Going forward, NÖKU Group will increasingly define itself through the artistic and scientific content promoted by its institutions. Economic and organizational professionalism are basic prerequisites that are taken for granted and continually optimized through internal processes, but need no longer to be stressed in external communication.
Following a phase in which NÖKU Group has primarily focused on economic management by way of guidelines and standards, we are now working mainly towards a deliberate, concerted, and sustainable content-related management of NÖKU Group and, thus, of the artistic or scientific core content of our enterprises. The focus is now set on the further development of NÖKU Holding from an investment, service, and financial holding towards a strategic content-guided as well as partly operational management holding, which will continue to provide select functions as a service provider for our subsidiaries.
The separation of the three central functions of NÖKU Holding is an essential prerequisite, it must thus be communicated and made transparent accordingly:
- Content-related management
- Economic management and policy-making power
- Functioning as a service provider
The roles of the state of Lower Austria and NÖKU Group are well understood and clearly laid out, as are the definitions of the corresponding interfaces.
The big picture – NÖKU Group’s strength in content
The broad range of artistic, cultural, and scientific content is cultivated as a strength, it is clearly emphasized and utilized. In times of continually and rapidly changing parameters, the diversity and heterogeneity of NÖKU Group on the level of content becomes an essential value. The whole is of greater strength and importance than the sum of its parts.
This requires that NÖKU Group develops to become a vibrant community, buoyed by a common outlook and common values (culturally and socially influential, challenging, invigorating, and communal).
The aim is to both press on with the promotion of individual institutional brands and clearly identify, establish, and systematically work on strategic content-based cooperations, development of formats, and fields of art. Content-related management is conducted in accordance with yet-to-be-defined quality criteria and subjected to continuous reflection with a view to national and international high-profile projects. Every artistic and scientific brand builds a unique selling proposition for itself, becoming a reference point in its own field. The now targeted content-related objectives and measures become clearly visible and tangible to the outside world.
Of course, in the background the process of optimizing services provided by NÖKU Holding as well as consistent implementation of reasonable guidelines and standards must continue.
Cross-regionally and internationally relevant content and regional anchoring are not a contradiction, rather, they are mutually dependent. Due to Lower Austria’s geographical location, this must be understood in a larger and cross-borders context (from a Central European perspective).
NÖKU Group produces and presents state-of-the-art projects with artistic or scientific content and a clear focus on social and education policy. In doing so, it intends to stimulate reflection on societal and artistic or scientific developments and give visibility to historical points of reference. In order to develop artistic and scientific innovations, the requisite conditions for fields of experimentation and lab situations must be provided. This is about essentially new approaches and groundwork that is not directly aimed at concrete results and applicability. Risk on the level of content and the possibility of failure are part of the rationale.
Aside from the presentation and competent communication of top-notch artistic, cultural, and academic projects, NÖKU Group also aims to provide a basic framework for genuine artistic activity and develop new, distinct formats. What is envisioned here is creating for our visitors an overall experience that spans artistic, scientifically relevant, and social engagement (for all the senses).
Special attention is paid to the strategic subjects of art, culture, and scientific education in a broad sense as well as audience development and active sales activity.
NÖKU Group as a cultural service organization thrives, above all, on its highly educated and trained as well as motivated employees. In the spirit of a contemporary employer branding and as an important employer in eastern Austria, NÖKU Group therefore strives to meet the expectations of its employees as best it can.
