Do Talented People Need the Organization?

Dan Pink, author of A WHOLE NEW MIND, recently shared his perspective with Advertising Age (Sept 11 issue) on creativity. He touches upon lots of interesting issues, but I found the most interesting to be his perspective on the challenges advertising/marketing agencies are facing in hiring talent that is skilled with both left-brained acuity and right-brain ingenuity. Here's the snippet I found interesting ...

AD AGE: So you say people are being trained in the right-brain, creative skills, yet every marketer and agency I speak to is struggling to find talent that has a sufficient mix of left and right brain to thrive in the businesses we cover. Why?

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DAN PINK: ”That big agency or marketer needs you a lot more than you need them. I mean, what do you need now to reach potential clients? A phone, a computer with an Internet connection. Karl Marx said the revolution would come when workers can own the means of production.

Well, you know, now workers own the means of production.

Marx was thinking of factories, which are too large for one person to purchase. But he was sort of right, because if the means of production are your brain and your computer, you don’t need an organization. It’s cheap enough for one person to buy, easy for one person to operate and small enough for one person to house.

Maybe that explains the talent shortage. Talented people don’t necessarily need the organization.”

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Dan’s right. Given today’s environment where tools are inexpensive and widely available, the organization needs talented people more than talented people need the organization. Well said Dan … well said.

Comments

[Tim]

Great point. Ad agencies also need to open their minds a bit. I say this as an account person who is "in transition." I have experience working for a client who is a retailer and experience with home improvement products. I've also worked for a couple financial service clients. I have interviewed at a couple agencies for work on a food and beverage account and also for a B to B client. Time and time again I don't get hired because I don't have specific experience for that type of client. I think it is a shame that these agencies overlook applicants who have extensive marketing experience, but not specific for a client they have. I think in a lot of cases, these agencies need a fresh perspective.

[Lewis Green]

Great point of view. I can't speak for others but I love competing against the bigger firms, and am quite successful at it. Why? My little firm is flexible, quick to adapt, treat every client as if they are our only client, selective in our client base, and, most important, we attract very smart people, often entrepreneurial consultants, from both-sides-of-the-brain-aisle, to serve our clients when we can't do it ourselves. These consultants love to work for me because it is part-time, they can work out of their own space, and they are encouraged to take responsibility for client results. Furthermore, their ability and drive to achieve measurable client goals determine whether I use them in the future. This virtual approach is great for my brand, because we match consultants to our clients wants, needs and desires, both intellectually and emotionally. What could a big firm or agency offer any of us?

[J.T.]

Here's another viewpoint on the matter, spurred by today's post.

http://thunderawesomeboom.blogspot.com

[Steve Woodruff]

We live in a great day, when the tools truly are readily available to allow creativity and hard work to flourish without (necessarily) a large supporting organization.
This point is well made in a book I've recently read called Go it Alone (Bruce Judson) - reviewed on my blog here:
http://brandimpact.wordpress.com/2006/10/12/go-it-alone-book-review/