Nurture a creative culture: Print 21 magazine article

Creativity and innovation play a vital role in the print industry where ideas, technology and processes fuse together to produce an array of attractively printed products. But creativity is not just about making things look good - it's also about the culture of the workplace, as Joan Grace outlines.

Creativity weaves its way through the fabric of the print industry in many ways. Printers give substance to creative concepts and ideas, so that people can pick them up, admire them, carry them around and refer back to them. Getting that 'substance' comes from having people who have the skills to listen to the 'creatives' and convert the ideas to reality.

When it comes to creativity, design tends to spring to mind first. A strong design concept can make or break a product. Design and innovation are a strong underlying current in the print industry, often visible in promotional material and packaging used to promote Kiwi products in New Zealand and abroad.

Creativity is not just design though. It is also about a culture that wants to push a business up the value chain. In today's competitive market, cutting-edge technology is not enough. It takes creativity from the production floor up to management to think of ways of adding value for the customer. It may be through streamlining processes, offering online services or other ways to differentiate their business and provide superior customer service. Thinking of and implementing creative ideas into a business is becoming far more effective than competing on pricing only.

Look on the bright side
Optimism goes hand in hand with creativity. If you really want people in the workplace to look at ways the business can change what it does, they need to see a reason for doing it - to see a future for their ideas. Recent PrintNZ Survey results highlight this, with the same topics being listed as both opportunities and threats.

For example: digital technology - if you see it as an opportunity, you will ask how to take advantage of this technology, with questions such as: what can this technology do differently to that currently in use, and what new things can we provide for our customers? If the same digital technology is seen as a threat, the questions are more likely to include: why is digital eroding our customer base, and how can I stop this?

Skills training also came up as a threat and an opportunity in the PrintNZ Survey results. Opportunists are likely to question how training can boost their business performance. They might also ask:

* What skills do my staff need to help grow the business?
* What technology do we have that our staff could gain formal qualifications in?
* How can I take advantage of what is on offer and the Government's push for industry training?

On the other hand, if skills training is seen as a threat, the questions are likely to be:

* Why can't I find a skilled tradesman?
* Why should I bother to train?

The opportunities are more creative.

NZ better by design
The New Zealand Government is keen to support creative, innovative businesses, in particular those looking to export their products.

In 2003, the Government set up a Design Taskforce to develop a strategy to help boost economic growth for New Zealand through the better use of design by exporters. The Design Taskforce report, Success by Design, published in 2003, made an array of recommendations to help New Zealand businesses become more design-capable. This was backed by a Government-approved $12.5 million budget over four years, and the establishment in 2004 of a Better by Design team tasked with delivering the programme and promoting the strategy to export-focused businesses and the design community. Further information and case studies on several innovative Kiwi businesses make interesting reading on the Better by Design website <www.betterbydesign.org.nz>

In conclusion, here is a quote from the American management guru Tom Peters, who spoke at the Better by Design 2005 conference: "New Zealand will survive by making cool stuff - not the same crap they make in China which they can make cheaper."

I am positive this industry can do it.