In the summer of 2008, Mr. McManus traveled to Doha, Qatar to serve as the lead consultant in developing a comprehensive organizational and operational model for a $60 million orchestra and music academy project.
The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a private, chartered, nonprofit organization, founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar. Guided by the principle that a nation’s greatest resource is the potential of its people, Qatar Foundation aims to develop that potential through a network of centers devoted to progressive education, research and community welfare. the Qatar Foundation supports a network of centers and partnerships with elite institutions. These centers have various themes which include Education, Research, Social Welfare etc.
Selected from a wide range of international firms in a competitive bidding process, Mr. McManus organized and managed a team of existing Foundation personnel to review the proposed mission goals for the Western and Arabic ensembles as well as the academy. The initial work consisted of more than 30 individual interviews and reviewing extensive amounts of existing documentation. The development stage included designing a comprehensive organizational and operational model for the entire project including, but not limited to:
- A fit for purpose organizational structure in light of the objectives, international best practices, and cultural concerns.
- Creation of more than 30 fit for purpose job descriptions for all administrative and artistic/musical leadership positions within the project.
- Creation of a compensation scale for orchestra and support administrators based on international benchmarks.
- Formation of a three year business plan for the Philharmonic component.
- Crafting a unique set of bylaws for the Governing Board.
Additional work included a line-item review of all initial purchases and subsequently working with the Qataris to streamline the process which resulted in saving the organization more than $8 million in start-up expenses while increasing operational effectiveness. The final stages of the development process included designing an employment contract for 101 Philharmonic musicians that provided vastly improved job protections and improved working conditions over the originally proposed contract.
After becoming fully versed in the Qataris needs,program goals, and the cultural working environment, a final program was completed drawing from international best practices that best suited the challenges facing the program while also creating many new systems of operation that satisfied unique Qatari needs.
The project concluded with a four day long Governing Board retreat where Mr. McManus enlightened members about the variety of governance models across all countries which support a culture of professional Western European orchestras. Afterward, Mr. McManus took the members though their new operational bylaws and the music program’s new strategic plan. After a period of positive discussion, the Governing Board unanimously adopted 100 percent of recommendations contained in the final report.
Perhaps the most impressive component of the project was that it was completed over the course of only seven weeks.