a
particular outcome. But in a world of uncertainty, we can’t estimate
probabilities, because we don’t have any clear basis for making such a
judgement. We are surrounded by unknown unknowns.”

Thomas Homer Dixon 2007

“And I think what I have learnt in the last year is that it is fine not to know
where it is going to lead. Although it is important to know why you are doing
it, I mean you have a sense of it.

When you see dancers moving on balloons, they are trying to keep their
balance and the whole thing is shifting underneath them all the time. And
very good exercise because it exercises all bits of you… That is how I feel
about trying to do something, that you are always having to be like that.”

The People Theme research participant

There are no answers only choices

Solaris, dir. Steven Soderburgh

The People Theme research has been enabled through a broad partnership of individuals and organisations. The Cultural Leadership Programme, Scottish Arts Council and Arts Council England all supplied both financial and intellectual resources to the project.

The design of the research has benefited from feedback from a multidisciplinary group
focussed around the Institute of Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths
College London, and from a peer group of arts and cultural practitioners and professionals,
and from systems and organisational learning practitioners.

Over 260 people have been involved in the research contributing valuable information

about their personal and professional lives in the arts and cultural sector.
The research team would like to thank the following people in particular:
Clare Cooper, Helen Corkery, Eleanor Ford, Sian Prime, Jorella Andrews, Robin Asby,

Penny Marrington, Hazel O’Keefe, Dick McCaw, Tricia Boyle, Peter Stott, Claire Whitaker,

David Lan, Marc Boothe, Anita Taylor and Kate McGrath

Logo design by GP Wolffe
Report design by Penguin Designs
Illustrations by Ian Bobb, www.axtb.co.uk

Roanne Dods

Roanne is co-director of Mission Models Money. Previously director of the Jerwood
Charitable Foundation, she now combines freelance consultancy with setting up her own
enterprise http://www.roseorange.com

Roanne.Dods@deft.org.uk

Nadine Andrews

Nadine supports individual and organisational learning through creative research,
consultancy, training and coaching. For more information visit
http://www.cultureprobe.co.uk

Nadine@cultureprobe.co.uk

The material in this report is published under a Creative Commons license.

Visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ for details