Booz Allen Provides Pro Bono Assistance in Reorganization of Smithsonian Museum

The National Museum of the American Indian advances its effectiveness by consolidating functions.

Booz Allen Hamilton recently partnered with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in an organizational restructuring designed to improve the museum’s efficiency and effectiveness.

As part of a strategic planning effort under way at the museum, the NMAI Office of External Affairs merged with the Office of Administration to create the Office of Museum Resources (OMR). The OMR manages the museum’s funding, budgeting, planning, marketing, and several other functions.

“The NMAI is continuing to evolve as an organization since it opened in 2004,” says project manager and Booz Allen associate Timothy Weston. “It recognized some redundancy in its operations, and knew that it needed guidance in dealing with the cultural shift—merging two different offices into one and getting them to work harmoniously.”

By combining offices, the NMAI hoped to improve information and resource sharing across departments; decentralize responsibilities; reduce layers of management; and flatten the reporting structure. To support this effort, Booz Allen provided several pro bono services:

• Review of the NMAI’s strategic plan: This provided an understanding of the NMAI’s intended direction and the core functions to be provided by the new department and the broader organization.
• Staff interviews: Booz Allen conducted candid but confidential interviews with approximately 25 museum staff about their ideas and concerns. The team used this information to determine action plans and recommendations.
• Development of organizational concept of operations: Booz Allen documented the approach for how the new department should perform its functions.
• Detailing the steps for the transition: Booz Allen developed a plan for the new department to help it move from the “as is” environment to the “to be” design.
• Review of reports: The team made recommendations based on financial and business reports, which provided insight into the information necessary to support the NMAI’s strategic business decisions.

Although this project concentrated on the Washington, D.C. location, the NMAI is comprised of three facilities (the others are in New York and Maryland). Each represents the history, languages, literature, arts, and cultures of Native American people, and determines its design and activities in collaboration with the Native population of the western hemisphere.

Creating a Partnership for a Productive Transition

According to NMAI associate director Elizabeth Duggal, the choice to work with the firm was an easy one. “We already had a relationship with Booz Allen, and this project was an opportunity to deepen it,” she says. “This was the first major restructuring since the museum opened. We knew Booz Allen had worked on other projects at the Smithsonian, so it made sense to consult with them.”

Interviewing the staff about strengths and weaknesses at the museum was especially important to the transition, says Duggal. “It was helpful for our employees to speak to people outside the Smithsonian. We chose a cross-section of employees, most of whom usually don’t get involved in these types of projects. Booz Allen personalized the interviews to make them effective.”

This staff interaction was valuable in helping the Booz Allen team identify improvement opportunities at the NMAI in three primary areas: Human capital, processes, and organization. For example, the team discovered from the interviews that the NMAI staff wanted a combined set of core values on which the two offices could agree; this recommendation was highlighted in the team’s final report.

Another change opportunity involved streamlining job effectiveness. The staff recognized that a better understanding of their co-workers’ job priorities and requirements would help improve their own job performance. In response to this insight, Booz Allen advised enhancing collaboration and communication among the OMR staff.

The final report was delivered in January 2006. Weston says one outcome of the study was the creation of a solid partnership between the firm and NMAI, into which the team incorporated the firm’s core values, including integrity and trust.

“For example, we explained our objectives to the NMAI staff by telling them what the study was and—more importantly—what it was not. It was an opportunity for the staff to participate in reshaping the structure and direction of the OMR; it was not an attempt to fire employees. We wanted them to understand why we were there and ensure their interests were accounted for.

“It was a very rewarding experience,” he continues. “It’s great to work with clients in a smaller setting, where you really get to know the people you’re helping.”

“Booz Allen provided the expertise we did not have to help us evolve and grow,” says Duggal. “We look forward to working on future projects together.”

story posted April 17, 2006