M7.5: Case Study: Social Media at the Museum

Social Media has become an important channel of communication for organizations undergoing change, especially when attempting to communicate with external stakeholders. In this case study, you will look to take the lessons learned at the three different museums identified in the exercise. Then, you will be asked to apply what you’ve learned to your own organization.

Review Exercise 7.3 in your book: Social Media at the Museum. Then, review the Case Analysis Rubric for assistance on how to write a case. Your case should be at least 2–3 pages, not including the title page and bibliography. Submit a Word document using correct APA formatting (6th edition).

EXERCISE 7.3
Social Media at the Museum
LO 7.3

“In the past, institutional mission and strategic vision were reviewed every four years; now, they are reviewed every time someone posts to Facebook, comments on a blog, or opens a new Twitter account.”

—Dana Allen-Greil and colleagues

Social media could themselves trigger dramatic organizational changes, as well as creating new channels of communication with regard to other changes. For example, social media are changing the ways in which museums interact with the public, and also how museum staff communicate and work with each other. Dana Allen-Greil and colleagues (2011) argue that, used effectively, social media can further the mission of the organization and foster more agile and collaborative organization cultures. There are many wider cultural, political, and social pressures encouraging openness and collaboration. Social media offer a new set of tools with which organizations can respond to those pressures.

Allen-Greil and colleagues studied three museums: the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH); Monticello, a historic house and research institution; and the J. Paul Getty Trust (the Getty). These museums have adopted different approaches to the use of social media.

At NMAH, social media contribute to public programming, focusing on education and visitor services, complementing the existing email newsletter, website, and other online communications. At Monticello, the focus lies with relationships building, and in particular on increasing the organization’s “social media outreach.” This means using social media to increase the number of “online visitors.” In contrast, the Getty is using social media to “get off the hill.” The Getty has a reputation for being inaccessible, as it is located on a hill above the 405 freeway, and visitors have to take a quarter-mile tram ride to get up there. Social media thus allow the Getty to “take the collections and programs into the community” and to promote their educational and research work.

Sometimes the Best Thing Managers Can Do Is Get Out of the Way
Staff who have collaborated on social media projects in these museums have created new channels of communication and new ways of thinking and working with each other. The leadership of these initiatives was mainly “bottom-up,” and did not rely on senior management experts. Allen-Greil and colleagues note that “effective collaboration means staff members need to cross lines traditionally drawn between different working groups, and probably across lines drawn between hierarchical levels within the institution.” Social media may thus lead to flatter hierarchies and “horizontal working.” The study also found that an increased level of online engagement with the public led to an increase in face-to-face conversations among staff. Why? Social media project staff had to meet with colleagues across the organization: human resources, legal department, registrars, publishers, educators. The authors argue: “Social media are pushing us together in a very personal way. New conversations between staff members who have never had any reason to talk before are establishing new relationships and new lines of engagement.”

A Perpetually Beta State of Mind
Senior managers need to encourage staff to experiment with social media to develop more efficient and effective processes. However, at the Getty, the use of different social media platforms by different groups of staff meant that initiatives were often uncoordinated, and some even competed with each other: “In a large, hierarchical institution, this
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kind of testing, rapid prototyping, and risk-taking is pushing the boundaries of the usual, highly-controlled content development processes.” Although exciting for staff, spontaneous experimentation may not be sustainable. However, Allen-Greil and colleagues ask us to consider: “What would it really be like if we could work in a perpetually beta state of mind? If we could try, fail, and try again? We are closer than you think because it’s already happening at every museum that uses social media.”

Now that you have read this case, consider the following questions:

In what ways could social media applications contribute to the mission of your organization?
How could social media change or strengthen the culture of your organization, with regard to widening collaboration and becoming more agile and responsive?
To what extent will your current organization silos and hierarchies inhibit the communication and collaboration opportunities opened up by social media? Or, will social media help you to break down those silos and hierarchies, and encourage more “horizontal working”?
How should your organization balance the need for management control with the desire to open up conversations more widely across the organization in order to encourage experimentation with social media?
In your assessment, would your organization benefit or suffer from working in a “perpetually beta” state of mind, constantly experimenting, learning—and improving—from the mistakes?

M7.5 Case Study: Social Media at the Museum

In what ways could social media applications contribute to the mission of your organization?

An organization’s mission states its purpose or why it is in business. The mission of an organization helps in the setting of its direction. It is important that the mission is communicated clearly to the external and internal stakeholders of an organization to ensure that it is inculcated in them and they act accordingly. Social media can be an invaluable tool for the communication of mission within the organization. By using social media, the business partners, suppliers, consumers, and employees of the organization can be informed about the company’s direction and mission (Aral, Dellarocas, & Godes, 2013). Proper communication ensures commitment and support towards the achievement of the organizational mission.

How could social media change or strengthen the culture of your organization, with regard to widening collaboration and becoming more agile and responsive?

Social media provides an opportunity for the improvement of collaboration and effective communication within the organization. Our organizational culture is based on collaboration, hard work, and continuous improvement. Effective communication provides a firm foundation for collaboration and interaction, which will contribute to the strengthening of organizational culture (Aral et al., 2013). In addition, the use of social media for communication will provide a platform for fast communication that reaches all stakeholders (Safko, 2010). This way, the organization’s responsiveness and agility will be boosted, providing an opportunity for a speedy response to changes in the market and operational changes.

To what extent will your current organization silos and hierarchies inhibit the communication and collaboration opportunities opened up by social media? Or, will social media help you to break down those silos and hierarchies, and encourage more “horizontal working”?

Social media will help in the breaking down of organizational hierarchies and silos with my organization. At the moment, the employees of the organization feel excluded in the process of decision making and organizational change implementation, mostly because of the hierarchical organizational structure and decision making. By introducing the use of social media for communication, an opportunity is presented for collaboration between management and the employees (Safko, 2010). Employees can be informed of any proposed changes and plans before decisions are made. Their opinions, contributions, and ideas can also be communicated to management using social media platforms. This way, everyone will feel involved and hierarchies and silos will be broken down.

How should your organization balance the need for management control with the desire to open up conversations more widely across the organization in order to encourage experimentation with social media?

The need for management control within the organization may hinder the adoption of social media use for communication. To balance the need for management control with the idea of improving communication across the organization using social media, the management should understand the benefits that may arise from the opening up of communication across the organization (Arnaboldi & Coget, 2016). The managers need to buy into the idea of introducing social media communication. Control may be ensured by ensuring the monitoring of messages sent and setting restrictions on user profiles.

In your assessment, would your organization benefit or suffer from working in a “perpetually beta” state of mind, constantly experimenting, learning—and improving—from the mistakes?

I think my organization would benefit from adopting a “perpetually beta” state of mind. By experimenting and learning from mistakes, the organization would come up with new ways of improving operations, collaboration, and commitment, all of which would contribute to better organizational performance. It would also be easier to keep up with industry changes and the changing business environment.

References

Aral, S., Dellarocas, C., & Godes, D. (2013). Introduction to the special issue—social media and business transformation: a framework for research. Information Systems Research, 24(1), 3-13.

Arnaboldi, M., & Coget, J. F. (2016). Social media and business. Organizational Dynamics, 1(45), 47-54.

Safko, L. (2010). The social media bible: tactics, tools, and strategies for business success. John Wiley & Sons.