Toxic Work Environments In The Arts: When To Walk Away And When To Stay
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2020-05-28
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MA in Arts Administration
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
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Abstract
This paper examines the characteristics of toxic work environments in the nonprofit arts sector to inform art administrators when they should leave their toxic organization or stay and work for change. Characteristics that make up toxic work environments such as poor board governance, poor leadership skills, and ineffective organizational structure are analyzed within this paper. Components of identity including race, gender, and age are referenced because of the impact they may have on how a person perceives and responds to work-related stress. Although stress is an individual matter, the effects of stress can impact how a person adapts and copes with stress based on his or her identity. For example, minority races including African Americans-Carribeans are more likely to experience stressful events and have a stronger response than Whites (Bhui et al). The findings of this paper conclude arts administrators should carefully evaluate the characteristics that make their work environment toxic and realize how it affects their well-being. Once these impacts are realized, an informed decision can be made.