Transforming Museum Workplace Cultures

Museums are respected for their unique ability to preserve cultural heritage, educate the public, inspire creativity, and build community. Yet many museums rely on outmoded and inequitable systems, including untenable compensation models, poor work-life balance, and scant opportunities for advancement. The 2020 COVID pandemic proved a reckoning for the museum field, with reduced pay, abruptly dismissed staff, and diminished transparency elucidating longstanding toxic elements of museum workplaces, leading to public outcry and high turnover rates. Yet here is a new generation emerging that expects more from our museums as workplaces in the twenty-first century.This book addresses the realities of museum culture and spotlights new approaches to team management and the museum work environment, with features including:· * Attention to topics such as compensation, communications, reduced/hybrid schedules, and operationalization of shared agency, transparency, and professional advancement;· * Contributions from museum professionals, labor advocates, and thought leaders;· * Case studies to illuminate new approaches to team management and employee participation;· * Recommendations and resources to support productive actions, advocacy, and shared agency in the workplace;· * Discussion guides to structure conversations regarding workplace satisfaction, equity, and representation.Transforming Museum Workplace Cultures challenges museums and their leaders to adopt innovations that enhance institutional health and financial sustainability while also prioritizing staff satisfaction, fulfillment, and validation in the workplace.