Davis Assessment Update
Paul John Rudoi, Chris Foss, Mary Lee
160517
Since the last board meeting, the artists and administration have put together drafts of a summer schedule that includes meetings and brainstorming time to address the most pressing items from the Davis Assessment, which were agreed upon via a company-wide survey following our meeting with Jodi Davis. These items are:
•Cantus needs articulated guidelines relating to the artists’ control of “Artistic Work”.
•Cantus needs clearly defined roles / responsibilities and accountabilities for the artists. The artists have multiple “job descriptions” for “singer”, “producer/music director”, and “artistic director”. The various roles need defining with accountability clarified.
•Greater clarity for the Executive Director’s role and authority relative to artistic decisions. A more well-defined and communicated position description for the ED that outlines appropriate responsibilities and authority.
A full-length operations day is scheduled for June 23. It’s at this meeting that we’ll start to frame the coming work. Topics include:
-Go to the source: Ask the owner of a project for clarification rather than express frustration to others.
-Clarification around expectations of email communications
Our goal is to accomplish and/or make progress on this work by mid-July, knowing that it is imperative we do so for the health of the company.
Several activities for the summer have recently come to light that might require us to adapt this proposed meeting schedule. We are committed to doing what we can to address the above items from the Davis Assessment while working on other projects should they also be important for the company at this time.
160517
Since the last board meeting, the artists and administration have put together drafts of a summer schedule that includes meetings and brainstorming time to address the most pressing items from the Davis Assessment, which were agreed upon via a company-wide survey following our meeting with Jodi Davis. These items are:
•Cantus needs articulated guidelines relating to the artists’ control of “Artistic Work”.
•Cantus needs clearly defined roles / responsibilities and accountabilities for the artists. The artists have multiple “job descriptions” for “singer”, “producer/music director”, and “artistic director”. The various roles need defining with accountability clarified.
•Greater clarity for the Executive Director’s role and authority relative to artistic decisions. A more well-defined and communicated position description for the ED that outlines appropriate responsibilities and authority.
A full-length operations day is scheduled for June 23. It’s at this meeting that we’ll start to frame the coming work. Topics include:
- Opening - "Code of Collaboration"
-Go to the source: Ask the owner of a project for clarification rather than express frustration to others.
-Clarification around expectations of email communications
- Collaborative Decision Making
- Review & discuss job descriptions; expectations (ED, Singers, AC)
- Establish authority agreements
- Begin to design an Escalation/Resolution Process
- Assign topics to the future summer meetings
Our goal is to accomplish and/or make progress on this work by mid-July, knowing that it is imperative we do so for the health of the company.
Several activities for the summer have recently come to light that might require us to adapt this proposed meeting schedule. We are committed to doing what we can to address the above items from the Davis Assessment while working on other projects should they also be important for the company at this time.