Is the Creative Factory Dead?

I'm in the middle of Seth Godin's new book, Linchpin, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a great read. He nails the economic inflection point we are all currently experiencing. To illustrate this change he talks about factories:

Factories convert natural resources into salable products. They turn iron ore into steel and corn into Twinkies. A surplus of natural resources cuts your cost and increases your productivity. If human beings are a natural resource for factories, then your goal as a factory owner is to get good, cheap ones.

The winds of change are blowing. And, terms like factory are becoming a relic of an earlier age, especially in industries like advertising and design.

Over the last couple of months I've had the opportunity to spend time with some of the best minds in advertising and design, from leaders of the current establishment to others who are just starting their careers and everyone in between. The common thread in all of these conversations is that the old agency model, based on being a creative factory, isn't working. Everyone is frustrated.

As the transition to the new era of abundance accelerates, new business models will emerge based on new principles. And, old ones will die. It's time to move beyond the factory to the network.