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Diagonal Thinking®: Promoting creative industries to under-represented groups

Hamish Pringle, Director General, IPA

Supporting Creative Industries 08

Liverpool, 22nd April

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Introduction

A case study in progress from ‘Adland’

Potentially applicable to other creative industries

A way to increase diversity of employment

A way to help people self-identify and self-direct

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The Creative Industries

The ‘Creative Industries’ are widely regarded as a key asset of ‘UK plc’ as we move to an economy dependent on intangible more than physical assets

Government’s ‘Creative Britain*’ strategy reports ‘Creative Industries’ as one of UK’s fastest-growing and most important sectors

Potentially key to UK’s long-term economic security

See: *http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/096CB847-5E32-4435-9C52-C4D293CDECFD/0/CEPFeb2008.pdf

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Diffuse criteria

Despite positive context, there are concerns:

The skills required in creative industries are unclear

Many believe that anyone can ‘do’ advertising

Too many students study ‘creative’ or ‘media’ topics, who don’t have the ability to succeed in industry

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Barriers to entry

‘Adland’ has significant barriers to entry by underprivileged but talented people

Relatively low pay compared to other professional services (unless you don’t worry about student debt)

Cost of living, especially in London, (unless your parents or relations already live there)

Hard getting work experience (unless your parents, relations, or their contacts work in the business)

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Limited gene pool

So, very few come from ethnically diverse sectors

In addition the perceived lack of transferable skills and professional qualifications, reduce the attraction of ‘Adland’, especially for ambitious British Asians

There’s evidence of ‘in-breeding’ and a feeling that we’re missing out on some great talent

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Creativity ill-defined

An over-arching problem is that we have failed to define ‘creativity’ in a commercial context

Thus, unlike in other professions, there are few objective criteria for the skills or academic qualifications required

This contributes to the undervaluing of the talents of the people employed in Adland and makes it harder to recruit and retain the necessary talent

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Possible solution

To develop the world’s first test for ‘creativity’ in a commercial communications context

If successful, the mere existence of this test for creativity would demonstrate that special skills and aptitudes are required in our industry

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Possible solution

To develop the world’s first test for ‘creativity’ in a commercial communications context

If successful, the mere existence of this test for creativity would demonstrate that special skills and aptitudes are required in our industry

People from all sorts of backgrounds could see if they have the thinking skills and aptitude to succeed in advertising (and perhaps other creative industries)

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Possible solution

To develop the world’s first test for ‘creativity’ in a commercial communications context

If successful, the mere existence of this test for creativity would demonstrate that special skills and aptitudes are required in our industry

People from all sorts of backgrounds could see if they have the thinking skills and aptitude to succeed in advertising (and perhaps other creative industries)

Recruiters could be more successful in identifying the talent for creative thinking in candidates

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Government acknowledgement

Government’s key strategy document ‘Creative Britain, New Talents for the New Economy’, acknowledged Diagonal Thinking in the context of Commitment 3

“The DCMS will work with its NDPBs, and through them its sectors, to agree actions to promote a more diverse workforce.”

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Diagonal Thinking

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‘Diagonal Thinkers’: hypothesis

People who can oscillate between linear and lateral thought processes

People who often have a combination of arts and sciences in their academic background

People who combine both practical and emotional intelligence

People who think creatively, but commercially

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Diagonal Thinking: hypothesis

LinearThinking

LateralThinking

DiagonalThinking

Artists

Adlanders

Scientists

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‘Diagonal Thinkers’ spectrum

Creative

Planners

LinearThinking

LateralThinking

DiagonalThinking

AdlandersClient service

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Team

John Gage of consultancy, AgencyPeople, and Sarah MacPherson appointed to work on hypothesis validation and test development

V-On appointed to website development

IPA Professional Development / People Management Forum / Creative Forum involved

IPA Secretariat support

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Validation

Initial pilot completed during 2004 small sample of ‘industry exemplars’

positive indications i.e. very high scores on standard industry tests for inductive logic and creative thinking

Tests of cohorts of Account Management, Creative, Account Planning, Media Planning and Media / DM Buying completed during 2005-8

Creative & Cultural Skills match-funded latter stages of research with IPA

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Validation

Over 100 advertising industry luminaries, drawn from five job disciplines in agencies, has been profiled using psychometric tests

Research has validated the hypothesis with average scores being higher than the comparison or norm group score

Results are statistically significant. Sub disciplines, with 20 participants in each, represent a valid recruitment benchmark

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Application

The full Diagonal Thinking appraisal is based on a ‘cocktail’ of established psychometric tests

License fees are required, as is professional moderation and debriefing of candidates

Given the cost, application likely to be limited to graduate recruitment and mid-career hirings

So there’s a need for a low cost or even free application that can be very widely used, including for non-graduate, school leavers

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Diagonal Thinking Self-assessment

Solution is the free on-line Self-assessment

Key deliverable of the Diagonal Thinking project

Enables anyone to see for themselves if they have this special thinking style

Should increase the diversity of applicants

Should manage expectations of ‘creative’ people

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Diagonal Thinking Self-assessment

Critical reasoning (linear) questionnaire after reading passages on every-day occurrences, and answer questions such as: “Can this statement be inferred from the previous passage?”

In the lateral thinking test participants are given scenarios such as: “How would you encourage people to recycle more?’’ and asked to think of as many answers as they can, in a set amount of time.

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Current status

www.diagonalthinking.co.uk holding page Visitors can register for alert when site goes live

Visitors can read further information

Diagonal Thinking Self-assessment live Summer 08 Visitors can see whether they have this thinking style

‘Certificate’ can be printed with scores for CV

Full comms programme to maximise awareness

amongst educational and student communities

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Summary

If successful, we will have created a world’s first

A robust test for ‘creativity’

A basis for widening the talent net

Applicable at graduate and school leaver levels

Potentially a tool for all ‘Creative Industries’

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www.diagonalthinking.co.uk