How Can Creativity in the Clothing Industry Be Measured - Coursework Example

Introduction Clothes are important products that are sold in the market and they represent cultures, wealth and artistic designs of people in the different parts of the world. They change as the world changes so as to meet the different needs of the customers in the market. This sector contributes to the wealth, employment and social relations in different parts of the world. Creativity in the clothing industry is paramount as competition is very high as it requires that designers to set themselves above their competitors. It must be emphasized that creativity starts right from the person who designed the clothes to the person selling the products at the retail level. Creativity in Business Context. Creativity requires that a person turns any imagined idea into reality through the process of thinking about the idea and then producing a tangible product that will be highly admired by the final consumers thus generating sales revenue for the company. For someone to emerge creative then one should be very passionate about the idea that they possess and then put on a lot of commitment to the idea so that it cannot fail in the future. Once the product is made then the maker is considered to be creative and is considered to have the ability to stimulate and generate more ideas in the market. Stocks in the clothing industry The clothing industry is involved different kinds of activities such as manufacturing and treating materials that are used for making garments for any organization in this industry. The different kind of product manufactured involves; hosiery that is socks and tights, knitting and making of inner and outer garments. It has been observed that labor costs and inflation can highly contribute to poor performance of a company and eventually affecting the revenue generated by the industry. During the 1980s Italy recorded a high rate of clothes production which led to the fragmentation of the clothing and textile industries. The rate of production of clothes was quite high leading to an introduction of the different kinds of technologies that were introduced in order to solve the problems of stock levels within the industry. The Electronic Point of Sale System (EPOS) is system that allowed the users to monitor stocks levels and the fast selling goods in the market as it was efficient and precise in its operation. The clothing industry is faced with many different kinds of problems such as low sales volume and low wage rates for the workers leading to a high labor turnover as most people cannot meet their basic needs. The industry employs women to undertake tasks within the industry. It has been noted that women have many responsibilities such as caring for their children therefore may not perform well within the clothing industry hence low sales for the organization. The environmental conditions within the company may not be favorably to the workers and therefore employees may not perform perfectly in the tasks assigned to them. The industry is too detailed and therefore requires close attention and monitoring, but the employees are paid on the basis of the pieces of materials they have prepared within a specified period of time and this demoralizes the employees as they cannot meet their basic needs within the stipulated period of time. Employment in this industry is seasonal since it changes as fashion changes therefore the old stock of the industry may tie up cash due to this situation. The low wages of the industry has been as a result of its production of small amounts of commodities to meet the needs of its people at the appropriate time. Another major problem that the industry faces is that of lacking the necessary raw materials for their industry. In case the industry does not have enough raw materials then no production can take place in the sector. Lack of enough stock to supply leads to low sales volume and bad reputation as suppliers and customers seek for alternative areas and organizations where they can supply and gain products to supply for their customers. The stock levels of the clothing industry are determined by how well its employees perform their activities. In case the production rate is high thus the stocks levels increase but if the rate of production is low then the stocks levels may be low. The management of the industry should place measures aimed at ensuring that the right qualified person are employed so that they can undertake tasks assigned in the right manner. They should also motivate their employees by giving them good remuneration in order to perform their tasks in the right way (Turner, pp.67-78). In the clothing industry creativity can be achieved when people understand that fashion keeps on changing thus the industry should meet the demands of their customers. Designers must therefore see the world as fast changing, they must be able to find new things, connect things that seem to have no correlation and eventually generate an item that is appealing to the end user. If the designers and tailors are catered for properly and given a good environment in which to carry out their activities then their skills can turn around the fortunes of the industry. The management in clothing industry can try and maintain their workforce to overcome the problem of labor turnover through creating work shifts whereby the workers do not stay in the workplace for a long time thus allowing other employees to come in to take up their duties and responsibilities. They should also identify potential local raw material that can be used in their industries instead of importing from foreign countries where the suppliers may take longer than necessary to deliver the raw materials. How to encourage creativity The top leadership must encourage their employees and staff to be creative by allowing them to be independent thinkers .The top leadership should not always be the ones who come up with new ideas instead they should allow the lower cadre of employee to be actively involved in the running of the company so that they can generate new and innovative ideas. The top managers should not just say no to an idea just because the idea came from the lower cadre employees but in fact such interaction should be embraced by all parties involved in the industry. People should have a specific purpose or objective they would wish to accomplish .The players in this industry must have the basic stock levels they would want to achieve so that they can work towards achieving that level. For example in the clothing industry a designer may want to be the first person to come up with a unique style that nobody else has hard before and therefore with that in mind then one in able to focus on bringing out the best in them by generating a new idea (Turner, pp.67-78). People should be encouraged to be risk takers as the higher the returns and their likelihood that one is likely to be creative. The management should be well aware that once an idea is generated it can either be a failure or a success .In case the idea becomes a failure then they should be able to tolerate the final outcomes without having to victimize the person who came up with the idea. People should not wait to see what their competitors are doing so that they can take on their ideas but they should take the risk of trying out the idea. Proper and open communication must also be encouraged amongst employees so that people are able to speak out on their intentended actions. A high level of mutual respect and trust must be developed so that people are able to communicate freely on the viability of the generated idea. Confidence is an ideal characteristic of people who want to be creative. A person must be able to believe in themselves and later take on their idea with great expectations that it will succeed in the market Diversity is another aspect that should be encouraged amongst employees. People are different and they come from diverse background and it is therefore paramount that the senior managers should be able to allow the employees to generate their own ideas in their own way. The top leadership must also be at the fore front of rewarding and motivating employees who show creativity in their work either monetary wise or in kind depending on what they think is best for their employees. By rewarding the potential employees then they encourage them to bring out the best in them thus generating new ideas Developing Creativity A change in our cultural behavior is one important step in developing creativity. Most people believe that certain things can only be done by certain individuals who have inborn inherent abilities but this is not the case .People who have those notions can change their beliefs and be able to become more creative (Robert Epstein, 1996). Proper training for leaders, employees and the top management can also assist people in being creative. Courses in design thinking will help most people overcome obstacles that hinder them from being creative. Research has shown that the more one is trained and the more training one is exposed to then the more one is likely to be more innovative. Barriers to creativity Most people are not able to generate new ideas because they think that a good idea has to be very new but the truth is that one can use pieces of materials and information from other people creation and combine them creatively so that they can come with something different. For example in the clothing industry one can use different patterns and styles from different designers to come with a pattern that looks novel. Therefore one becomes creative depending on how they combine the different patterns. People have a tendency to value only big ideas ignoring the fact that even small ideas can generate things even beyond our wildest imaginations. Our. It is imperative that we should pay attention to even small ideas as they make us go a step further in realizing our dreams. Egoism and fear are also barriers to being creative. As human beings most times we are intimidated by new ideas especially if we are not able to take the ideas head on. We also let an idea go to waste because we think that it is likely to be a failure. Our ego is likely also hinder us from being creative and imaginative when we think of what our audiences are likely to react towards our ideas. Distraction is also another factor that can hinder one from being creative. People need proper concentration as they come up with new ideas away from distractions such noise both internally and externally, phone calls and idle staff within the organization (Turner, pp.67-78). When we are not able to visualize on what we want then we are likely to block the creativity within us. We must be able to logically think without locking our conscience so that ideas are able to flow freely in us. A person who wants to improve on their creativity must have an idea of what they want and they must have in mind the demands and requirements of the customers in mind. Most people want to maintain the status quo in life. They believe that whatever they know is best and that introducing new ideas is just a waste of time. Some top leaders in organizations feel very uncomfortable and insecure especially when ideas are introduced by low cadre employees thus idea is left out prematurely. Many employees are not creative because they have much work to do, others work under very tight schedules and others have very strict deadlines to meet thus hindering them from creating new ideas as they have very little time left to themselves to tackle other issues within the organization. Ways to overcome the barriers In any organization everybody should realize that being creative should not be a luxury but should be done out necessity for the good of the organization. Managers must be able to embrace new ideas and changes as well as being able to motivate their staff to come with more great creations. There are so many ways that a person can solve problems but people believe there are only specific ways of solving problems. In this case people are advised to be more creative in finding solutions to problems. Once a person is able to flee their mind from intellectual blockage then one can generate new ideas to help in problem solving. A creative person is one who is able to solve the right problem, through using the right and effective tools ( Kaufman, 2009.p.200). Fashion designers should address the issues that relate to their rights in order to remain competitive in the market. There are so many counterfeit goods being produced by countries such as china and Korea thus reducing the sales revenue of the clothing and textile industry and its therefore very important to curb the problem as it can reduce the earnings of the clothing industry .The measures that can be implemented to curb the situation involves informing the public about the existence of the counterfeit goods that are reducing sales revenue for the industry. The public should be educated on the rights of purchasing the right outfit for different occasions in order to for them to look good, dress right and overcome the problem of production and sale of counterfeit goods in the market (Turner, pp.67-78) Theories of creativity The theories of creativity are divided into product, process, press or environment and person theories. A creative product is one that is tangible, has a response and is a finished idea whose final outcome is influenced by the press or the environment. The theory ensures that activities within the organization are carried out in the right manner. The usefulness of creativity theories in clothing industry The creativity theories can assist the management of an organization in ensuring that they meet the demands of customers as they determine how successful the company will be in the future. They also assist in ensuring that the right information technologies are employed within an organization in order to ensure tasks are carried out in the right manner. The information systems that can be employed within the textile industry involve; quick response system that is aimed at protecting the home countries that supply goods and services to the foreign countries. This technique assists in reducing the lead time required for different kinds of stocks been supplied in and out of the market. It also puts a check on the stock levels thus ensuring that customers are supplied with the right goods at the right time. The various ways in which levels of creativity may be measured, assessed and monitored The ways in which creativity is measured Creativity can be measured through using patents since having more patents enables the designers to be more creative in the clothing and textile industry. There are different kinds of tests that are used to measure a person’s rate of creativity but they may not always reflect the desired characteristics in a work environment. The test involves measuring ones psychiatric disturbances and the person with the highest scores is in a better position to get along with other people in the society and hence there are fewer chances of being less intellectual or defensive when faced by difficult situations. Another test involves a person’s preference and attitude towards a give item that has been offered to them. People who think about how to solve problems are considered to be more creative (Kaufman, 2009.p.200). Creativity can be measured through inventing new devices and processes to undertake tasks within an organization. These tests are however criticized because some participants may have prior knowledge of the tests thus they score highly in them, while those that do not known the way the tests are conducted score poorly in those tests. Typical tests can also be conducted to determine whether one is willing to take up a job, persistent, one has the ability to solve a problem and whether one is willing to undertake a task as a routine or can be discouraged before completing the task. There are other tests that involve the level of performance and the ability to visualize issues that determine how well one can be creative or not. The fashion designers should constantly think about how to solve the problem of over and under stocking as these problems are likely to reduce the revenue generated for the organizations. The ways in which the levels of creativity are assessed The levels of creativity is assessed by experts who determine whether the activities of an organization are been carried in the right manner. The experts are hired from well recognized companies who ensure that the right facilities and equipments are employed within the organization. They conduct seminars and training to educate the employees on how to be critical and creative thinkers that can lead to the growth and development of an organization. It can also be assessed through implementing strategies aimed at ensuring that employees perform the tasks that have been assigned to them in the right manner (Kaufman, 2009.p.200). The ways in which creativity may be monitored. Creativity within an organization can be monitored through ensuring that the supervisors closely monitor the activities been carried out by the employees in order to ensure they perform as expected and that they complete tasks assigned to them in the right manner. This factor has a limitation because some employees when closely monitored can under perform the duties and responsibilities assigned to them and therefore care should be taken when using this method. Conclusion The clothing industry is a useful industry that leads to the generation of income for the persons that are employed in it. The governments of different countries should invest and ask private customers to invest into it as it can create employment and contribute to the growth and development of a country. It has been observed that the success of the clothing industry can be achieved through ensuring persons involved in it are: creative, produce quality products and that they use industrial and technical applications to undertake tasks within the industry in an effective manner. The right communication channels should be established in order to ensure that employees air their grievances and that they are provided with the right and environment so that business can go on in an appropriate manner. Work cited Buggier, Frederick, D. Overcoming Barriers to Creativity .United States: Innovative Leader Volume 6, Number 5 ,1997. Website Retrieved on March 11, 2009 Read More