5. Turning insight into structure

As I’ve been spending time working through what a credible plan for a new dance development organisation might look like, my focus has shifted from the why to the how. Not in terms of delivery yet, but in terms of structure. What would need to be in place for an organisation like this to operate with clarity, integrity and purpose?

The starting point has been defining a clear mission and vision. This might sound obvious, but it matters more than it often gets credit for. A mission sets out why an organisation exists. A vision describes the change it is working towards. Without both, it becomes difficult to make decisions, prioritise work or explain clearly to others what the organisation is for. Given the complexity of the dance ecology in Liverpool, clarity here feels essential.

Alongside this, I’ve been thinking carefully about values. Not values as aspirational statements on a website, but values that genuinely shape behaviour, decision-making and relationships. The responses through Liverpool Dances were clear about what people want to see more of: transparency, fairness, inclusivity, collaboration and care for artists and communities. Any future organisation would need to embody those values consistently, particularly given the understandable scepticism that exists in parts of the sector.

From there, I’ve started to define what the organisational priorities would need to be. This feels like one of the most critical pieces of work. Priorities help focus energy and resource. They provide a framework against which decisions can be tested. They also act as a safeguard against scope creep, the gradual drift into activity that might be well-intentioned but doesn’t actually serve the organisation’s purpose. Clear priorities also give a board something solid to hold the organisation to account against.

Linked closely to this has been thinking about impact. If an organisation like this were to exist, what difference would it realistically be trying to make? What would success look like for artists, practitioners, organisations, audiences and communities? Starting to articulate intended impacts helps ensure that activity is purposeful rather than busy, and that evaluation is meaningful rather than retrospective.

I’ve also begun sketching out what the core programmes and initiatives might be. Not in fine detail yet, but as outlines that respond directly to the needs identified through the research. This includes thinking about artist development, programming and participation, sector coordination, and how dance connects into wider agendas such as health, education and place. The intention is not to do everything, but to be clear about what sits at the heart of the organisation’s work.

In terms of timescale, I’m increasingly thinking in three-year cycles. A three-year plan feels realistic. It allows space for set-up, testing ideas, learning what works and what doesn’t, and then moving into a more confident delivery phase. It also builds in time for reflection and evaluation, recognising that this work will need to adapt as conditions change.

All of this is happening gradually, and largely in and around my day-to-day work. But progress is being made. I’m working through each section of a business plan carefully, testing assumptions, sense-checking ideas and trying to ensure that what is being developed is thoughtful, grounded and achievable.

There’s still a long way to go. But putting this structure in place feels like an important step in moving from evidence to something tangible, and in ensuring that if this work does move forward, it does so with clarity, intention and care.