In his recently released book Rise of the Creative Class, author
Richard Florida makes a number of assertions about the powerful
role of “creativity” in today’s economic climate.
In the study, Florida shows how those U.S. cities that have embraced
the “creative class” (scientists, artists, writers, IT
professionals) have flourished, whereas those that relied solely
on “underwriting big-box retailers, subsidizing downtown malls,
recruiting call centers, and squandering precious taxpayer dollars
on extravagant stadium complexes” are decaying rapidly.
Florida’s study is controversial, to say the least. Critics
have been eager to point out its flaws, and I confess that I do
not subscribe to it 100% (though I do recommend that you check out
the book for yourself). Still, the facts seem to support many of
his arguments. Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, San Diego,
Austin and Minneapolis—cities with a high rating on Florida’s
“creativity index”—have been rather prosperous, even
in the face of a declining economy. Conversely, cities with little
creative capital (Detroit, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Providence, Oklahoma
City, Louisville and Memphis, for example) have been hurting economically
for some time now.
Shortly after completing Florida’s book, I noticed a similar
theme in an article about small software companies trying to compete
against Microsoft. The article indicated that while beating Microsoft
is not easy, the software behemoth is capable of being defeated.
The key, says one CEO, is innovation. One of the companies profiled
was Intuit Software (the folks behind TurboTax). Intuit has been
able to outsmart and outpace Microsoft at every step of the game
by taking an innovative approach to its objective. This included
anticipating its customers’ evolving needs and adding new features
to address those needs. The result? In spite of numerous attempts
by Microsoft to break into the market, Intuit today boasts a 72%
market share.
In both of the above instances, there is a tangible correlation
between the creativity demonstrated by an entity and the financial
success that it enjoys as a result. The message seems to be that
when it comes to surviving—and prospering—in a difficult
economy, innovation and creativity are key factors.
When I offered my thoughts on this issue to a colleague, his immediate
reaction was to roll his eyes and tell me how the finishing industry
is “not as exciting” as the software or information technology
industries, and, therefore, is not driven by innovation. I will
concede that to some people—particularly those outside of our
industry—a plating process may not seem terribly exciting.
However, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any room in
our industry for creativity or innovation. In fact, I believe just
the opposite: There is a tremendous wealth of creativity in the
finishing industry waiting to be tapped into.
My challenge to you is this. The next time you are writing a company
brochure, redesigning your corporate web site, entertaining a prospective
client or even planning a company function, consider how you can
inject some innovation into your project. Think of new ways to market
your company’s services on the Internet, or maybe even look
into some guerilla marketing tactics. Explore new ways to overcome
the day-to-day logistical obstacles associated with your finishing
process. In short, try something that you’ve never done before.
Better yet, try something that nobody else has done before.
