Management solutions for developing institutional culture at higher education institutions in the arts in Vietnam

Abstract

Institutional culture in arts higher education is shaped by creative freedom, professional mentorship, practice-based learning, aesthetic environments, and the transmission of cultural heritage. These characteristics make culture development a distinctive management challenge in Vietnamese institutions specializing in music, fine arts, theatre, and cinema. This article develops a context-sensitive set of management solutions through qualitative documentary analysis and theoretical synthesis. It draws on published scholarship on organizational culture, institutional change, creative climates, disciplinary differences, artistic pedagogy, and communities of practice, alongside the conceptual structure of a Vietnamese doctoral dissertation on management of school culture development in arts higher education. Five mutually reinforcing solutions are proposed: strengthening strategic planning; organizing culture-building activities around artistic creativity; improving leadership direction and coordination; expanding stakeholder participation; and establishing formative monitoring and evaluation. Three synthesis tables clarify the theoretical rationale, implementation responsibilities, and suggested evaluation evidence. The article argues that institutional culture cannot be strengthened by administrative regulation or isolated cultural events alone; it requires an iterative management process that embeds shared values in teaching, artistic production, professional relationships, and institutional communication. The solutions are conceptual proposals for the Vietnamese context, not interventions whose effectiveness has been causally demonstrated. Future research should test their feasibility and outcomes across artistic disciplines and institutional types.