The Minnesota Model: How Trust and Collaboration Rebuilt the Minnesota Orchestra

Abstract

A major shift in organizational culture brought new life to the Minnesota Orchestra in the years following a devastating 16-month musician lockout. This case study sought to answer two research questions: 1) How does the Minnesota Orchestra’s ‘Minnesota Model’ demonstrate effective ways for artists, board members, and administrative staff to embrace shared goals and collaboratively address challenges facing their organization? 2) Is this ‘Minnesota Model’ informative to other performing arts organizations? Data collected from interviews with 17 board members, musicians, and administrative staff revealed four key themes of the 'Minnesota Model'—trust, collaboration, abundance mindset, and community—and a set of promising practices that can be replicated by other organizations to encourage organizational culture change.