The importance of organizational structure: A case study of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra filed for bankruptcy on May 31, 1996. This thesis examines how organizational structure failure combined with a financial crisis resulted in the orchestra filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Information was gathered from interviews with individuals who filled key positions, community members, documents collected from the bankruptcy proceedings, public files of the orchestra, newspaper articles and editorials. Individual roles and responsibilities within the organization were not clearly defied. The Board had not effectively raised funds for several years. Management had constant turnover and long-term goals were sacrificed to simple survival. The Musicians' contract was hopeful; however, community support for the orchestra was severely lacking in terms of ticket income and donations. Changing the organizational structure would have allowed for the open conveyance of innovative ideas in programming and fundraising, creating a support system to the Board's fundraising efforts while allowing for short-term staff vacancies in key positions.