Former Edward J. Frey Dean of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business
Inspiring and Motivating Arts and Culture Teams
What You'll Learn
- How to create and communicate a shared vision for your team
- How to set effective goals and expectations for your team
- An understanding of human needs, and drivers of performance across cultures
- How to align rewards with desired behaviors
5 Modules
25 Hours
5 hrs per module (approx.)
About Inspiring and Motivating Arts and Culture Teams
Offered by the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in collaboration with National Arts Strategies , this course focuses on equipping leaders in the cultural sector with the critical skills for inspiring employee engagement and performance while motivating people to adjust behavior and embrace change.
You will learn how to create a shared vision for your team and effectively communicate it to your teammates. You will also learn how to set effective goals and expectations in a way that best enables your team to attain the shared vision. Finally, you will understand the most important needs and drivers of performance across cultures, and will learn to align rewards with desired behaviors so that your teammates are motivated to attain the team’s objectives.
Motivation represents a crucial challenge for contemporary organizations. A recent Gallup poll revealed that only 13% of workers worldwide exhibit high levels of engagement and motivation. We will show you why these motivation problems are not simply due to a “bad” or “unmotivated” team member. Rather, motivation is very much driven by what work conditions we create for our teammates, how we structure goals and objectives, and how we reward people for the accomplishment of those goals. This course will help you diagnose and solve motivation problems so that you can bring out the best in your people.
This course features lessons from both University of Michigan, Ross School of Business faculty and practitioners in the arts and culture field. Leaders such as Franci Phelan (Kennedy Center), Aaron Dworkin (UM School of Music, Theatre and Dance) and Tim Cynova (Fractured Atlas) share their stories on effective leadership and HR practices in the cultural sector.
Skills You'll Gain
- Employee Engagement Strategy
- Employee Motivation
- Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Team Motivation
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion:
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Inspiring and Motivating Arts and Culture Teams focuses on developing leadership skills that help arts and culture professionals inspire others through vision, goal-setting, and aligned rewards. Learners explore how motivation, purpose, and leadership practices can strengthen team engagement and performance in creative and mission-driven organizations.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Becoming a Visionary Leader, Part 1
- Course Introduction
- Becoming a Visionary Leader
- Visionary Leadership
- A Model for Creating and Communicating Your Vision
- A Checklist for Creating and Communication Your Vision
- Application: Developing a Vision for Your Team
Module 2: Becoming a Visionary Leader, Part 2
- The Importance of Non-Verbals in Communicating Your Vision
- Recap: Becoming a Visionary Leader
- Quiz (12 Questions)
- Week 2: Activity
Module 3: Setting Effective Goals and Expectations
- Setting Effective Goals and Expectations
- Goal Setting and Performance
- SMART Goals
- Creating Goals that Drive Motivation
- Recap: Setting Effective Goals
- Quiz (11 Questions)
- Week 3: Assignment (1 Question)
Module 4: Understanding Human Needs and Drivers of Performance Across Cultures
- Understanding Human Needs and Drivers of Performance Across Cultures
- Drivers of Performance at Work
- Human Needs and Work Motivation
- Motivation Traps
- Recap: Drivers of Performance
- Quiz (11 Questions)
Module 5: Aligning Rewards and Behavior
- Aligning Rewards and Behavior
- Using Rewards and Feedback to Drive Behavior
- Effective Performance Appraisal
- Effective Feedback
- Recap: Aligning Rewards and Behaviors
- Quiz (10 Questions)
- Course Feedback
Grading Policy
Learners must earn at least 80% overall to pass. Quizzes account for 80% of the final grade, and the peer-assessed assignment accounts for 20%.
Whirlpool Corporation Research Professor of Business Administration, Professor of Management and Organizations
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required
