felt by it?â? â??Of course I remember. I also remember that itâ??s part of our mission to bring mod
felt by it?â? â??Of course I remember. I also remember that itâ??s part of our mission to bring mod
felt by it?†“Of course I remember. I also remember that it’s part of our mission to bring modern dance to as many people as possible.†Natalia tried to keep the frustration out of her voice. She knew as well as anyone how much Delacroix relied on the board members and dancers for innovation. “But I was brought in to professionalize this company, to expand on what you started. And customer research— real marketing—may be part of that. Elizabeth knows what she’s talking about. She ran the whole customer initiative at her previous job, and it was a huge success.†“She sold clothes, Natalia,” Henry said. “Fair enough. But what’s the harm in a survey or two? If the customers give us outrageous feed back, we don’t have to listen to it.” “But if we ask what they think and then don’t give it to them, we’ll alienate them,” Henry said. “We’ll damage the relationship. And you know there’s going to be resistance from the board .” Natalia was not surprised. The business types would be all for it, she knew, but the members with an artistic background —the ones who understood the creative process —would never approve it. She pictured each of the board members sitting around the table at their next meeting, only a few weeks away. Henry was right. They would probably divide on this issue, almost evenly. “Besides,†Henry continued. “We’re doing ?ne. Why rock the boat now?†“Now feels like precisely the time to rock it,” she said. “The board is expecting big things from us over the next year, risky things we’ve never tried before.” “And we’re going to be successful only if we trust our own creativity and our own instincts—not customer research.” Natalia looked out the cab window. She felt tired. “You still there?†Henry asked. “Yes.†“Well, think about this. We can’t have it both ways. Either employees come ?rst, or customers do. You know where I stand. Where do you?” a) Based on the case above, critically analyse the concept of creating demand Vs. meeting existing demand. Should an organization seriously consider the latter? Support your answer with relevant examples. b) Based on the case above, take a stand on what is more important for the business: displaying creativity through product and service or creating products and services in sync with the customers’ needs? Support your answer with relevant examples. c) In the case above, should Delacroix launch a customer research initiative?
