Managing remotely – Lonesome west

Working across a wide geographical area requires a fresh approach. Ros Fry looks at how one arts organisation manages.

The South West is the biggest region in England. The distance from Truro to Swindon is further than that from London to Manchester. Outside the main towns, the region?s arts professionals are often isolated and during the past decade dozens of cultural networks, consortia and partnerships have evolved in the region stretching across counties, cultures and interest groups. As a consultant and trainer working across this enormous area, I have spent a lot of time working with many of these organisations (and have the penalty points on my driving licence to prove it!). A short face-to-face meeting or workshop may involve a day?s travel plus overnight stay so managing remotely has become a familiar way of life.

Dance South West is a consortium of six dance, and dance and theatre agencies created in 2003. Funded by Arts Council England, it is the newest national dance agency but not a national dance agency as we know it. Directors Kate Castle and Jane Webster operate out of a tiny office in Bournemouth employing freelancers to manage particular projects or services, working closely with each partnership agency and collaborating with established national dance agency, Swindon Dance. No permanent staff or buildings to manage ? simply a shared will to make the South West the best place in the world to make, watch and take part in dance.

How do Dance South West ?manage? people and partners so far apart and with such diverse needs and motivations? Mostly through consulting before doing. The Board takes an overview, the Strategy Group (the partner organisations) devise artistic policy and the Artists? Advisory Group, Disability Forum and Promoters? Forum keep everyone in touch with key issues in the relevant fields of practice. A shared website ? www.dancesouthwest.org.uk ? is kept up to date and is visited regularly by all partners and users. It was devised collaboratively after extensive research. ?Blackberries?, mobiles and emails speed up communications. Freelancers are trusted to deliver their goods and operate as if they are part of the team ? as both outsiders and insiders.

Face-to-face meetings are kept tightly focused and organised to coincide with interesting artistic events or offer the opportunity to visit newly refurbished venues such as Lighthouse, Poole?s Centre for the Arts, or Salisbury Arts Centre. Consortium partners understand reciprocity and see clearly the benefits of working collectively. Sharing business templates, ideas and policies means each partner doesn?t have to re-invent the wheel and as part of a consortium each partner makes strategic connections with other regional organisations, saving time, money and effort for all involved. When new people come into the region or are appointed to county agencies they immediately have peer-to-peer, collaborative support. Artists can be introduced to other artists, venues or opportunities across the whole region. Information, contacts and tips are only a click of a button or a conversation apart. National organisations can use Dance South West as a useful gateway to reach the whole dance and performing community in the region.

It?s easy to get cynical about the proliferation of networks, forums or consortia. There is always the risk that they become ?cliques? with an impenetrable world and language of their own. Because the concept is relatively new, there are few measures of long-term success and they are still building the case. What is apparent is that they are only as good as the people who participate. Dance South West is proving that the notion of a ?21st century? organisation, lean and fleet of foot, is feasible and desirable. There?s a lot of talk about work/life balance but many of us are still loath to leave the conventional office situation, where you have to be seen at your desk to be believed. The arts have always been about communication and people, not buildings, bureaucracy or hierarchical systems. Managing remotely is a state of being, not a state of mind. You don?t have to be in the same room to be on the same wavelength.

Ros Fry is a freelance arts marketing consultant and trainer, working across the South West. e: [email protected]

?Dance Feast?, the South West?s first showcase of Disabled dance practice takes place this autumn at the Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe, North Devon from 4 to 5 October.
?Serious Fun?, Dance South West?s symposium on family friendly dance and theatre, takes place at Lighthouse, Poole?s Centre for the Arts on 6 October including performances from Somerset-based dancer Niki McCretton and Dutch company Merkx en Dansers.