Q&A talks about forming the creative team of the future with Tim Mullane, regional vice president, The Creative Group in Hartford.
Q: A new research guide from The Creative Group explores key trends shaping the marketing and design fields, and how industry professionals can prepare for and capitalize on upcoming changes. Chief among the findings is creative professionals are playing a more strategic role in their organizations. Why is that?
A: In the current economy, many businesses are having to reinvent themselves and are turning to their creative and marketing teams for ideas and innovative solutions to business problems. They are recognizing that these employees can do more than just develop eye-pleasing designs and catchy ad campaigns. Some firms may be operating with leaner budgets and may be willing to try novel approaches to reach target audience and influence customer attitudes and behaviors. In most cases, they are turning to their creative and marketing teams for these ideas.
Q: What can creative professionals do to play a more strategic role? Do they need education outside their primary field to better fit in?
A: As companies more often turn to their creative teams for help coming up with innovative ideas to solve business problems — like attracting new customers, improving customer service or boosting web traffic — problem-solving skills will become indispensable. Creative professionals who can conduct research, observe and analyze customer behavior, brainstorm multiple options, and weigh choices to determine the best solution to a business problem will be highly sought.
Q: On the flip side, if a non-creative person wants to play more of a strategy role, will it boost career advancement to embrace the creative side? Could this be a way to get ahead?
A: The saying, “Two heads are better than one,” sums it up well. Organizations that tap various functional teams — including creative, IT and human resources — often can deliver more innovative ideas and business solutions. The most successful organizations encourage a democracy of ideas. When people at all levels and departments know that their ideas are valued and respected, it encourages them to do more constructive thinking. Challenging times, especially, call for creative solutions. Creative teams often can provide invaluable insight into current market trends and identify ways to solve business problems at a lower cost or via new methods.
Q: The study also discovered that more than six in 10 survey respondents said they expect creative professionals to work more hours over the next several years. Why is that? Do the hours arise from their increasing responsibilities?
A: Achieving work-life balance is a growing concern for many creative professionals, and rightly so. Several factors — the economy, fewer people doing more work and technology — have created an expectation for work to be completed faster than ever. As such, many creatives may feel the need to put in longer hours or check in constantly to keep projects on track.
Q: Creative professionals expect better opportunities for telecommuting in the near future. Why is that? And, is the creative field lagging behind other professions in this area?
A: Technology makes it easier than ever to work with clients and partners around the globe and allows creatives to un-tether from the traditional office. There are a variety of options to help remote working teams connect. A few examples of free or affordable tools include: Basecamp, a web based project management and collaboration tool; Dropbox, a web-based file-sharing tool; Skype and Yammer, an enterprise social network too.
Q: What will be some ways to improve collaboration among dispersed work teams? What’s going to drive telecommuting success in this field?
A: Fostering a culture of collaboration can benefit organizations by empowering staff to come up with new promotional ideas that set themselves apart from the competition. When employees are empowered to work together — with members both within and outside their department — and come up with innovative ideas, the results can be tangible: company value increases, driving growth and creating the kind of competitive advantage that allows organizations to reach new levels. As more companies provide telecommuting options to employees, and utilize offsite freelancers, maintaining strong team dynamics and effective collaboration will become a priority.
When working with a dispersed team, make sure you follow up in writing. This can certainly help avoid miscommunication on important projects or decisions.
And sometimes, even the best videoconferencing equipment doesn’t let you pick up on all the emotional cues you would in person. It’s a good idea to schedule at least some true face time for relationship building when possible.
