A couple of weeks ago a query was posted to a museum list-serv from a professor of Library Science asking for examples of happy museums. She had gathered, through anecdotal means, the impression that things were, in general, not all flowers and sunshine among museum staff. She said that she found, “that most museum staff are miserable in their jobs, mostly because of politics and organizational issues.” What she wanted to know was if there were museums “where staff are happy with their work AND this results in an effective museum for the public.” This got me to thinking. Was I living in some sort of fantasy land since I enjoy working with my colleagues?
I know that there is internal strife, personality conflict, and frustration in museums. I’ve experienced it myself and I’ve commiserated with my friends in the field, but is it an endemic part of the job? One initial observation I would put out there is that museums are just like other workplaces. There will always be office politics and annoying coworkers. To think that because we are educated, sophisticated (theoretically) and creative (hopefully) people that we are somehow exempt is unrealistic.
The key is to not let the negative overtake the positive. (That reminds me of that Johnny Mercer song Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive. Here’s a link to an up-tempo version by The Vindictives http://youtu.be/rIvOsVTDtVw .) I’m no pollyanna and I am not advising ignoring problems, but to have a happy workplace takes work from everyone. Once the negative spiral starts it takes effort to pull yourself out, so try to find balance between negative and positive. If you find yourself complaining a lot, try complimenting the person who drives you most up the wall. It could be something as simple as saying how much you like the little tchotchke sitting on their desk – anything positive can help create a more friendly atmosphere.
On the employee side of things, doing a good job is not simply satisfying what is written on your job description, though that is a place to start. You also have to communicate well with your co-workers, your supervisors, and those you might manage as well as people in other departments. Good communication is not sending 101 emails a day either. It is being willing to overlook some annoying behaviors, accepting different personalities, and when necessary being able to talk face to face with someone to work out a solution to a problem. Knowing how to tell the difference between a big issue and a small annoyance is key. Being passive-aggressive is not a good way to get along with your co-workers.
Whether or not a workplace is conducive to happy people lies in large part with management. I am not saying all problems are caused or can be solved by managers (see above), but as an individual with the added responsibility of making sure others are effectively doing their work supervisors have to step up when there is internal strife. Since supervisors are also often involved in hiring new staff, they have the opportunity to create a cohesive working team by the choices they make.
Hiring an individual is more than looking at qualifications. My experience is that when looking for potential employees, you must factor in personality, how a person will fit in with the current staff and workplace culture, and their proven ability to do the job. The latter can be discovered through resumes, but the former are the unknown variables you have to uncover in the interview process. No matter how accomplished a person is at the nuts and bolts of their job, if they don’t fit in with the existing staff, no one will be happy in the end. That means you might be hiring someone who may not have all the experience you were looking for or might not have the degree from the most prestigious museum studies program but who is temperamentally suited to your institution and the people who already work there. In a small organization, where the daily work experience and interaction with coworkers is much more concentrated than in larger institutions, personality and temperament can be the trump cards.