How to navigate the tough business of creativity?
Selling creativity can be tough. Especially when you are trying to seal a deal with a risk-averse company. That is, a staggering majority of business folks out there. For analytical minds, creative often means a gamble. Whereas a usual business opts for predictable outcomes instead. The lesser risk, the better. It’s like an algorithm – of high probability, proven and refined by years of practice. A virtuous circle for some, right?
Might be, unless you are in an industry – or a point in history – where it’s the disruption that determines your future. And any circle means you are simply in a loop, from which you need to desperately break free. Then, creativity appears to be your odds multiplier. Your enabler of exponential growth. An ultimate differentiator. It may take various forms though, be it an innovation, a spark of inspiration or just simply going against the norm. No matter what, creativity is the quality of doing things differently. In a surprising, fresh and inspiring manner.
The power of bigger picture
For this to work, we have to really understand the broader context in which we are operating at any given time. In the times of rapid change, disruption, name it a revolution – the call is to depart as far as possible from the status quo, and also make this change stick. That is, to conduct it in a sustainable way. And you won’t make the right kind of impact without a truly creative approach. Creative means groundbreaking, in this case.
What seems to work for the times of peace, may not work equally well for the times of war.
At later stages, needs evolve into optimisation and stabilisation, and so changes the role of creativity. Yes, that’s the evolution phase. Think of improvements. One may also call it a predictability or optimisation phase. Lastly, when things begin to stagnate – then is the time to challenge the status quo and reboot the whole machine again. To awake the disruptive monster of creativity. Yay!
Right time, right place
What seems to work for the times of peace, may not work equally well for the times of war. Sometimes this means adjusting the mindset, re-skilling or even deeply re-structuring an organisation. Usually we’ll see a mix of all these, depending on circumstances. The key is to understand where we are in the broader socio-economic context – and what needs to happen for us to succeed. Awkward as it sounds, a success might be to close a business down. For others it might be to transform whole organisation or re-model a certain process. Or, potentially, it could be to maintain the status quo in order to maximise profitability over time. During times of rapid change, the disruptive creative types are most valued. For the times of stability, more of a structural creativity comes in handy.
Still, you may need a dreamer type of creative to deliver the exploration phase of a project, while in its mature phase you’d benefit from a pragmatic type.
Right time, right place, wrong people?
Well that is possible indeed, although it’s not solely about the people. Individuals or teams dynamics can vary a lot, depending on many internal and external factors. The common denominator is, however, that if an organisation truly understands its position and situation on the market, it’s a matter of good management to appoint the right people to do the right job.
There is no single recipe for a successful team, but we can always adopt some good practices. When studying the most successful cases, you’ll come across radical transparency, OKRs, purpose-driven mentality and the likes. Although none of these can guarantee a spectacular success alone, they can greatly increase one’s odds. And of course the best results are delivered by fairly diverse teams. Sometimes a dream team would consist of Art Director & Copywriter. While in other situations, it may be Engineer, Product Manager & Head of Innovation. Although we may be tempted to double down and put several equally brilliant Creatives in one team, it’s unlikely that we’d achieve groundbreaking results with just that. It still takes a proper personality profiles matching and clearly defined responsibilities. Finally, you may as well find a unicorn if you’re lucky!
The takeaway
With all creative endeavours always comes some degree of uncertainty. Is it good enough? Is it really creative or still just a promising draft? Would this work? As perception is subjective by its very nature, it’s paramount to determine clear objectives and ensure that creativity is applied, not wandering. Still, you may need a dreamer type of creative to deliver the exploration phase of a project, while in its mature phase you’d benefit from a pragmatic type. Remember that creativity comes in many flavours. And its up to creative managers to unlock the truest potential of a team. The rebels, the long-distance runners, the bright stars and the playmakers. All creative, yet in a different way.