An insight into museum innovation. Theoretical development and empirical study in the case of museums from Valencia region of Spain

Resumen

Scholars and policy-makers have been stressing the transformation of the competition model for state and regional development by innovation based on the cultural and creative industries in the recent years. As an important cultural heritage institution, museums can become a significant vehicle for innovation strategies to support social inclusion and regional development in Spain and the other Mediterranean region in the face of the challenges created by the recent economic crisis. However, the study of innovation in museums is still underdeveloped and the understanding of museum innovation is only nascent. This thesis aims to expand our understanding of innovation by museum organizations by focusing on three basic questions: (1) What is museum innovation? (2) How do museums innovate in terms of cultural production? (3) What determines the outcome of museum innovation? This research is a theory-oriented study based on the empirical case of Spanish museums in the Valencia region. The study develops a new theoretical framework to explain museum innovation in phenomenon, definition, taxonomy and determinant factors from a comprehensive perspective integrating a dichotomy of existing explanations. On the basis of theoretical development, further empirical studies are conducted and conclusions are drawn from a multitude of case studies, surveys and statistical approaches. On the one hand, the study reveals that museums innovate by following three patterns – self-dependent, collaborative, and adoptive innovation – based on the domain of cultural production and the type of innovation. One the other hand, the study testifies that organizational characteristics (i.e. ownership, size, and geographic distance) and collaboration can enhance the outcome of museum innovation depending on the type of innovation, and the contribution of “collaboration” to the innovation outcome differs based on with whom museums collaborate. These conclusions have important implications for the academic sector, as well as management and policy development in relation to museum innovation. It is for this reason that this thesis presents recommendations directed at improving performance on these three levels.