International Journal of Cultural and Creative Industries Management of ICT-based Creative Industries: Has the Medium Muddled the Message (original) (raw)

Is it the 'medium is the message' when managing ICT-based creative industries? These industries have been affected by the advent of ICT-based creative tools that have changed how products and art are produced, and also how others see, hear, or find out about these products and works of art. This paper reviews literature on creative industries to gain an understanding of this milieu, where firms appear to be either large or small, with few in the middle. The focus on managerial changes is geared towards growing or larger companies. Governments recognize the importance of the digital transformation and support these industries as drivers of the economy, but as firms grow, can innovation be maintained? This paper reviews the literature examining what has happened between Leadbeater and Oakley's seminal 1999 work The Independents: Britain's New Cultural Entrepreneurs and Warhurst's critique of the state of the cultural and creative literature. This paper then goes further to examine why the management approaches of companies change over time, through the lens of the market life cycle. Although the tools used in the creative industries have changed to ICT-based in some sectors, how management changes as firms grow has not. This paper finishes with the author's thoughts on how to maintain creativity and innovation as a firm grows. ABSTRACT