Cultural organisations must engage more positively with professional development for their current and future leaders, according to a new report reviewing the progress of the Cultural Leadership Programme (CLP). The programme was established in 2006 with a three-year £12m Government-funded package to promote excellence in leadership, and the report, ‘Meeting the Challenge’, puts forward ten priorities that cultural organisations are being urged to adopt if the sector is to remain a major force in the UK economy, and states that “the key challenge to be met is that of embedding a culture of leadership learning”.
Its recommendations include coaching and mentoring for individual leaders; prioritising training in the workplace, including job rotation, shadowing and placements; forming leadership development networks for peer-to-peer support; forging partnerships with other industries; and engaging in international and intercultural exchanges. The report was launched by Culture Minister Margaret Hodge at a gathering of more than 70 major cultural organisations at Tate Modern, where David Kershaw, Chief Executive of M&C Saatchi and Chairman of the CLP, said, “The fact that so many senior figures from the cultural sector have shown their support for this initiative is hugely encouraging. Now we need them to take ownership so that it is not something being imposed but an initiative they are driving forward.” Historically, the cultural sector has underinvested in leadership development, committing an average of 0.3% of turnover to it, compared with between 1% and 3% in the public and private sectors. Arts Council England has earmarked £10m over the next three years to enable the CLP to continue, though the report recommends an annual investment of between £4.3m and £5.7m – and a further £1m annually to “encourage the flow of emerging leaders, including those from the micro businesses…”.