Since 2000-2001 when the the Internet bubble burst, creative efforts at most corporations have been applied primarily toward cost cutting and retrenching. But these same companies, now lean and flush with cash, are once again ready to invest in growth initiatives. Many corporations are embracing what Business Week magazine calls "The Creativity Economy," with GE and P&G leading the way. Yet some corporate leaders have a heightened sense of caution, citing the way past growth initiatives were quickly jettisoned. To make the right bets this time around will take a solid blend of creativity with a value discipline.
In many organizations creativity and discipline are in conflict. The right approach is to create a virtuous cycle. with a value discipline guiding the creative efforts toward finding more valuable ideas that then feed back into the value discipline.
SDG's presenters Carl Spetzler and Jim Lang, both with substantial experience in all phases of the business cycle, discuss how to overcome the organizational and cultural barriers and build the virtuous cycle that will produce the highest value for shareholders in the years to come.
We welcome as panelist Patrick Whitney, director of the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Prof. Whitney has published and lectured throughout the world about how to make technological innovations more humane, the link between design and business strategy, and methods of designing interactive communications and products. Prof. Whitney joins SDG's CEO, Robin Arnold, on our panel.