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Howard Raynor?s observations about management practices in the arts (p20) are particularly poignant this week, in the light of the grave and disturbing problems facing Ireland?s flagship national theatre, The Abbey (p1). He says, ?If we don?t achieve the right financial outcomes, we apply the wisdom of cutting staff, telling everyone to work harder and carry on doing mainly the same thing until, of course, the business shuts its doors for good?. We can only hope that this ultimate prognosis will not apply to The Abbey.

Raynor goes on to observe that, ?If we want higher standards, better productions, better audience retention and better reputations, we have to take responsibility for reinforcing the right behaviours with our people on a daily basis?. This is a laudable recommendation, and one that managers at Durham City Council may now be waking up to (p3). However, in many arts organisations, the question is one of ?who reinforces the reinforcers?? For much of the sector it is Board members, many of them passionate lay people, who are responsible for the behaviour of an organisation?s top executives. Detached from the day-to-day activities of management teams and their staff, often poorly qualified to de-construct financial statements and ask the right questions about them, and generally more interested in artistic output than the internal workings of the executive, it is perhaps small wonder that Boards sometimes fail to keep managers on the right path.

The Abbey isn?t the first arts organisation to find a black hole in its accounts, and sadly, until the full range of problems associated with the development of effective Boards is addressed, it won?t be the last. Board members should be encouraged to be courageous and prepared to be authoritative.