CONSIDERING THE AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO MEET FLUCTUATING DEMAND
How do you encourage a company with a dangerous dependency on one large client to undertake a complete review of their identity and marketing strategy? Read on
Creative Skill Set 2.4 – Culture Management
Understanding how corporate attitudes and culture influence outcomes
How organisations describe themselves – and the business they believe they are in – has been a topic that has covered many pages of the most respected business books around. Less often discussed, but in our view equally important, is the organisation’s institutionalised attitude towards creativity.
All organisations like to think – and often believe – that creativity is at the centre of their business. Sadly, this is rarely true. While the most senior managers understand the importance of creativity, further down the organisation they fail to understand its relevance. They think of themselves variously as technology companies, retailers, financial institutions or service providers, and it is this misunderstanding that stifles creative entrepreneurship within the organisation.
At Town & Town we help our clients understand the culture within their organisation and its effect on encouraging or stifling creative thinking and entrepreneurship. It is our belief that creativity should be at the heart of every organisation looking to evolve and grow.
Here’s a situation you may find familiar…Culture Management
Creative Skill Set 2.3 – Resource Assessment
Assessing the available resources to meet fluctuating demand
Organisations need to be aware of the capacity of their creative resource. Whether there is a big project in the pipeline, a change in market forces or the impact of new technology to consider, requirements can be subject to rapid change. Unfortunately creative resources, whether internal or external, are not rapidly or infinitely scalable.
We help organisations optimise the creative resource they have and build new capacity where it is needed. When you are planning ambitious expansion, Town & Town make sure your plans are not thwarted by a lack of vital creative resources.
Here’s a situation you may find familiar…Resource Assessment
Creative Skill Set 2.2 – Supplier Commissioning
Refreshing and expanding the supplier base
There is a natural process by which organisations, over time, rely on a smaller and smaller pool of suppliers to service their creative needs. These suppliers enjoy all the benefits of a long-term relationship as well as in-depth knowledge of the client’s products and practices.
We live in such rapidly changing times that this is not always a healthy situation. New minds, new ideas are often required at short notice, which leaves clients little opportunity to try new and untested suppliers.
Setting up a sensible commissioning process that allows new suppliers to be gradually introduced to the client’s products and working procedures has the positive effect of increasing the supplier base.
To ensure that the client is not relying too heavily on a small number of creative suppliers, Town & Town work together with them to make sure that they have an increasing rather than diminishing pool of talented creative resources to draw on.
Here’s a situation you may find familiar…Supplier Commissioning
Creative Skill Set 2.1 – Understanding Creatives
Dealing with environment, leadership and incentives issues for creatives
All organisations depend on their employees working to a common goal and make every effort to provide good leadership, the right tools for the job, and a suitable environment.
Creatives are no different, but not surprisingly they do not conform to the organisational norm. They are not primarily motivated by money; they like a conducive rather than business environment and do not readily accept leadership from those outside the creative sphere.
We help clients make significant improvements in the provision of creative services within their organisation by highlighting the special needs of creative people in the areas of environment, leadership and incentives.
Here’s a situation you may find familiar…Understanding Creatives