Do You Have a Shared Vision for the Future?
- Paul Baker
- Jul 13
- 5 min read
If You Don't Have a Strategy, That IS your Strategy!
Every organisation has a strategy, whether it has been written down or not. The question is whether that strategy is intentional, shared and helping the organisation achieve its ambitions.
Museums and heritage organisations, along with the organisations that support them, are operating in an increasingly challenging environment. Financial pressures, changing audience expectations, workforce challenges and increasing demands on governance mean that decisions have greater consequences than ever before. Having a clear strategy is no longer simply good practice. It provides confidence, direction and a framework for making informed decisions.
Many organisations know where they want to go but struggle to create the time and space to develop a shared plan for getting there. Strategic planning is not simply about producing a document. It is about bringing people together, testing assumptions, identifying priorities and creating collective ownership of the future.
My Strategic Visioning Programme provides a structured, collaborative process that helps organisations develop practical strategies shaped by the people who will deliver them. It captures the knowledge, ambition and experience of trustees, staff, volunteers and stakeholders to create a shared vision and a realistic roadmap for the future.
Why does practical experience matter?
The Strategic Visioning Programme was originally developed by Dr Nick Winterbotham and has helped many organisations clarify their ambitions and strengthen their long-term planning. Following his retirement, I was invited to continue delivering and developing the programme.
Having spent more than twenty-five years working in museum leadership, organisational change and professional development, I have refreshed the programme to reflect the opportunities and challenges facing museums today.
"What I think stands Paul out is his true sense of vision. He is prepared to be contrary and break from 'group think' when necessary. As either a leader or a freelance consultant, I'm sure that with Paul you won't hear what he thinks you want to hear, but what you need to hear." Guy Turton, Director, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre
My experience of leading organisations, supporting change and delivering professional development means I understand both the strategic and practical realities museums face. Rather than applying a generic consultancy model, I work collaboratively to develop strategies that are realistic, achievable and owned by the people responsible for delivering them.
How can Strategic Visioning support your organisation?
"If you don't know where you are going,
any road will take you there"
Lewis Caroll
Every organisation faces different challenges, which is why the programme is flexible.
develop a long-term organisational strategy
unite trustees, staff and volunteers behind a shared vision
support organisational change
shape new services or programmes
explore complex challenges or opportunities
prepare or strengthen major funding applications
facilitate partnership development
review existing plans and priorities
The process is equally valuable for individual museums, larger museum services and sector support organisations working with groups of museums.
Rather than producing a lengthy report that quickly becomes outdated, the programme creates a practical strategic framework that can evolve as circumstances change.
How does the programme work?
The programme combines stakeholder consultation with facilitated workshops to build consensus and create a practical plan for the future.
It begins with confidential conversations with key stakeholders to understand ambitions, opportunities and challenges. These discussions are distilled into a series of themes that form the basis of the workshops.
Participants then work together through a structured facilitation process to explore priorities, challenge assumptions, identify strategic objectives and agree realistic actions.
By the end of the programme, organisations have more than a strategy. They have a shared understanding of where they are going, why those priorities matter and how they will achieve them.
The process concludes with a concise strategic document that captures the agreed direction and provides a practical framework for future decision making.
A shorter approach for focused challenges
Not every organisation needs a full strategic review.
My one-day Strategic Visioning workshops use the same collaborative approach to help organisations address specific challenges, develop projects or generate new ideas.
Participants complete a short questionnaire before the workshop, allowing the session to focus quickly on the issues that matter most.
These workshops are particularly effective for project planning, service development, programming, organisational reviews, branding, fundraising or problem solving. They provide teams with dedicated time to think strategically, explore new perspectives and agree practical next steps.
How can Strategic Visioning strengthen fundraising?
A strong strategy provides an important foundation for successful fundraising.
Funders are more likely to invest in organisations that demonstrate clear direction, realistic planning and collective commitment. Strategic Visioning gives trustees, staff and stakeholders a meaningful role in shaping the future, strengthening both organisational ownership and resilience.
The programme can support fundraising in two ways.
It can demonstrate that a proposed project forms part of a wider organisational strategy, giving funders confidence that the investment contributes to long-term ambitions rather than a stand-alone initiative.
Alternatively, it can be used to shape or test a funding proposal before submission, helping identify potential risks, strengthen the case for investment and build wider organisational support.
Why does the process matter?
A successful strategy is not simply the final document. It is the process of creating it.
An effective Strategic Visioning programme:
engages trustees, staff, volunteers and stakeholders
builds stronger relationships across the organisation
creates clarity and shared purpose
supports confident decision making
strengthens governance
improves organisational resilience
provides greater confidence for funders and partners
Because the strategy is created collaboratively, organisations are far more likely to embrace it and use it to guide future decisions.
Working together
Every organisation has different ambitions, challenges and resources. Whether you are an individual museum, a museum service or a sector support organisation, Strategic Visioning can be tailored to your circumstances.
Programmes can support long-term planning, organisational change, partnership working, project development or funding preparation. My role is to provide an independent, experienced facilitation process that helps organisations reach consensus, identify priorities and develop practical strategies that people genuinely support.
The programme is designed to be accessible for organisations of different sizes and budgets, and I am always happy to discuss how it might be adapted to meet your needs.
What previous participants have said…
"The process was engaging, fun, quick and just what we needed."
Emma ChaplinDirector, Association of Independent Museums
"We had never embarked on a strategic review before. It was intelligent, swift and transformational, bringing politicians and staff together as never before."
Carrie CanhamDirector, Ceredigion Museum
If you would like to explore how Strategic Visioning could support your organisation or the museums you work with, I would be delighted to arrange an informal conversation. Together we can discuss your objectives and whether this approach is the right fit for your organisation.
Further information, articles and case studies can be found at Museums Thinking Differently.
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Paul Baker
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