Cultural Creativity at Work

Green Marketing Myopia

2007-06-21T07:49:00.000-06:00

According to their article, "How To Avoid Green Marketing Myopia," authors note that "Green marketing must satisfy two objectives" which are:

Improved environmental quality
Customer satisfaction (quality, pricing = value)

and that:

"Misjudging either or overemphasizing the former at the expense of the latter is what can be called green marketing myopia."

They advise avoiding green marketing myopia by fulfilling consumer needs and interests beyond environmental benefits.

How to Avoid Green Marketing Myopia
by Jacquelyn A. Ottman, Edwin R. Stafford, and Cathy L. Hartman
MarketingProfs.com

Decision To Buy: What Do We Base It On to Become More Conscientious Shoppers?

2007-05-03T09:44:00.000-06:00

There are three movements in the attempt to do business and buy more conscientiously. Some of these terms and initiatives are often used interchangeably or have various elements in common.

Preliminary Discussion Questions:

What do each of the terms mean to you?
How do you make your buying decisions now?

Here are some resources that address the causes of each:

Locally-Owned Business

(Decision to Buy Based on a Business' Location / Proximity)

Wikipedia: Local Purchasing
Trade Local: "Why Should You Support Local Business?
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies: Local First, Why Local First, and Studies Supporting Local First
StayLocal (New Orleans): Ten Reasons to Shop Local & Reports & Studies on Local Shopping
Sustainable Connections: Top Ten Reasons to Think Local, Buy Local, Be Local
Book: The Small Mart Revolution: How local businesses are beating the global competition, by Michael Shuman
Book: The Case Against the Global Economy -- and For a Turn Toward the Local, edited by Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith

Independently Owned Businesses

(Decision to Buy Based on a Business' Leadership Type, Legal Structure, Dependance on other Entities)

Wikipedia: Independent Business
American Independent Business Alliance: Andersonville Study of Retail Economics
Book: The Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses by Stacey Mitchell
U.S. Department of Labor: Meaning of Independently Owned.
Auto Inc: Body Shops: Independently Owned Dependently Operated" by Ben McNamara

Small Businesses

(Decision to Buy Based on a Business' Size: Number of Employees or Amount of Annual Receipts)

Wikipedia: Small Business
Small Business Administration (SBA): What is Small Business
Book: The Small Mart Revolution: How local businesses are beating the global competition," by Michael Shuman
Book: Globalization of Small Economies as a Strategic Behavior in International Business, by Sergio Castello
Book: Better, Not Bigger, by Eben Fodor

Responsible/Sustainable Business / Socially Responsible Corporation

(Decision to Buy Based on a Business' Values and Actions)

Wikipedia: Sustainable Business
Wikipedia: Social Responsibility (Human and Environmental)
Eco-Wise: Why Buy Green?
CNN: Buying Green: The rise of organic foods, recycled products and eco-friendly ingredients have helped a generation of consumers “go green.'
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR): The Socially Responsible Board" (PDF) by Aron Cramer & Matthew Hirschland, Ph.D.
Economic Footprint: Business & Economic Development" (PDF) : The impact of corporate responsibility standards and practices, by AccountAbility & Business for Social Responsibility (BSR).
British Nuclear Group: Why be a Responsible Business? (PDF) : by Dave Till

Supporting Creative People: The Creative Bill of Rights

2007-03-09T17:09:00.000-06:00

Supporting Creative People

What is the relationship between your creativity and the people you serve?
Do you find that your work environment fosters or inhibits your creativity -- and what do you attribute this experience to?
How do you think others can be supportive -- or more supportive -- of creative people?

Here's one idea:

Creative Bill of Rights by Joan Throckmorton

No creative person shall be denied reasonable access to product, service, market or test information.
Creative people must understand the "big picture" and how the specific assignment fits in.
Creative people need time to work productively...to research, ponder, write, design and revise with perspective. They do not work best under pressure. (No one does.)
All creative people are entitled to working privacy, peace and quiet. (Their work is especially hard on the head.)
Creative people should be given the opportunity to present and explain their own work.
Creative work must be respected. It can be critiqued, criticized and discussed, but only the creator should revise, cut, edit, amend or rework.
Creative people deserve to know - and understand - the results of their work, for better or worse.
Creative people need on-the-job support, encouragement, reinforcement, stroking. (If you present an assignment with enthusiasm, it will be received with enthusiasm.)
Creative people deserve internal recognition as well as rewards for good work. (A sincere compliment does wonders.)
Good pay is even better. (It's hard to overpay a top creative person.) You'll find this out the minute you lose one!

Creativity & the Entrepreneurial Spirit

2007-02-13T17:22:00.000-06:00

I doubt I've ever met an entrepreneur who wasn't also creative. Being able to envision a way out of the rat race alone requires creativity -- not to mention the creativity needed to manifest a new source of income.

But what is the relationship between the Creative Entrepreneur and the Cultural Creative Entrepreneur?

Qualities of an Entrepreneur

Robert T. Kiyosaki, author of Before You Quit Your Job, explores what qualities people need to successfully transition from employee to entrepreneur-- and from entrepreneur to business leader.

Kiyosaki's main ideas are:

A successful entrepreneur finds the right idea, the right people to act on the idea and the right money to leverage the project.
A successful entrepreneur operates from freedom and opportunity rather than security and resources.
The best time to answer the tough questions about starting a business is before starting the business. Some of these questions are:

a. How badly do I want my own business and why?
b. How much will I extend myself to succeed?
c. Am I afraid to fail? If so, how can I make this a strength?
d. Am I willing to educate myself on the essential components of a successful business?

An Entrepreneur Plus Cultural Creative Values = A Social Entrepreneur

Cultural Creative entrepreneurs, more often referred to as social entrepreneurs, are those entrepreneurs who focus on creating innovations and inventions that improve life for everyone.

Bill Drayton of Ashoka, an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting social entrepreneurship as well as transforming the face of social innovation, points out that social entrepreneurs "are not content just to give a fish...or to teach someone how to fish. [Social entrepreneurs] will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."

We could easily say that the social entrepreneur has a bit more to chew than the average entrepreneur: the concern for people, planet and profit.

And yet social entrepreneurs have taken a step in a new direction -- from the non-profit and charitable forms into the commercial sector. Now social entrepreneurs are realizing that it's okay -- nay, preferable to capitalize on their good works.

Profit is one characteristic of a healthy organization because it is the result of
Profit creates an obvious incentive to work and produce.
The commercial sector has more flexibility and agility than the non-profit sector.
Jerr Boschee notes that: "Living from year to year does not ensure the future, and that is the moment when [founders] begin migrating from innovation to entrepreneurship." (Batstone)
Donald Trump believes that charity creates a culture of entitlement.
Robert Harrington: "If you want to help poor people of the world, step one is to make sure you're not one of them."
Molly Gordon: "When we keep our businesses on starvation diets, they present famished faces to the world."

So what's the problem with non-profit?

Paraphrasing Mathew Richter, non-profit creator:

Because there are so many non-profits, there's far less money for individual nonprofits now than there was 30 years ago.
The government requires quantified results vs. qualified results -- prioritizing performance over mission. And this means lots of paperwork.
The nonprofit structure hampers nonprofits' ability to compete with for-profits in the commercial realm. A nonprofit has the same opportunity as a for-profit, but because a non-profit isn't allowed to capitalize, they have to grow the business through programs and fundraising. By the time this happens, the opportunity has passed.

Regina Herzlinger says that neither nonprofits nor government are to be trusted. She writes that "they lack the three basic accountability measures that ensure effective and efficient business operation: the self-interest of owners, competition, and [because of the "decision by committee" structure] the ultimate bottom-line measure of accountability." Everyone and no one is accountable

The 'tyranny' of a board of directors is at the crux of the problem of whether the nonprofit structure works for an organization," continues consultant Claudia Bach.

Share Your Wisdom

How did you start your business?
What internal resources , or qualities, made it possible for you to make it a reality?
What advice would you give other budding Cultural Creative / social entrepreneurs?
What legal status (for-profit or non-profit) is your business and why did you choose that status?

Subject Matter: business wisdom, small business, entrepreneurs, entrepreneur, big business, courage, starting a business, business startup, business start-up, micro business, book report, book review, book summary, book synopsis, book abstract, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Before You Quit Your Job

Management Principles of 3M

2007-02-03T09:10:00.000-06:00

"As our business grows, it becomes increasingly necessary to delegate responsibility and to encourage men and women to exercise their initiative. This requires considerable tolerance. Those men and women, to whom we delegate authority and responsibility, if they are good people, are going to want to do their jobs in their own way.

"Mistakes will be made. But if a person is essentially right, the mistakes he or she makes are not as serious in the long run as the mistakes management will make if it undertakes to tell those in authority exactly how they must do their jobs.

"Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative. And it's essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow."

William L. McKnight, Founder of 3M

Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® from Kouzes and Posner

2007-01-27T13:54:00.000-06:00

Model the Way. Leaders establish principles concerning the way people (constituents, peers, colleagues, and customers alike) should be treated and the way goals should be pursued. They create standards of excellence and then set an example for others to follow. Because the prospect of complex change can overwhelm people and stifle action, they set interim goals so that people can achieve small wins as they work toward larger objectives. They unravel bureaucracy when it impedes action; they put up signposts when people are unsure of where to go or how to get there; and they create opportunities for victory.

Inspire a Shared Vision. Leaders passionately believe that they can make a difference. They envision the future, creating anideal and unique image of what the organization can become. Through their magnetism and quiet persuasion, leaders enlist others in their dreams. They breathe life into their visions and get people to see exciting possibilities for the future.

Challenge the Process. Leaders search for opportunities to change the status quo. They look for innovative ways to improve the organization. In doing so, they experiment and take risks. And because leaders know that risk taking involves mistakes and failures, they accept the inevitable disappointments as learning Opportunities.

Enable Others to Act. Leaders foster collaboration and build spirited teams. They actively involve others. Leaders understand that mutual respect is what sustains extraordinary efforts; they strive to create an atmosphere of trust and human dignity. They strengthen others, making each person feel capable and powerful.

Encourage the Heart. Accomplishing extraordinary things in organizations is hard work. To keep hope and determination alive, leaders recognize contributions that individuals make. In every winning team, the members need to share in the rewards of their efforts, so leaders celebrate accomplishments. They make people feel like heroes.

Submitted by c/o 3M GRIT

Big Business in Local Economy and Sustainability Movements

2007-01-08T02:42:00.000-06:00

In the local economy and sustainability movements, Big Business tends to be villanized. And the view on this judgement is mixed.

Corporate Saint?

Large Corporations provide valuable jobs and charitable services to their local communities. For example, Target offers free and discounted passes to Fine Arts events, making the wonder of art available to everyone, not just an elite few. Should we be looking at what a business is doing instead of how large or profitable it happens to be.

Or Corporate Sinner?

At the same time, consumers are at the mercy of corporate marketing. Giving new meaning to the concept of "buyer beware," shoppers must take special pains to be educated on whether a big business sustainability effort is sincerely apart of that business culture -- and not just a marketing ploy to cover up other irresponsible things they are doing. Walmart, for example, has been the poster child of naughty corporate behavior, forcing small, locally owed enterprises out of business and effectually destroying local economies. This is all while they are promoting organics into their line of fresh produce.

Making the Difference

Luckily, there is a growing market (50M+) of consumers in America who are making the conscious decision to spend their dollars in ways that support their values instead of just their pocketbook. Buying local, buying green and buying sustainably, called "voting with their dollars," is a characteristic of Cultural Creatives, the subculture that has created this market. And they are mighty good at reading the fine print and doing their research -- whether the source of their goods comes from a large or small enterprises.

National Advocacy for Local Economies

Keeping alive the spirit of conscious consuming on a national level are shown in these groups:

LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, a market segment focused on health and fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living, and social justice. LOHAS is known for their industry journal and annual expo. (http://www.LOHAS.com)

BALLE, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, is an international alliance of 42 independently operated local business networks dedicated to building Local Living Economies. (http://www.LivingEconomies.org)

And of course, CCBN, the Cultural Creatives Business Network, sspecializes in bringing Cultural Creatives in business together, i.e. people who care about more than just the bottom line -- to meet, exchange referrals and collaborate toward profitable ends. (http://www.Cultural-Creatives.net)

Other Resources and New Twists on Big Business in the Sustainability Movement

Big Business amd Sustainability: A contradiction in terms? by Timothy
O'Riordan.

Can Big Business Save the World? Discover how people are transforming big
business in order to transform the world by What is Enlightenment Magazine.
This Ring a Nobel? Social and environmental entrepreneurs have a lot to teach big
business By John Elkington and Mark Lee
The Corporation a documentary by Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbot and Joel Bakan
Sustainability is good business by Chris Boyd

Tis’ the Season of Giving -- Back

2006-12-21T23:34:00.000-06:00

From Cone Research:

BOSTON, December 19, 2006 – Tis’ the season of giving -- back. Findings from a nationwide poll to determine Americans’ plans for charitable giving this holiday season show that more than half of Americans intend to purchase a holiday gift that gives back a portion of the proceeds to a cause. Furthermore, with less than 40 shopping days left, nearly six-out-of-ten shoppers aim to support a charity by making gift-giving purchases from retailers that support a philanthropic cause – up nearly 10 percent from 2005. The results of this year’s Cone Holiday Trend Tracker, now in its ninth year, indicate that consumers are looking to Corporate America to provide opportunities that help them do good.

Submitted by Doris Rubenstein of PDP Services.

Word of the Day: "Anthropocentric"

2006-12-07T10:26:00.000-06:00

an·thro·po·cen·tric

Pronunciation: "an(t)-thr&-p&-'sen-trik
Function: adjective

1: considering human beings as the most significant entity of the universe
2 : interpreting or regarding the world in terms of human values and experiences

Word of the Day: "Meliorism"

2006-12-02T00:41:00.000-06:00

Meliorism

mel·io·rism

noun

Definition: belief in progress and improvement: the belief that human society has a natural tendency to improve and that people can consciously assist this process

Speak Your Mind without Burning the Bridge

2006-09-29T13:22:00.000-06:00

Ever found yourself in a situation at work where someone expresses something you'd ordinarily challenge?

Maybe someone tells an inappropriate joke, says something something sarcastic or makes a discriminatory statement about someone of a different culture, race, gender, physical ability or sexual orientation.

Sensing an imbalance of power, do you bite your tongue, or do you say something? What do you say?

Everyone desires a peaceful working environment -- even those who sometimes say insensitive things. Expressing values and sharing ideas in the workplace are inherently political, but bringing in new views are critical to making a better world for everyone. Cultural Creatives are particularly sensitive since they are attracted to and appreciate those people who are different from themselves. Communication and relationships are highly valued.

The good news is that there are communication tools you can use to challenge old ideas that perpetuate injustice and unhealthy behaviors.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't listening very well. Will you repeat that for me, please?"

This statement, useful for "offhand" comments that seem just plain rude, creates a space for the person to become conscious of what they said and how they said it. Also, since we bring our own stories to every conversation, it reminds us to listen with the ear of the heart as well as mind and emotion. We may well have heard something that was different than what the person intended to communicate.

"That is an interesting idea. Tell me more about that."

Separating the person from the idea allows ego to step aside and for true learning to take place. Requesting more information also makes others feel that you are interested in them and that you are genuinely listening.

"Would you be open to hearing another idea?"

Asking permission before sharing your alternative view neutralizes the environment and prepares the other person for something new. The possibility they'll agree to listen is better than 50-50%.

Use the LIC method.

When you have a moment alone with a person, express what you like about their expression, what interests you about their statement -- and then what concerns you.

For example...

L: "Funny joke!"
I: "Where did you get it?"
C: "By the way, I'm concerned how it might have made others feel. May I share something I understand about _____?"

Do you have any ways to gently offer
a new idea when the tension is high?

Share your wisdom!

Please don't forget to become a supporting member of the network. We have put together some ASTOUNDING benefits -- like web hosting and a business note card collection -- that you can use right away...

Cultural Creativity: The New Brand of Esoteric

2006-07-17T21:47:00.000-06:00

03/07/06 00:30

Since the idea of the Cultural Creative inspired this business network, it seemed natural to include the term in the title. Since then, I've found I need to explain everything from the beginning -- the book, the authors, their findings, the value set -- before I can even get to the point of the network, which is to connect Cultural Creatives in business and to explain how building meaningful relationships is at the forefront of our business world today.

It's quite long winded. Especially for those who see themselves falling toward the Modern or Traditional subcultures. The wind typically pays off after my mini thesis. Only in my own circles, I am delighted to learn that someone has actually read the book, Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Chaging the World.
I was grateful to meet Leif Utne, Editor of Utne Magazine (formerly known as the Utne Reader) at our winter networking mixer, who has also struggled with the usefulness of the term. After rebranding their press kit classifying their audience as Cultural Creative, Utne was met with raised eyebrows of advertisers and consequently went back to selling ad space as they always had. He wondered if the Cultural Creatives Business Network, using that term, would really draw Cultural Creatives together.

All I could do was shrug.

I'm quite certain Leif and I share this common wrinkle around Cultural Creatives because the term is so new. Not enough people know about it to use it as a marketing or communication tool.

The National Science Foundation notes that when people use new and emerging terms, they are effectively driving language change:

The vocabulary and phrases people use depend on where they live, their age, education level, social status and other factors. Through our interactions, we pick up new words and sayings and integrate them into our speech..... Some of them spread through the population and slowly change the language. (Mahoney, Nicole. Language and Linguistics, Special Report of the National Science Foundation.)

I agree that the term Cultural Creatives is indeed of little use to anyone. Like an infant, it requires constant nursing to keep it alive. This changes the question from "Should our network use the term Cultural Creatives to express our identity?" to "Are Cultural Creatives in general committed to the idea of the Cultural Creatives subculture? Are we willing to identify ourselves as Cultural Creatives --Are we willing to spend the time to propagandize it as liguistic change requires?"

Only time will tell.

Cultural Creatives in Tampa, Florida

2006-07-17T21:45:00.000-06:00

04/05/06 16:05

While visiting some friends in Tampa, Florida last week, I kept an eye out for evidence of Cultural Creativity. "Artistic" creativity was abound in the small art galleries, but evidence of the Cultural Creative lifestyle was difficult to spot.

At the beach, I enjoyed a bottle of mango spritzer I purchased at a local convenience store selling mostly fresh vegetables. I found myself spinning around like a dog trying to find a comfortble position to park herself. I sorely missed the public recycling receptacles next door to every garbage can -- as I can expect in Minneapolis. My hand hesitated to let it drop in.

Natural beach settings were not as popular as the recreational ones. I'd say that the day's population on Egmont Island, a shelling beach, snorkeling site and location of war ruins was about 1/8 that of the others where retirees, vacationers, honeymooners and locals laid out to bronze themselves in the noontime sun.
The Clearwater area where I lodged and spent most of my time is very much a retirement community. New housing developments are plentiful all over, however, and many of those include track, cookie-cutter-type designs. That's not to say that these homes do not contain Cultural Creatives. In fact, Nelson, one of my two delightful hosts lives in such a retirement community, and I found many aspects of his lifestyle familiar: an interest in the Science of the Mind and expressions of spritituality, his desire to see women empowered, great taste in restaurants, and an open mind.

Lenore, my other host, a singer and storyteller by trade, shared her apartment with my brother and me.
Nelson and Lenore were kindred spirits on this adventure.

Makes me wonder where other Cultural Creatives in Tampa might be hiding...

Socially Responsible Crossroads

2006-07-17T21:43:00.000-06:00

04/13/06 08:54

As I look for goodies to pack into our member benefits, I am finding myself at an interesting crossroad.

One of my goals is to find a wholesaler of webcams and headsets so our Cultural Creatives in business can connect and interact remotely, affordably and conveniently. My first action is to check my member database to see we have a member who already does this, but I found no matches.

I got a cold call one day from a nice gentleman who gave me an excellent price point on a small volume, but I've been holding out for a Cultural Creative to step forward who sells such things.

And this got me questioning my own conscious procurement:

What if the manufacturer were on the up and up -- providing livable wages, using recycled materials, etc. -- but the wholesaleer/distrubuter/retailer was not?
What if the manufacturer who had socially responsible internal practices (volunteering, active in a citizenship program), bought materials or parts from other suppliers that are not socially reposonsible? It's possible that some of those parts are created using a method that might harm our environment or that the supplier did business with sweat shops.
What if I'm presented with a really great product, guaranteed with eco-friendliness and responsible workforce initiatives, but the folks selling the product are operating under a Multi Level Marketing scheme, or some other questionable practice.
How does one determine whether to work with a business if some of the people who work there are behaving conscientiously and others are not?

On what can I base my own conscious buying decision with so many contraditions -- with so profound a crossroad?

How does one really walk away from Omelas?

Recreating Business and a New World

2006-07-17T21:39:00.000-06:00

Cultural Creatives shift the paradigm of business to something the whole world can profit from

(Written for The Twin Cities Green Guide 05/01/06 14:58)

Business has a bad name.

Let’s face it. When we think of business, don’t we imagine stuffy white men in business suits doing whatever it takes to make the extra buck? Don’t we imagine laying off workers to preserve middle management, reducing wages to the point where they can barely sustain an individual let alone a family, dumping waste wherever it’s convenient? When we think of sales, don’t we picture the slick grinning used car salesman who can’t wait to take us for a ride?

There’s a reason we have these images of business in our minds. It’s because this is how business has been done for centuries, even millennia. A new group of consumers and entrepreneurs has been identified who have something different in mind. They’re called the Cultural Creatives.

Paul Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson evaluated American surveys and identified three subcultures: Traditionals, Moderns and Cultural Creatives – and at the heart of these subcultures is a common set of values, or “what would make the world a better place” and result in certain lifestyle characteristics.

In a nutshell, Traditionals are nostalgic of the past, believing we’d be better off with stay-at-home-moms, religion and more conservatism. Moderns are very present focused, engulfed in work-family-work-family-work-family – a sort of non-stop, rigorous attempt to climb the corporate ladder to make their lives more secure with the car, the house, their retirement and material possessions. The Cultural Creatives, while operating in a society dominated by these two lifestyles – and sometimes with one foot still inside one or tiptoeing both subcultures -- are creating a new ways of living: one that is generally more sustainable, healthy, soulful and beneficial to every living thing on the planet.

Paul and Sherry estimate that there are over 50 million Cultural Creatives in the United States alone. That’s over ¼ of our adult population, a healthy slice who live right here in the Twin Cities Area.

And they’re ready to make a difference. Here’s how:

Cultural Creatives are willing to spend more on products and services that are ecologically sustainable.

Cultural Creatives insist on relationships are authentic in all aspects of life: in friendships, at home and at work.

Cultural Creatives emulate and support the more feminine forms in the workplace, such as communication, nurturing and balance.

Cultural Creatives are interested in the big picture of how business is conducted and are not satisfied with the information they see in commercials, in the news or in other popular media.

Cultural Creatives have made the connection between spirituality and their work – which makes them very powerful, influential movers and shakers in the business world.
Contrary to what we have imagined about business, Cultural Creatives are not satisfied with success being measured from the bottom line – but instead, from the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. The sheer size of the Cultural Creatives population has already affected the way we’re conducting business, such that they are both creating socially and environmentally responsible businesses and driving the demand for products and services created by such businesses.

So get ready for some exiting changes. The Cultural Creatives are becoming aware of one another through publications like Yes!Magazine, informational sites like GreenBiz.com and grassroots gatherings like those sponsored by The Cultural Creatives Business Network, the national association-style networking group based on values instead of location, gender or industry.

In the end, the real bottom line is about relationships: between each other, between our planet and ourselves and between our awareness and the choices we make. Our life on this planet depends on it. And Cultural Creatives are going to give their relationships center stage.