The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Creatives in modern Asia have typically felt constrained by cultural limitations on self-expression. In Japan, for example, Creatives say that, for many, the best way to go through life is quietly, without any fuss and without standing out too much. That tends to limit creativity, since creating something new would naturally cause you to stand out, producing something unique that would tend to attract attention. For many people that simply goes against the way the were raised, and so their creative urges tend to be forced back inside, or relegated to a hobby, or, if they really want to pursue their passions, they may leave their culture behind and move somewhere more accepting of what they bring. This has been true for a long time and, surprisingly, still seems true today.

This might seem to conflict with the flashy styles we see in young Japanese fashion, or in anime or manga, but the truth is that many of these creative talents are explored during youth but then put aside as one gets older. Walking through Tokyo’s Shibuya district recently, I told a Japanese friend that I was impressed by the attention the Japanese gave to their appearance, that even if you would not wear a certain style yourself you cannot help but be impressed by the fact that people actually HAVE a style and appear quite well put together. “Yes,” he said, “but if you notice, you are more ‘put together’ than other people your age around here.” He was right; I had not noticed, because I suppose they blended into the background, but as people grew into their 30s and beyond, many of them did not just put aside their youthful style…they actually seemed to put aside their sense of style completely, so that everyone of a certain age was dressed alike without any apparent effort to express themselves through their clothing or appearance. It was like the Conformity Alarm Clock went off and everyone reached into the same closet to pull out the same clothes. Creative expression seems to be less and less appreciated as one gets older, which means those Creatives entering the workforce will feel greater and greater pressure to conform once they are actually in a position to produce something.

Japan, and other Asian countries, may as a result miss out on many opportunities afforded by economies that value creativity and reward those with unique talents who DO stand out. The kind of cultural change required to take advantage of those opportunities will not simply happen overnight, and will take a conscious effort on the part of businesses, academia, families, and the government, to shift the reward system to one that appreciates and encourages the growth of creative talent. We are talking about changing centuries of culture, and there’s no guarantee that can happen.

This is not simply a limitation faced by nations or ethnicities. Companies also have organizational cultures that can either encourage or limit creative growth, and this is as true in the US as anywhere else. Firms with well-established cultures that encourage a “go along to get along” mentality will have trouble recruiting the talented Creatives they need, will have difficulty keeping the ones they do get, and will make pretty inefficient use of the ones who decide to stick around. You cannot simply pay lip service to the idea of being a creative firm, you actually need a culture that encourages creativity by providing the necessary tools and resources, as well as by creating the opportunities for individual expression and growth. This does not necessarily mean providing personal chefs at corporate headquarters or using a slide to get from the second floor down to the first (something I saw years ago and a friend’s firm, which has always stuck with me), but it does mean streamlining the companies structure to encourage new ideas to emerge without too many people adding their own “fixes,” or offering “20% time” in which people get to work on projects of their own choosing part of the week, or supporting higher education and training for your Creatives. Companies that choose not to adapt their culture may not necessarily go out of business, but they will definitely miss out on opportunities.

Three years ago, visiting some clients in Japan, I had two companies in two different industries each say to me, “we need to be less Japanese.” I would argue instead that maybe they need to take the best part of being Japanese and make the best use of it, to help them stand out from their competitors without stifling their creativity. Japanese firms can be creative if they are led properly; when all is said and done, I am still going to buy my t-shirts at Uniqlo.