Aimed at those in leadership positions in the heritage and cultural sector, the GEM workshop will explore how a learning agenda can be viewed in the broadest terms to drive purpose, decision-making, fundraising, community engagement, social enterprise, recruitment, leadership structures and good practice for the whole organisation.

“Nowadays museum purpose is bound up with the search for resilience; whether strategic, cultural, financial or simply in expertise,” says a GEM Spokesperson. “To achieve true resilience, the museum must become a learning organisation.”

It says that learning organisations are organisations that understand and optimise learning, not just from the point of view of audience activities, but also in how leadership teams and directors learn, behave, act, speak and champion causes worth having. “If this is embraced, the rewards for the organisation, its governance and its community are transformational.”

Building resilience

A one-day course with follow-up support, GEM’s advanced workshop has been developed to support the leading professionals of museums and cultural organisations in building resilience through learning and innovating. By exploring what it means to be a learning organisation, discussing the issues surrounding it and planning for the future, you will discover the rewards of embedding learning throughout your workplace.

GEM says that workshop is for anyone in the heritage and cultural sector who is interested in transformational leadership and learning as an organisation. However, it is best suited to those in leadership positions, like directors, CEOs, trustees and managers.  “We encourage attending with a learning officer (or equivalent) from your organisation, in order to share insights and pool resources to move forward holistically, following the workshop.”

The workshop has been devised and led by Nick Winterbotham, managing director of Nick Winterbotham & Associates, delivering high quality consultation and training on leadership, heritage learning and team development, amongst other subjects. Winterbottom is a former director and chief executive of many prestigious museums including, Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, National Railway Museum, York, and the Museum of East Anglian Life.


The advanced workshop takes place on 11 December 2018 from 9.30am to 4pm at Bramall Hall, Stockport. Tickets and prices can be found on the GEM website.

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