Specialty Graphic Imaging Association Digital Printing & Imaging Association
	Executive Summary January 2007

The Corporate Left Brain-Right Brain Conundrum

Some companies are left-brained. They are efficient, effective and excel at meeting or exceeding production goals. They execute tasks with razor-sharp precision. They are the supernovas of the marketplace, bright stars that dominate — at least for a while.

Right-brained companies are more intuitive, and they shine when it comes to adapting to change. They’re always on the lookout for emerging trends and quick to pounce on new opportunities. But their performance levels are usually less than stellar. As a result, when they are first to new markets (which is often), these change-friendly right-brained companies get lost in the shuffle once competition catches up.

Studies of companies operating during the past two decades indicate that the productive supernovas are often blindsided by change. Their management is great at moving from point A to point B, but fails to see the entire marketplace. Conversely, managers at change-friendly companies have a wider view of the marketplace, but struggle with implementation. Seen that way, it’s clear the optimal situation is a blend — having the ability to capture new markets and effectively maximize opportunities.

While achieving left brain-right brain balance is easier said than done, you can move your management structure toward equilibrium:

• Encourage autonomy and diversity throughout the organization. As the business environment changes, there will be a better chance that someone in house will anticipate an important shift.
• Share information and set a clear direction. Without cooperation and shared goals, autonomy among business units is ineffective at best and destructive at worst. But when autonomous units cooperate, and the entire team strives for the same goal, your company benefits from a fast-paced environment with many opportunities for success.
• Closely monitor the relationship between resources and potential new opportunities. “Resources” are everything that contributes to your success — including your company’s strengths, experience, history and equipment. Taking on a new opportunity might require a slight change in resources, or even acquiring an entirely new set of resources. Watch carefully, though: Risk and cost escalate as the divide between resources and opportunity widens, taking you farther away from your corporate comfort zone.
• Ease transitions by stretching capabilities. Many screen printers took this approach with digital imaging. They added technology on a small scale so they could learn it and prepare to expand their resources. In doing so, they narrowed the gap between their resources and new opportunities.
• Enjoy the successes, but get the input you need to be ready for what the future brings. Success can be a tough act to follow. Success usually means a bigger company, and the bigger the company, the harder it is to change direction. Monitor the marketplace and your company from different vantage points.

That last part is where SGIA comes in. We’re here with information that will help you maximize your left-brain effectiveness and make the right right-brained decisions for the future. Tap the SGIA Information Network fully, and build your left brain-right brain balance.