thinkingn

out of the
organisational
box

Tell you a bit about us and what we do

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Started in November 2001
In 7th year
Mission is a conslidation of 7 years of learning
Section 21 ‐ not‐for‐profit
Jointly initiated by DED&T and CPUT
Govt identified craft as job creator/income support
CPUT identified need to change demographics of learners; and get graduates 
involved in development (not just mainstream economy)

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 vision

people producing
dynamic, creative, confident
innovative world-class
handmade products reflecting the
Western Cape and South Africa

Some of you may not know our vision

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 mission

best practice Institute

developing people
to build profitable enterprises
with marketable products
for global markets in an enabled environment

And our Mission…

What’s important here is our emphasis on People and products. Without the
confident, creative and resourceful people – there would be no product – or at
least no product worth selling.

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 core programmes

We have three core programmes:

Developing businesses
Supporting their access to markets – and finding new markets
And facilitating the development of creative skills and innovative thinking

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 support programmes

These are supported by another three programmes

- getting us out there

- Documenting and developing mateirals that have wider application
-- communicating, spreading information, networking and marketing the sector
to increase opportunities and the consumer base

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 9years
I’ve stopped saying we’re a new organisation – we’ve been around the block a
few times; have learnt lots of lessons – which we keep learning. And we and
the sector are growing

(also a hint that next year we turn 10 and we’re the answer to your post-Mega
Event blues)

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 what does a 9-year old look like?

2 staff >25
R250k/annum >R18m/annum
63 producers >1353
average turnover growth of 94%

>over half with

383 outlets (from 10)
over half WC products
(from 5% in 1999)

From 2 people in a little corner office at CPUT – we are 20+ occupying 3 floors
of a small building in the East City. Our reach is much greater because of
service providers.

Producers have grown – we started with a list of 63 and this now is 1353

Retail has grown – started with a list of 10 – now 383. But more importantly
from 5% WC stock – now over 50% have over 50% WC stock

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 who do we work with?
Mar Mar Nov
08 09 09
Craft Enterprisesa 965 Craft Enterprisesa 1,105 1,369
Retailersa 376 Retailersa 377 383
Service Providersa 202 Service Providersa 218 315
Associate Stakeholdersa 818 Associate Stakeholdersa 837 1,037

While the focus of our work is on producers – we network and reach people all
acorss the value chain – and beyond … and growing

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 58% new businesses (2001) formal | informal
skilled | unskilled survivalist | export ready
Black (79.5%) | white young | old
rural | urban (72%) all media
diverse markets diverse motivations

what do they look like?

They have nice legs…

Nearly 60% of the businesses on our database have started in the last 8
years. This makes them vulnerable

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 how many people do they support?
Average
Year Jobs Enterprises
jobs/enterprise
2004 2,855 396 7
2005 4,437 609 7
2006 5,344 830 6
2007 5,913 995 6
2008 6,169 1,105 6
2009 8,860 1,369 6.5

A signifnicant number of people are getting an income from the sector

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 what’s our impact?
21 case studies
now employ 450 people
average earnings R2,200-R4,100
annual turnover from R40k to R350k
supply on average 18 outlets
70% exporting (to 12 countries)

Last year did some research for TIPS in the Presidency of 21 producers –
growth in jobs
Growing in turnover
-growth in income
-growth in turnover
-growth in formalisation – supplying to retail as opposed to friends and family
-growth in export

21 people who have been serious, motivated, committed – they’ve done the
hard work. We just supported them.

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Most important impact is we’re moving people from the margins to the
mainstream. No amount of number crunching can find a value for what that
means to the people who’s lives we are changing

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 so where
is the innovation
in this?

So where is the innovation…. Well it depends how you define it…

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 inynoyvaytion
• a new way of doing something or new stuff
that is made useful
• incremental and emergent or
radical and revolutionary changes
• in thinking, products, processes, ororganisations

Invention an idea made manifest

innovation ideas applied in practice
[Wikipedia]

The placement is consistent with the demographics of the province

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The question we hate to – but have to ask.

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 value chain
value chain

origination

market demand production wholesale / retail consumption

materials
services | distribution

enabling environment

In terms of our approach - we take a value chain approach - unique in the sector when we started which
was dominated by supply side interventions
- but has now become quite common practise
While focus has been on producer - look at the producer in context of the market

• Value chain / economic sector based

approach
• Business and market-driven focus
• Act as a catalyst to ensure enabling
environment
• Develop Added Value services
• Build capacity of entrepreneurs for
Independence
• Create a professional operating environment
• Build Partnerships to spread benefit and
increase impact (don’t compete)
• Promote the principles of Fair Trade

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 CRAFT
WHAT IS IT?

What is Craft. In the 8/9 years I have been doing this job – I spend a lot of my time
trying to explain what craft is … or what it could be if we can help it shed some of the
baggage its accumulated over the last century or so …

… and dispelling the pejorative myths of craft

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 CURIO

as curio

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 ARTEFACT
CULTURAL

as cultural object that needs to be preserved and protected φρομ χρασσ

χομμερχιαλισατιον

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 MASS
CHEAP TRINKET
PRODUCED

webster rangwane

and mass produced (and therefore cheap) trinket

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 JOB CREATION
INCOME GENERATION

and as mediocre object that can easily be taught en mass to poor, marginalised people
to generate sustainable livelihoods.

Of course it is all of these things… but there’s more…

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 CRAFT?
art? design?

andile dyalvane

What about the huge ‘school’ of ceramicists who turn and handbuild original, high
quality objects

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 ART?
design? craft?

brett murray

the contemporary artists who use ‘craft’ as their medium

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 DESIGN?
craft? art?

haldane martin

the designers who make reference to local materials and skills in their products.

Are they crafters? Artists? Designers? Producers? Makers? Artisans? Do they produce
functional items or useless objects. What is the difference? Does it really matter?

In my journeys I came across the writings of Paul Greenhalgh

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My last word for tonight

Buy local – buy Handmade Cape

Do your Christmas shopping at any one of the 383 shops in the Western Cape

Buy your bulk gifts through our wholesale service

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 its not
(only) about
technology

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 the myth of the
epiphany

…the magic moment; the muse; idea as a discreet thing.

Instead value habits; the time put in to seek alternatives…

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 One cannot be 
forever 
innovating. I 
want to 
create 
classics.

Coco Chanel 
(French Fashion designer, 
1883‐1971)

Google 20% rule (20% of time – gmail, adwords etc started as 20% projects)

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 big vision
small steps

Big Vision – Small steps

Need to understand the problem and the change that is required… foundation
for innovation…

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." –Steve Jobs

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 balancing lateral thinking
with due diligence

Looking outwards – not inwards (see what is needed) – rigorous process; 

having many ideas, honing them down; understanding the problem in the first 
place; people don’t want a six inch drill they want a six inch hole…

Habits (and processes) of innovation 
Systematic way you run a business – can’t constantly iterate and develop new 
ideas
Needs leadership, communication and control (deal with fear of change)

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 learning by doing

Mistakes will be made – you want them to happen (along with taking risks, seeking 
alternatives, Believe in an idea and follow it.. Pursue hunch… failure is necessary…
learn from lessons
Exploration and innovation – timeline is 10‐15 years
Culture of innovation

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3 rules from William McKnight (Minnesota Mining & Manufacture – 3M).
Trust

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 creating healthy
and limitless boundaries

More about sociology; innovation means change; most people fear change
Requires initiative (space to do so – 15% time to work on new ideas) – prove my 
manager wrong (difficult thing for a manager to be open to)

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Some of the people and some of the activities

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 what we
do

Welcome – MEC, CCDI Board, Staff, Craft Producers, Service Providers, Partners,
Funders, friends..

I get to do the boring stuff while Reuben and the MEC can say the nice things – that’s
a clue gentlemen. But I’m going to try and distract you with pretty pictures.

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thank you | enkosi| dankie

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