Thursday, September 14, 2006

NPQ - Back Issues - Contents by Issue - Summer 2006 V13i2: On the Road to Find Out - Phoenix in Calgary

NPQ - Back Issues - Contents by Issue - Summer 2006 V13i2: On the Road to Find Out - Phoenix in Calgary: "Phoenix In Calgary: How the Calgary Philharmonic Survived Bankruptcy and Flourished

by Donna S. Finley, Alana Gralen, and Larry Fichtner

Editors’s Note: This is the story of a turnaround. And as with any turnaround situation, the organization was near death, with many in favor of a do-not-resuscitate order. What struck us as important in this story, among other things, was the primary strategy employed—to engage as many stakeholders as possible in the development of a cohesive plan for the future. This plan had to be produced quickly and had to pass muster with the court-appointed receiver, because the organization had already filed for bankruptcy protection.

The enormous energy and wisdom that this strategy drew to the situation should tell us something about the resources available to us that may not typically be used in our own organizations. The high-engagement strategy is transferable, but it requires a deep shared passion and a willingness to work together to co-create a solution for the thing that is to be saved and given new life."

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