Participatory management in a family-run traditional music enterprise: the case of rumah sasando
-
Published: September 28, 2026
-
Page: 1945-1965
Abstract
Traditional art and cultural groups across Indonesia face three simultaneous pressures—modernization, the younger generation’s reluctance to continue the work, and shifting market conditions—that together erode intergenerational transmission, while most such groups still lack formal organizational structures. This study examines Rumah Sasando Oebelo, a family-run traditional music group in Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, to answer two questions: (1) how participatory management, in which all members jointly participate in decision-making, is implemented in practice, and (2) how this collective, deliberative model relates to the group’s dual goals of cultural preservation and economic sustainability. The study uses a qualitative case study design (Creswell & Poth, 2018; Yin, 2018), drawing on in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document review with four purposively (criterion-based) selected informants directly involved in community management. Data were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldãna’s (2014) condensation-display-verification model together with thematic analysis, and trustworthiness was supported through source and method triangulation. Findings show that (1) participatory management is advanced almost entirely through internal family deliberation with no reliance on formal management systems; (2) the group operates a voluntary, non-fixed-fee donation model consistent with the gotong-royong principle; and (3) partnerships with government, academic, and civil-society actors have strengthened production and marketing capacity without displacing the family’s core decision-making authority. The study contributes an empirical account of participatory governance in an informal, kinship-based cultural enterprise, extends participatory-governance theory to this underexplored context, and offers a replicable model for other family-run traditional art groups seeking to balance cultural preservation with economic viability.
- Participatory management
- Traditional performing arts
- Community-based cultural heritage
- Cultural sustainability
- Family-based governance

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Arnstein, S. R. (1969). A ladder of citizen participation. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35(4), 216–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944366908977225
- Azka, S., Dadan, S., & Windiasih, R. (2025). Strategi pelatihan dalam program pemberdayaan pada Sanggar Seni Kaloka dalam melestarikan seni tradisional melalui pendekatan partisipatif di Kabupaten Pemalang. Jurnal Abdi Masyarakat Indonesia, 5(4), 1415–1422. https://doi.org/10.54082/jamsi
- Baltazar, J. R., Fernandes, C. I., Ramadani, V., & Hughes, M. (2023). Family business succession and innovation: A systematic literature review. Review of Managerial Science, 17(8), 2897–2920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-022-00607-8
- Berrone, P., Cruz, C., & Gomez-Mejia, L. R. (2012). Socioemotional wealth in family firms: Theoretical dimensions, assessment approaches, and agenda for future research. Family Business Review, 25(3), 258–279. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894486511435355
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
- Chambers, R. (1994). Participatory rural appraisal (PRA): Analysis of experience. World Development, 22(9), 1253–1268. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-750X(94)90003-5
- Cornwall, A. (2008). Unpacking ‘participation’: Models, meanings and practices. Community Development Journal, 43(3), 269–283. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsn010
- Cornwall, A., & Jewkes, R. (1995). What is participatory research? Social Science & Medicine, 41(12), 1667–1676. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(95)00127-S
- Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
- Dalal, A., Bhattacharya, S., & Chattopadhyay, S. (2024). Hurdles to handicraft marketing for artisan entrepreneurs in an emerging economy. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 31(1), 74–94. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-04-2023-0155
- Fung, A. (2006). Varieties of participation in complex governance. Public Administration Review, 66(s1), 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00667.x
- Gwerevende, S., & Mthombeni, Z. M. (2023). Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage: Exploring the synergies in the transmission of Indigenous languages, dance and music practices in Southern Africa. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 29(5), 398–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2023.2193902
- Harisman, Kamaruddin, S. A., & Adam, A. (2024). Adaptasi dan inovasi komunitas pembuat perahu tradisional Phinisi di era modern. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 8(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v8i2
- Hurtado, M. (2017). Cultural sustainability and community arts development. Journal of Arts & Communities, 9(1), 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1386/jaac.9.1.23_1
- Jenkins, H., Ito, M., & boyd, d. (2016). Participatory culture in a networked era. Polity Press.
- Jones, K. E., Van Assche, K., & Parkins, J. R. (2021). Reimagining craft for community development. Local Environment, 26(7), 908–920. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2021.1939289
- Kim, J.-Y., Natter, M., & Spann, M. (2009). Pay what you want: A new participative pricing mechanism. Journal of Marketing, 73(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.73.1.044
- Kuppuswamy, B., & Narayan, P. (2010). Community participation in arts management. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 16(3), 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286630902935118
- Mahmood, S. (2005). Politics of piety: The Islamic revival and the feminist subject. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400828993
- Mansuri, G., & Rao, V. (2013). Localizing development: Does participation work? World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-8256-1
- Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldãña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
- Mosse, D. (2001). ‘People’s knowledge’, participation and patronage. Progress in Development Studies, 1(1), 16–35. https://doi.org/10.1191/1464993401ps013ra
- Natonis, R. J. I. (2016). Analisis manajemen pemasaran rumah produksi dan promosi alat musik tradisional Sasando. Tata Kelola Seni, 4(2), 84–94. https://doi.org/10.24821/jtks.v4i2.3085
- Natonis, R. J. I., Hartono, & Bin Saearan, M. F. T. (2024). Preserving cultural heritage through Sasando performance art management. Gorga: Jurnal Seni Rupa, 13(2), 475–480. https://doi.org/10.24114/gr.v13i2.59499
- Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y
- Paramita, A. O., Partelow, S., Schlüter, A., & Buhari, N. (2023). Can the Indonesian collective action norm of gotong-royong be strengthened with economic incentives? Comparing the implementation of an aquaculture irrigation policy program. International Journal of the Commons, 17(1), 462–480. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijc.1273
- Pretty, J. (1995). Participatory learning for sustainable agriculture. World Development, 23(8), 1247–1263. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-750X(95)00046-F
- Puspitasari, I. A. (2025). Transformasi pengelolaan seni tari klasik Yogyakarta: Studi kasus Krida Beksa Wirama dalam menjaga tradisi di era modernisasi. [Source publication details not fully specified in the thesis literature review - verify before use]
- Richards, G. (2018). Cultural tourism: A review of recent research and trends. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 36, 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.03.005
- Ruastiti, N. M. (2018). Pendekatan implementatif partisipatoris pada Davedan Show Bali. Mudra: Jurnal Seni Budaya, 33(3), 345–356. https://doi.org/10.31091/mudra.v33i3
- UNESCO. (2003). Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. https://doi.org/10.54677/CFHG5707
- White, S. C. (1996). Depoliticising development: The uses and abuses of participation. Development in Practice, 6(1), 6–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/0961452961000157564
- Yadav, U. S., Tripathi, R., Tripathi, M. A., Ghosal, I., Kumar, A., Mandal, M., & Singh, A. (2023). Digital and innovative entrepreneurship in the Indian handicraft sector after the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), Article 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-023-00337-5
- Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.
- Zhou, W., & Xu, T. (2024). Democratic governance, kinship networks, and entrepreneurial development: Evidence from rural China. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 48(2), 645–674. https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587231190732