INTERCOM Publications

Capacity Building — Branding — Fundraising

The project Capacity Building – Branding – Fundraising as Key Leadership Stations Towards Successful Training Programme For Young Professionals was supported by an ICOM Grant for Special Projects. It was led by INTERCOM in partnership with Indonesia Hidden Heritage, Trakošćan Castle, ICOM Croatia, MPR, ICOMON and ICTOP. The partners developed a training model for young museum leaders with the main objective of increasing their professional competencies in today’s demanding and fast-changing environment. The model of training was jointly developed by partners to suit a set of pre-identified needs, and was implemented at the training events with workshops for young museum professionals with the purpose of enriching their knowledge and skills in a simulation of real institutional life. The purpose was to train participants in mapping the main risks in their museum environment and to find appropriate solutions. The project enabled a multifaceted insight into the identified challenges, and the chosen trainers shared their expertise and illustrated examples of good practice.

You can download the publication here.

[ICOM Solidarity Project 2024] Effective Museum Leadership in Mitigating Risks in Conflict and Crisis

We are delighted to present the outcomes of the ICOM Solidarity Project Effective Museum Leadership in Mitigating Risks in Conflict and Crisis. Throughout 2023 and 2024 we have been developing and testing best ways for what are now Guidelines for Developing a Successful Online Director’s Forum for Museum Leaders.

This project, launched in 2023, expanded upon the Director’s Forums and Mentoring programs conducted in 2022-2023, following the insights gained from INTERCOM’s Museum Leadership research (2021-2022). The primary goal was to create and distribute guidelines, templates, and a technical manual to enable National Committees (NCs), International Committees (ICs), and Regional Alliances (RAs) to independently run their own Director’s Forums. These resources were specifically designed to support museum leaders in managing local crises such as war, cultural disruption, and trafficking, as well as global challenges like climate and biodiversity crises.

Please find the guidelines in English, Arab and French language:

We highly recommend also the Online Director’s Forum recording: Effective Museum Leadership in Mitigating Risks in Conflicts and Crisis from 21 May 2024, showcasing a disaster and risk management in case of Franja Partisan Hospital by Miha Kovač, director of Idrija City Museum in Slovenia.

We invite all users to implement these guidelines and share their results and feedback with us. Your experiences and insights are vital for the continued improvement and success of this global initiative.

This is a part of International Council of Museums – ICOM Solidarity Project: Effective Museum Leadership in Mitigating Risks in Conflict and Crisis (2023-2024).

Leading partner: ICOM SEE

Partners: INTERCOM, ICOM ICOM Arab, ICOM Tanzania, ICOM Zambia

Manual of Reputation Experience

Guidelines with workbook sheets and survey research

Manual of Reputation Experience was developed as part of the project Museum Reputation as a Leadership Tool, implemented in 2025 in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Italy under the coordination of ICOM INTERCOM and a wide international partnership. The publication provides practical guidelines and examples for strategically managing museum reputation as a foundation for leadership, public trust, and societal relevance. Drawing on international trainings, mentorship, and expertise, the Manual demonstrates how reputation can drive inclusivity, sustainability, and community engagement in tourism-intensive environments. It highlights innovative models and tools for modern reputation management, offering museum professionals fresh strategies to navigate contemporary challenges and foster positive social change. This guide captures the key outcomes and best practices shaped through cross-border collaboration and positions museums as visible leaders in ethical, relevant, and inclusive cultural heritage management.

The project was supported by the ICOM Special Grant in 2025.

Click on the image to download the complete publication or follow the links below.

Manual of Reputation Experience (complete publication)

Manual of Reputation Experience (Intro)

Manual of Reputation Experience (Appenix 1 / James Heaton / Workshop Contents: Managim Museum Reputation)

Manual of Reputation Experience (Appenix 2 / Cecilia Martin Abad / Workbook: Training Toolkit)

Manual of Reputation Experience (Appenix 3 / Jadran & Stella Antolović / Survey Results)

Museum Leadership in Climate Action (Proceedings of the International Conference)

INTERCOM is thrilled to present the proceedings of the International Conference Museum Leadership in Climate Action. From November 15 to 17, 2023, Paraguay was the site of a historic gathering in the evolution of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), as it hosted a conference organized by four of its international committees: the Committee for Museums and Collections of Archaeology and History (ICMAH), the Committee for Museum Management (INTERCOM), the Committee for Communication, Marketing and Audience Engagement (COMMS), and the Committee for the Training of Personnel
(ICTOP).

You can download the proceedings in English and Spanish version:

ENGLISH VERSION

SPANISH VERSION

Museum Leadership: Taking the Pulse 2021

INTERCOM is thrilled to present results of the Museum Leadership Project supported by the ICOM’s Solidarity Projects scheme through the Strategic Allocation Review Committee. The project was conducted by INTERCOM and partners including ICOM Czech Republic, ICOM India, ICOM Zambia, ICOM SEE and ICOFOM. The report is published in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Arabic). You can download these reports below.

MUSEUM LEADERSHIP: TAKING THE PULSE 2021

LE LEADERSHIP DANS LE CONTEXTE MUSÉAL: ÉTAT DES LIEUX 2021

LIDERAZGO DE LOS MUSEOS: TOMANDO EL PULSO 2021

MUSEUM LEADERSHIP: TAKING THE PULSE 2021_ARABIC VERSION

Leader / Mentor

INTERCOM is glad to present a publication Leader / Mentor : Leadership Alert for Profiling Leaders and Implementing Mentoring in the Museum Sector.

The publication is a result of a project Leader / Mentor aiming to create a framework for training of high and middle management in museums.

To download the publications, click on the link bellow

Leader / Mentor : Leadership Alert for Profiling Leaders and Implementing Mentoring in the Museum Sector