Little Things Mean A Lot

As you walk around major cities in Southeast Asia you are likely to see a lot of fancy looking buildings. Some are very ornate, some use a lot of color, some simply look imposing. There are new office buildings as well as old shophouses, and many look great from the outside.

But as you look more closely, or take a step inside, you are just as likely to find that the nice looking façade hides some details that do not look so great. Poorly designed fixtures, switches that don’t seem to connect to anything, inadequate ventilation (kind of important in tropical climates), shoddy workmanship — all of this is pretty common. At a hotel in Indonesia I had a beautiful bathroom, with a tub/shower that was apparently designed to dump as much water as possible onto the floor. A quick look revealed that the gap between the tub and the wall provided a small canal that created a waterfall down the side.

Speaking with someone from an architectural firm I quickly learned that this is common throughout Southeast Asia, even among high-end architects (and other Creatives a well). The emphasis is often on pumping things out as quickly as possible, rather than taking time to focus on details. Contracts are often won based on how quickly a creative firm promises to turn out a final product, rather than on the ultimate quality of that product. There is a “big picture” view that leads to things that look nice on the outside — and that may impress the neighbors — while ignoring the “little picture” of the details that really distinguish one product from another. Any architect can design a house; a good architect can design a house that you would want to live in.

In many Western cultures, especially among the most developed countries, this simply would not be acceptable. Customers have come to expect the details that set your product or service apart from others, so you cannot afford to neglect them. Creative industries are all about the details, and in cultures where the time is available to appreciate them and the resources are there to afford them, your clients will expect you to put in the effort. You simply cannot ignore the “little picture,” so you need to instill in your firm a culture that addresses details with the same effort as the “big picture” stuff, without sacrificing profitability. You cannot skimp on one and expect to maintain the other.

Perhaps the more important lesson is for those in societies where details often have not been that important. The interest in good design and quality work is fueled not so much by culture as by economics. As nations develop stronger economies, and as productivity evolves to the point where people have time to appreciate more, they will expect more. Creative firms in more recently developed countries need to recognize the evolving tastes of their customers, and understand the challenges posed by competitors who do appreciate this reality. There’s a growing emphasis on the details in creative work, and potential customers are looking for firms that understand that. Make sure yours is one of them.