Social demographic categories
Accreditation
Educational awards
Other awards
Visitor awards
Professional memberships
The social demographic categories reveal some of the largest influences within specific objectives. A standout example is the complementarity of the accreditation and award schemes, which when combined relate to 23% higher levels of performance, but currently certain barriers (explored in the features) obstruct such increase. Social demographic categories include the extensive accreditation scheme, and the role of educational, visitor, membership, and other schemes.
Accreditation: museum, archive, and library sites can achieve accreditation, a recognised benchmark standard in many countries, often accompanied by a supportive structure, encouraged through regulatory and funding policy (see accreditation feature in chapter 7). The presence of knowledge artefacts was 36% higher at accredited sites. Accreditation had higher presence relation in the two tangible operations (Economic development and Environmental preservation) (Figure 6‑1).
In accredited sites the level of updated knowledge artefacts was also higher, by 55%. The increase was again more significant towards the tangible operations (Figure 6‑2).
The conversion rate of present to updated knowledge artefacts was 14% higher in sites with accreditation (Figure 6‑3).
There was a relation of increased presence and updating of knowledge artefacts due to accreditation, and of increase in performance by 6% (Figure 6‑4). Furthermore, the increase in conversion to updated knowledge artefacts might indicate that the positive impact on performance is more sustainable.
The increase in performance was mainly in the tangible operations with increased presence and updated knowledge artefacts, but also with some positive increase in the intangible operations (Figure 6‑5).
Whilst all three focus countries show an increase in presence in relation to accreditation, in Greece the increase was marginal (and variable across the objectives), in the United Kingdom it was a significant increase of almost a quarter the original level (from 22.54% to 27.89%), whilst in New Zealand the increase was of almost 140%. Clearly other factors moderate or amplify the relation of accreditation. These could relate to management systems, and different levels and types of accreditation provision in the different countries. In Greece, with a bureaucratic tradition and many government-managed sites, the accreditation appears to hinder the presence of knowledge artefacts across the Cultural education and Economic development objectives. The New Zealand accreditation scheme appears to be the most participatory and open (feature in chapter 7) and has the greatest positive relation. Another key observation is that accreditation affects mainly the preservation objective, as expected, but not only. Presence in all objectives was positively affected by accreditation (Figure 6‑6).
The same relationship patterns were observed in updating, with very strong positive increase across all three countries (Figure 6‑7).
The increased knowledge artefacts due to accreditation were related to increase in performance in all three countries. The presence and conversion rate in the UK were the highest but did not produce the highest performance (Figure 6‑8).
The positive relation in knowledge artefacts and associated performance due to accreditation was consistent; every country showed increase across each of the four objectives (Figure 6‑9).
Within the UK museum habitat, there was no presence data for non accredited museums in Wales. In Scotland non accredited museums had a higher presence than accredited museums but the comparison was based on a very small sample. In all cases across the three nations, the presence was very high, and in England the presence of knowledge artefacts in accredited museums was 50% higher compared to non accredited museums (Figure 6‑10).
The updated knowledge artefacts in accredited museums in Wales were above the research average (9.51%). In both Scotland and England accreditation related to a 52% increase in updated knowledge artefacts (Figure 6‑11).
The high present and updated level of knowledge artefacts in English accredited museums related to a 4% higher performance (Figure 6‑12). However, in Scotland and Wales smaller presence volumes but with much higher updating conversion, relate to higher performance.
The performance across the objectives was generally consistent, except for England; accredited museums in England had reduced performance in the intangible operations but had a significant increase in Economic development mainly, and in Environmental preservation (Figure 6‑13). Perhaps the reduction is due to lack of capacity, operational and absorptive, especially as the accreditation provision focuses on those tangible operations.
Accreditation was related to increased presence of knowledge artefacts across local, regional, and national UK museums (no data for non accredited international museums). The largest variance was in local museums, a nearly 79% increase, whilst in national museums the increase was nearly 48% (Figure 6‑14). In regional museums the increase was marginal, as if there were other factors blocking the increase.
Accreditation had a small positive relation to updated knowledge artefacts levels for regional and national museums, but there was a dramatic increase (281%) in local museums (Figure 6‑15).
There was increase in knowledge artefacts and performance at all geographical levels, apart from one; regional sites (Figure 6‑16). At regional sites it was as if there was a conflict between their internal processes (driven by parent-organisations) and the accreditation processes. Such conflict appears to be blocking growth of accreditation-helped knowledge artefact levels, and of performance, that other sites benefit from.
Looking at the largest museum sites, national sites with accreditation related to increase in knowledge artefacts by 46%, and although their conversion to updated was average, their overall performance increased by 54%. Overall, the main beneficiaries, which are potentially the main targets of the accreditation scheme, were the local museums where the significant increase in knowledge artefacts combined with high conversion rate, led to an extraordinary improvement in performance from 10.83% to 79.69% (636% increase). Although the sample volume for this is small, it hints that the museum’s accreditation scheme has the most dramatic impact on local museums out of all the demographic contingencies reviewed so far.
Looking at the performance variation across the objectives, the clash and negative relation in regional museums was across three of the objectives, but accreditation did have a positive relation in Economic development even in regional museums (Figure 6‑17).
A final comparison relating to museum accreditation showed that both archive and museum accreditation had a positive relation with the presence of knowledge artefacts. The positive impact in archives was more modest (Figure 6‑18), possibly due to a smaller level of provision and financial resources for it (features analysis).
A very similar pattern to presence followed, in updating of knowledge artefacts between archive and museum accreditation (Figure 6‑19).
The archives accreditation was related to increase in knowledge artefact presence, updating rates, and a significant positive jump in performance by 37%. Conversely, accredited museums had higher initial volumes that increased at higher rates, but the increase in performance was only by 7% (Figure 6‑20).
The archives accreditation was related to increase of knowledge artefact performance in every objective. The performance increase in accredited museums was only in the tangible operations whilst the intangible operations saw a fall in performance (Figure 6‑21). Could it be the organisational culture, the accreditation provision, or other demographic that makes such a positive difference for archives, on knowledge artefacts and performance, compared to the more supported museum habitat?
Educational awards: there was a positive relation between educational awards and knowledge artefact presence overall, and specifically across Cultural education, Social participation, and notably in Economic development. They did not have a positive relation in Environmental preservation, which was positively related to accreditation schemes instead. Figure 6‑22 shows the relation for all participants, and for England.
Knowledge artefact updating had a 24% increase in relation to educational awards in England. Across all participating nations there was a 61% increase, with positive relation in every objective, especially Social participation (Figure 6‑23).
Educational awards showed a positive increase in knowledge artefact presence and a high conversion rate, indicating possibly a positive sustainable management influence. The educational award had a highly positive relation with performance, especially in England (Sandford award) with a performance increase of 24% (Figure 6‑24).
The strong levels of presence and updating relating to educational awards were very effectively converting to high performance in all four objectives. Notably, the intangible operations showed high increase, and the Economic development performance increased to 65.63% (17% increase) making it one of the highest Economic development performances across all demographic contingencies (Figure 6‑25).
The performance of accredited museums in England which also had an educational award (a small sample of 6), had an even higher average performance of 67.71%. It is therefore worth considering within the knowledge design and wider policy making, the potential of the complementary partnership of the accreditation award (tangible operations improvements) and educational award (intangible operations improvements). Especially as both have positive impact on Economic development.
Visitor awards: A 27% increase in presence of knowledge artefacts was related to visitor awards. The increase was across all objectives, and their highest positive relation was on Economic development (37% increase) (Figure 6‑26).
Visitor awards also had a very similar (26% increase) positive relation to updated knowledge artefacts, mainly in the Economic development and Social participation objectives (Figure 6‑27).
There was a sufficient visitor award research participation from England and Scotland, showing marked difference. England had a higher than the UK average presence, and Scotland below average (Figure 6‑28).
For updating, the visitor award relation was positive for all countries and nations (Figure 6‑29).
The positive relation of the visitor awards to knowledge artefacts also had a significantly positive relation on performance, with 11% increase. The visitor awards were related to significant increase in conversion rate in New Zealand and Wales, but only one of them transformed that increase into high performance (Figure 6‑30).
Visitor awards related to a modest performance improvement in the Economic development for most countries and nations (compared to the Economic development overall average (42.91%)). Across the other three objectives, the visitor awards related to improvement in the intangible operations for New Zealand and Greece but not in the Environmental preservation, whilst in the UK the positive impact was in the tangible operations instead (Figure 6‑31).
Other awards: the wide range of other awards that participating sites are part of, had high relation to presence of knowledge artefacts across all objectives, with overall increase of 50% (Figure 6‑32).
The Other awards had an even higher positive relation to updating knowledge artefacts for all objectives, increasing towards the tangible operations, with overall increase of 65% (Figure 6‑33).
The combined relation of having the full range of awards (Education, Visitor, Other) in eight participating sites in England, related to increase in presence of knowledge artefacts by 175% (Figure 6‑34). None of these eight participating sites had accreditation, which is noticeable through the negative level of presence in the Environmental preservation objective. If combined with the usual accreditation increase, the overall presence could be much higher.
The relation of the combined awards to updating, was mainly on Social participation and Economic development, with an overall increase across the four objectives of 214% (Figure 6‑35).
The Other awards had significant positive impact on knowledge artefacts and related to 25% higher performance. Combining all awards (Education, Visitor, Other) had an extraordinary joint relation to the conversion rate of present to updated knowledge artefacts by 71.90%, potentially providing sustainable improvement in operations. The combination of all awards related to a 23% increase in performance (Figure 6‑36).
Other awards had positive relation with the intangible operations, whilst their combination with Education and Visitor awards had a tremendously positive relation in Economic development. A coordinated approach on the knowledge resources between the awards and accreditation (whose main influence is on the tangible operations) would provide a more all-round and potentially sustained performance (Figure 6‑37).
Membership: being a member to a formal membership, related to increase in present knowledge artefacts by 11%. The increase was significant in three of the objectives but only minimal in Economic development (Figure 6‑38).
Regarding updating, however, the related overall updating was only marginally higher (3%). The reasons for this would be important to understand, whether these relate to the types of knowledge artefacts, the type of provision, or reliance on the membership network (tacit knowledge) rather than the knowledge artefacts (Figure 6‑39).
The knowledge artefact presence in relation to memberships in the UK was complex. Across the UK there was an 11% increase. In England the increase was smaller, in Scotland the increase was 74%, and in Wales there was a reduction. The different types of memberships then, have an inconsistent relation (Figure 6‑40).
In relation to memberships, updated levels in the UK, and England and Wales, were lower than non-member sites. Only Scotland had a positive updating relation with memberships (Figure 6‑41). It might be that often reliance on membership, replaces or discourages updating habits, or that there is a patchy uptake within memberships. Similar inconsistency was noticed with presence and updating increases in Greece (96% and 110%) and reduction in New Zealand (-19% and -48%).
Memberships were related to increase in performance by 13% overall (Figure 6‑42), and at each of the three countries and the UK nations (Table 6‑1). This reinforces the reflection that memberships substitute rather than increase updated knowledge artefacts. Memberships related to performance increase across all objectives, especially in Economic development and in the intangible operations.
Three UK memberships with available data are examined in more detail. The Art Council England’s (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) scheme, accessible to its funded members only and has a longer, more stable, funding cycle (usually five years) (ACE, 2023). The Museums Association offers an annual paid membership (Museums Association, 2024) and provides some free knowledge resources and its core services to paid members only. The Museums Development Network is primarily funded through ACE’s NPO programme and provides free access to its resources for museums across each of its regions, with additional support for museums that work towards or are already accredited (Museum Development Network, 2024). All three had positive relation with the presence of knowledge artefacts. The NPO scheme had a positive presence relation evenly across each objective and an overall increase by 26% compared to the UK average. The Museums Association had minimum impact on presence in Cultural education, but high relation on all other three objectives with an overall increase of 61%. The Museums Development Network had its highest relation in Environmental preservation presence, and high relation across the other three objectives, with the highest overall presence increase by 66% (Figure 6‑43).
The NPO membership did not relate to a variation on updating. Both the Museums Association and the Museums Development Network showed a positive relation with high increase in updating within the tangible operations, and in Social participation, but not in Cultural education (Figure 6‑44).
It appears then that there is higher presence and updating of knowledge artefacts associated with more open, free access, and supportive membership structure.
The performance was positively increased in relation to these three memberships, with significant increase by 37% with the paid Museums Association membership, and by 21% with the free Museums Development Network (Figure 6‑45).
All three memberships related to higher performance in Cultural education, whilst the Museums Association and Museums Development Network related to the highest performance in all objectives (Figure 6‑46).
