Detroit Institute of Arts
2020 Independent Current and Former Staff Surveys
The former and current staff surveys are closed (as of 11:59pm Eastern September 28, 2020).
The report was released on October 30, 2020 (below).
Fully accessible data sets are available to the public upon request.
Any updates related to the independent surveys conducted by Kate Livingston of ExposeYourMuseum will also be posted here. (Last update: 10-30-2020)
Report Release: October 30, 2020
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A PDF of the final report can be downloaded here.
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Please direct any questions or comments about the evaluation and findings to kate@exposeyourmuseum.com, or contact DIA Staff Action directly at diastaffaction@gmail.com.
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Preliminary Data Release: October 15, 2020
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ExposeYourMuseum LLC was contacted by DIA Staff Action on October 14 and 15, 2020, requesting preliminary data and findings on four specific questions on the current and former staff surveys. This was a request made due to press inquiries.
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The following data should be considered preliminary only, as final analyses are currently underway. A full report and findings are expected before the end of October 2020.
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NOTES:
- Independent staff engagement surveys were conducted September 7 through September 28, 2020
- The data below is divided the data into three subgroups:
1) former staff
2) former staff who worked at the DIA while Salort-Pons was the Director (i.e., those who indicated they left in 2016 or later, rather than having left the DIA prior to his directorship)
3) current staff
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- The four questions were addition survey items from DIA Staff Action, not questions that were included on the 2017 internal DIA staff engagement survey. This was made clear on the surveys and responding to these questions was optional.
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- The n's differ on each of the four questions. Not all respondents answered all four questions. All n's are cited.
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- Due to the n's being very low for former staff responding to Covid-19 related questions, that data is not reported. Current staff data on Covid-19 related questions is reported.
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- The survey of former staff asked them to think about the last year of their DIA employment (unless they were employed by the DIA for less than a year, in which case the survey encouraged them to think about their total time as a DIA employee).
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DATA:
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Question: I (have) had concerns about unethical behavior within DIA leadership.
[Response options: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree]
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Former staff (n=35)
I had concerns about unethical behavior within DIA leadership.
29% (10 of 35) strongly agreed
43% (15 of 35) agreed
23% (8 of 35) disagreed
6% (2 of 35) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 71% (25 of 35)
Combined "disagree": 29% (10 of 35)
Former staff employed while Salort-Pons was Director (n=30)
I had concerns about unethical behavior within DIA leadership.
27% (8 of 30) strongly agreed
47% (14 of 30) agreed
23% (7 of 30) disagreed
3% (1 of 30) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 73% (22 of 30)
Combined "disagree": 27% (8 of 30)
Current staff (n=75)
I have had concerns about unethical behavior within DIA leadership.
32% (24 of 75) strongly agreed
44% (33 of 75) agreed
19% (14 of 75) disagreed
5% (4 of 75) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 76% (57 of 75)
Combined "disagree": 24% (18 out of 75)
Question: I support the way(s) DIA leadership has responded to the recent Whistleblower Aid Ethics Complaint.
[Response options: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree]
Former staff (n=26)
I support the way(s) DIA leadership has responded to the recent Whistleblower Aid Ethics Complaint.
8% (2 out of 26) strongly agreed
8% (2 of 26) agreed
42% (11 of 26) disagreed
42% (11 of 26) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 15% (4 of 26)
Combined "disagree": 85% (22 of 26)
Former staff employed while Salort-Pons was Director (n=22)
I support the way(s) DIA leadership has responded to the recent Whistleblower Aid Ethics Complaint.
5% (1 out of 22) strongly agreed
5% (1 of 22) agreed
41% (9 of 22) disagreed
50% (11 of 22) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 9% (2 of 22)
Combined "disagree": 91% (20 of 22)
Current staff (n=75)
I support the way(s) DIA leadership has responded to the recent Whistleblower Aid Ethics Complaint.
4% (3 of 75) strongly agreed
17% (13 of 75) agreed
45% (34 of 75) disagreed
33% (25 of 75) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 21% (16 of 75)
Combined "disagree": 79% (59 out of 75)
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Question: The accommodations that the DIA has offered during Covid-19 have been [were] sufficient for me personally (e.g., food, schedule flexibility, medical accommodations).
[Response options: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree]
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Former staff (n=3)
The accommodations that the DIA has offered during Covid-19 were sufficient for me personally (e.g., food, schedule flexibility, medical accommodations).
Due to the low number of responses, the data has not been provided.
Former staff employed while Salort-Pons was Director (n=3)
The accommodations that the DIA has offered during Covid-19 were sufficient for me personally (e.g., food, schedule flexibility, medical accommodations).
Due to the low number of responses, the data has not been provided.
Current staff (n=78)
The accommodations that the DIA has offered during Covid-19 have been sufficient for me personally (e.g., food, schedule flexibility, medical accommodations).
17% (13 of 78) strongly agreed
33% (26 of 78) agreed
28% (22 of 78) disagreed
22% (17 of 78) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 50% (39 of 78)
Combined "disagree": 50% (39 out of 78)
Question: During Covid-19, I [have] felt pressured by my supervisor and/or DIA leadership to do additional work (i.e., beyond the scope of my official job duties).
[Response options: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree]
Former staff (n=3)
During Covid-19, I felt pressured by my supervisor and/or DIA leadership to do additional work (i.e., beyond the scope of my official job duties).
Due to the low number of responses, the data has not been provided.
Former staff employed while Salort-Pons was Director (n=3)
During Covid-19, I felt pressured by my supervisor and/or DIA leadership to do additional work (i.e., beyond the scope of my official job duties).
Due to the low number of responses, the data has not been provided.
Current staff (n=76)
During Covid-19, I have felt pressured by my supervisor and/or DIA leadership to do additional work (i.e., beyond the scope of my official job duties).
21% (16 of 76) strongly agreed
29% (22 of 76) agreed
33% (25 of 76) disagreed
17% (13 of 76) strongly disagreed
(Note: percentages above are rounded, so may not sum to 100%)
Combined "agree": 50% (38 of 76)
Combined "disagree": 50% (38 out of 76)
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Below is the statement made (within the surveys themselves) about ExposeYourMuseum LLC involvement and the survey methodology:
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Introduction
The city of Detroit and the people of Detroit matter to me. For a couple of years, I was lucky to call Detroit home. I was a proud Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) member, visiting often. I have many friends and colleagues who have worked at the DIA; several still do. I’ve had small consulting contracts with the DIA in past years, helping with evaluation projects (though none current or pending). I start with this to frame my connection to this project. Detroit is in my heart and I remain attached to the city in many ways, including ongoing partnerships and projects with several area museums.
I was approached by DIA Staff Action (DIASA) in late summer 2020 and asked whether I would be interested in functioning as an independent evaluator, facilitating an external 2020 staff engagement survey for current DIA staff, as well as designing and facilitating a similar survey for former DIA staff. I said yes.
In agreeing to do this work, I have committed to serve as an independent resource and to provide transparent data that I hope will encourage reflection and dialogue. Though approached by DIASA, I am taking no money from any party and am engaging this work without oversight. I have not been pressured or influenced to do this work in any way.
What will ExposeYourMuseum do?
• Serve as a resource by providing an alternative to the internal DIA staff survey process
• Serve as a resource by providing a survey process for former DIA staff
• Conduct this process with transparency--including making the surveys, data, and findings public
While I will endeavor to approach this project with objectivity and report “the facts,” it is critical to acknowledge that just as #MuseumsAreNotNeutral, evaluation is not neutral. No one is without bias or completely impartial. As such, I welcome additional evaluators’ review and analysis of the data and findings following the completion of these surveys. While personal information will be redacted, survey questions and anonymized data will be publicly available.
I believe in the power of evaluation to inform decisions, however I also know data can be--and often is--used to manipulate and misinform. I can only hope all receivers of the data resulting from this project will interpret and apply the results ethically.
What will ExposeYourMuseum NOT do?
• Compel any person (i.e., current or former DIA staff members) to complete a survey; participation is voluntary and optional
• Give preference to any person, organization, or group when distributing survey results; results and data will be publicly available
• Make recommendations based on the resulting data
A summary of survey findings and complete data sets will be published on the ExposeYourMuseum website: https://www.exposeyourmuseum.com/dia2020.
It is anticipated that survey results will be available by the end of September 2020, however please check the link above for updates and information.
Methodology
The 2020 independent staff surveys replicate a survey that, to the best of my knowledge, was developed, distributed, analyzed, and reported internally to the DIA--last utilized in the summer of 2017.
I have not altered the questions from the internal DIA staff engagement survey. The wording, response scales, and order remain identical to the 2017 survey shared with me (via DIASA). This direct survey replication is meant to enable the collection of comparable data now to that of the internal responses received in 2017. That said, the survey I have designed is available online only, utilizing the Typeform survey platform. As such, there may be minor differences in formatting and design.
In addition to the replicated survey questions from 2017, DIASA has requested the inclusion of additional questions they believe are important and relevant. I have noted the point in the surveys where these questions begin and attempted to clearly delineate them from the questions developed internally at the DIA. While I have made edits to question wording based on my expertise in evaluation, including attempts to ensure all questions do not lead or bias respondents, it should be noted that these questions were created by DIASA.
It should be noted that the 2020 independent DIA staff engagement surveys are available online only and in English only.
Risks of Participation
Your privacy is of great importance to me and I will do everything I can to safeguard it. While your personal information (i.e., name and email) will not be shared, it’s important to point out that responses to this survey are not fully anonymous nor confidential. Requiring respondents’ names and emails is a necessary step to help verify that they are indeed current or former staff members of the DIA. While this cannot 100% guarantee verified responses, it will aid in ensuring true employee responses and no more than one response per person. As soon as responses are received and verified for authenticity, responses will be exported from the survey software into a spreadsheet with no names or emails. The original responses will be deleted so that not even I have access to that information.
While the majority of questions on the surveys are close-ended (e.g., multiple choice), there are a few open-ended questions where respondents are invited to type in their answers. These responses will be shared publicly (at the website referenced above) and, as such, there is a possibility that respondents may be identified. This is particularly a risk if respondents choose to incorporate identifying information (e.g., a detail or event that applies only to them). I will attempt to delete any and all information I feel may identify individuals out of the data before it is made public, but it is important to note that open-ended questions should be completed with caution.
By completing this survey, you are agreeing to indemnify and hold harmless ExposeYourMuseum LLC and Kate Livingston from liability, loss, cost and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) that may incur from participating in this survey.