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Supportive Networks (conditional element)
Networks were already mentioned in the discussion of Urrutiaguer (2002). While
Urrutiaguer refers to the exchange of directors between theatre companies, Moore
and Moore (2005, 54) discuss the importance of ‘external capacities’—the capacities
added by an organisation’s partners, co-producers, contractors, suppliers,
clients, and supporters—in their report on public value of state arts agencies.
Keeble (2008) emphasises the importance of ‘value networks’ in the creative industries,
as opposed to the more traditional ‘value chains’ of industrial manufacturing,
while Lingo and O’Mahony (2010) describe the process of developing,
sustaining and mobilising networks for creative purposes as ‘brokerage work’ or
‘nexus work.’ Thus, in the context of creating valuable and impactful audience
experiences one can argue that the connections between organisations and their
networks of artists and other arts organisations is a key component of creative
capacity. This extends to connections with non-arts organisations as well, such
as social service agencies and educational institutions. Such “non-arts” connections
enable organisations to know their communities better (serving a diagnostic
purpose) and to reach more deeply into their communities in order to engage
new audiences (Brown et al 2014). Robinson (2010, 29) identifies ‘strong networks
(both internal and external)’ as one of several resources and skills associated with
adaptive resilience. In Achieving great art for everyone: A review of research and literature
to inform the Arts Council’s 10-year strategic framework, Bunting remarked
While many young organisations are ‘instinctively networked’, established organisations
need to be better connected and there is a call for more relationships
between large and small organisations and for better mutual support (2010, 21)
In thinking about the importance of networks to creative capacity, one must
acknowledge that organisations with weak or non-existent networks can also
produce brilliant artistic work. The extent of an organisation’s networks, therefore,
might be considered as a favourable condition for creative capacity, as opposed to
a prerequisite.
Sufficient risk capital (conditional element)
Nonprofit Finance Fund in the US has emphasised the availability of financial
reserves that are designated as ‘risk capital’ (ie, reserved to cover the risk of
potential failures that are inherent in innovation and experimentation) as a vital
aspect of cultural organisations’ long-term organisational and creative health (R
Thomas and R Christopher 2011). These reserves play a crucial role in allowing
organisations to fulfil their creative aspirations (eg produce a play with a large
cast, or hire a guest curator) and plan with a longer time horizon. While the
internal creative processes that allow organisations to innovate may be difficult
to discern, the availability of risk capital is a clearly identifiable characteristic
that supports innovation (Bolton and Cooper 2010, 36; Miller 2013). Regardless,
CREATIVE CAPACITY OF AN ORGANISATION 121
UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences