This Old House of Worship: St. Anthony Shrine (A)

This multimedia case asks students to consider how leaders of non-profit organizations manage difficult financial, operational, and cultural turnarounds. Since its founding in 1947, St. Anthony Shrine had been a central partner in serving the Downtown Boston community. But in 2002, a steep decline in church attendance seesawed with a growing need to serve the poor and marginalized in the community. The group of Roman Catholic Franciscan Friars, who lived at and managed the Shrine, responded by making a strategic shift from a traditional ministry model to a social service model. However, the decision to focus on social services led to costly programming. After years of accumulated operational inefficiencies, financial missteps, and personnel problems, the friars faced a crisis that required drastic change. In 2013, Father Tom Conway, a Franciscan priest who held Ph.D. in accounting, was appointed the Shrine's new Executive Director. Upon arrival, Fr. Tom confronted a culture of fear that negatively affected the morale of the staff and friars. He also realized that the Shrine’s depleted finances and operational inefficiencies would require bold action to ensure its doors would remain open. The case examines Fr. Tom’s efforts to turn around the finances and operations at the Shrine while also bolstering low employee morale. The case is designed to help students explore how leaders manage a successful turnaround effort. This multimedia case requires minimal pre-class student preparation. In class, instructors show a sequence of video clips, followed by a series of discussions that unfold during the session.