Operations Research goes to the ballet:
              Senior Management and modelling considerations 
                      in a performing arts industry
                                    by
                             Mariana Maduell

                     carried out in conjunction with
                       The Birmingham Royal Ballet

                      Dissertation submitted to UCN
       in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
                    Master of Business Administration
                               April, 2001

                                 Summary

	The field of Operations Research, which began in the 1930s
	with military applications, has since expanded into other
	areas, most notably industry and academia.  It does not seem
	to have extended yet into the performing arts, if we are to
	judge by the dearth of published materials.
	This study is concerned with the implications for Operations
	Research relating to the functions of a large ballet company,
	which would fall under the category of SME.  The study is
	limited to the Birmingham Royal Ballet, a touring company and
	one of the largest in the United Kingdom.
	The original intent of the study was to determine if and which
	Operations Research methods were relevant to the business and
	also the artistic sides of the company, as the product of the
	company is an artistic one.  Data were collected mostly from
	members of the Senior Management team from the business,
	artistic and technical sectors, with strongest contributions
	from the Chief Executive, the Director, and the Technical
	Director, although the study was not limited to them.  Senior
	Management seemed the likeliest starting point for an
	understanding of the company, especially because much of this
	company?s team is in constant interaction with the other
	levels of the organisation.  In the course of the research
	period, it was felt that a shift in focus was necessary, from
	determination and construction of Operations Research
	techniques to an examination of the Senior Management team?s
	approach to company functions, specifically in the bridging of
	the gap between the business and artistic sectors, which is
	part of the work of the technical sector.  The process of
	effective coordination between these sectors is what allows
	the company to achieve its goals.  Research appeared to bear
	out that although the idiosyncratic and field-specific
	techniques employed by the company (certainly in the artistic
	and technical sectors) did not necessarily conform to standard
	or traditional Operations Research techniques, the company was
	nevertheless considered to exhibit an Operations Research
	approach to its function, at the very least at the upper
	levels.  This factor would greatly assist the implementation
	of Operation Research techniques should the company choose to
	move in that direction.
	The dissertation itself is structured as follows:
	The first chapter presents the setting for the study, an
	overview of the company, including a short history, the
	composition of the company (especially the heavy weighting
	towards an international representation in its most visible
	sector), and the climate of change, all of which were felt to
	be factors that would influence the study.  The chapter
	concludes with a statement of the study?s objectives,
	presented as a set of questions concerning techniques and
	applicability in the company context.
	The second chapter reviews the relevant literature.  As there
	were no available previous studies in the performing arts
	field, the scope was limited to the Operations Research field
	itself.  In the interest of expanding into new territory, the
	basics were reviewed, with a focus on defining the field.
	Recurring themes and issues were then extricated and examined,
	including those relating to human factors (including
	composition and team interaction), approaches and techniques,
	models and systems (types and significance), limits, and
	organisational change.  The potential for transferring
	parallel or similar applications from other fields was also
	explored briefly.
	The third and fourth chapters form part of the process of the
	research.  The third presents the actual methodology employed
	in the study, which were devised based on the researcher?s
	assumptions, expectations and experiences.  The fourth traces
	the research process and the gradual shifts in focus that
	occurred during the course of the research, i.e.,  from a
	focus on models and applications to one of Senior Management
	approach and how that interrelates with Operations Research.
	The questions presented at the beginning of the study were
	reexamined in light of the process and the issues examined in
	the literature review were related to the ballet.
	The fifth chapter summarises the findings, focus shift, and
	consequent reevaluation of the scope of the study, confirming
	the relevance of large ballet companies in particular, and the
	performing arts in general, as a suitable ?theatre? for
	further expansion by Operations Research.  The final chapter
	presents recommendation for both Operations Research
	practitioners considering new fields and for large ballet
	companies that might want to incorporate Operations Research
	practices into their organisations, with suggestions as to how
	this might be accomplished.

Last update: 8/01