Orchestras and choirs are paradigms of teamwork and motivation and examples of learning and knowledge organizations, while conductors are symbols of leadership and efficient management. Although the persuasion of these images, the real face of maestros' job and of musical organizations in the day-to-day cannot be revealed if we do not open our eyes to their work behind the stage, before the concerts, and down to the podium.
Is the power in the baton, or beyond it? In what sense are maestros as managers? Which elements from the theories of administration - from Fayol to Drucker, from Mintzberg to Senge, from Rosemary Stewart to Nadler and Tushman - can better describe the activity of conductors? Are maestros gifted leaders, or they acumulate a special 'cultural capital', in the words of Bourdieu? How theories of leadership and motivation - from Max Weber to Elton Mayo and Abraham Maslow, from Herzberg to Goleman - can show the 'human resources' management developed in choirs? How is the organizational culture in these cultural organizations?
Here are some of the questions that guide the studies presented in some of the papers below.
Maestro as manager: the work of conductors beyond the stage
Exploring boundaries between music and management: musical themes and visions in operations management
Abilities and competences in leadership: concepts and discussions
The role of the choir conductor in motivating his group: conceptual revision, suggestions, and a perspective of music undergraduate students
More papers and books
