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Mass Culture: A Participatory Governance Model in Canadian Arts Research
Case 9 40 2026 001
Case published in the International Journal of Case Studies in Management, Vol. 24, No. 1
Languages : 
  • English
Keywords: 
  • participatory governance,
  • cultural non-profit,
  • cultural charity ,
  • network model,
  • arts management,
  • cultural policy
Year of production : 
2026
Registration date : 
2026-03-16
Teaching notes included : 
Yes
Abstract

The case retraces the individual and collective decisions, as well as the community-engaged processes, that led to the formalization of the national network Mass Culture (MC). MC is a charitable organization dedicated to equitably mobilizing arts research across the Canadian cultural sector. As a value-driven organization, MC’s mandate and programs are rooted in seven guiding principles: mutual respect, access, decent work, reconciliation and relationship-development, relations, stability, and integrity. This case study focuses on MC’s participatory governance structure, including how it was built from the ground up, its membership, and its commitment to occupational diversity and cross-Canada representation. Throughout, the case highlights context-specific resources and constraints, as well as common challenges that cultural organizations in Canada can face when drawing on contemporary management strategies.

Primary domain : 
Management  - Entrepreneurship
Secondary domain : 
Not available
Sectors : 
  • Culture
Source : 
Elsewhere
Type : 
Traditional case (Descriptive or analytical case)
Type of data used in the production of the case : 
Factual data that is not public wherein the identity of the company/person is disclosed
Event location : 
Canada
Year of start of the event : 
2023
Year the event ended : 
Not available
Business size : 
Variable
Teaching objectives
  • Identify and understand the different phases of a nonprofit’s lifecycle based on Susan K. Stevens’s 2001 model: idea, startup, growth, maturity, decline, turnaround, and terminal. Analyze the societal contexts in which decisions were made during MC’s formalization (environmental analysis).
  • Perform a SWOT analysis based on the environmental analysis.
  • Analyze the evolution of MC’s structure and governance through four lifecycle stages.