Building strategies based on values

Today, we completed two days of work with Dave Logan, a very bright and articulate professor, who provided a framework for "moving forward together even when values collide." Very rich material with a lot of food for thought as to how we at the WAG can work better to align our values. We started the day yesterday with an exercise where the whole group had to collectively figure out how to solve a problem. We went through this exercise five times before we achieved success and we were all pleased to be told that only 5 groups had succeeded in solving this same problem and that we had done so in very good time.

In another very interesting exercise, Dave asked us to declare what our own organization's noble cause was. I referred back to the text that we developed during our sessions with Scott Baldwin earlier this year: "My organization's special cause is to be an international destination where people are excited by art." Then, working with this statement, we were asked to produce a Leadership Declaration. Here is mine: "My values are openness, integrity and vitality serving the community through art." My colleagues will be posting theirs as well.

Following the session, we went for a two hour back-of-the-house tour of the Getty Centre: conservation, packing, prints and drawings and photography collections, i am amazed by the quality and level of resources here. It is truly impressive.