Digital Platforms ‘Without a Cause’: Why the Impact on a Museum Organization Should not Be Taken for Granted. The Case Study of Civic Museums in Treviso

Abstract

The impact of digital platforms on different areas of the museum practice has been widely explored in museology. What is less clear is to what extent the adoption of digital platforms is connected to strategic choices and if it leads to organizational transformations. The paper addresses this issue through the case study derived from a project coordinated by the Department of Management, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice at the Civic Museums of Treviso. A qualitative study was implemented to explore the impact of the introduction of new digital practices on how the members of the museums conceive the relationship with audiences, the curatorial function and the predominant museum’s modes. The research outcomes show how the adoption of digital platforms can foster a broad reflection upon the underlying values and beliefs that shape behaviours in museum, but this reflection it is not enough in itself to trigger an organizational transformation.

Keywords: digital platforms, digital practices, museum strategy, organisational change, museum value framework