February 18, 2008
Printing Industry Center at RIT Releases Research on the Effects of Organizational Change on Creativity

Second monograph in 2007-2008 research agenda is released to the public

ROCHESTER, NY (February 18, 2008) – A newly released research monograph from the Printing Industry Center at RIT (http://print.rit.edu) analyzes the impacts that organizational changes such as mergers and acquisitions can have on the creative engagement of employees. Titled “Creativity in the Printing Industry: The Context of Organizational Change” (PICRM-2008-02), the monograph is co-authored by Drs. Shalini Khazanchi, Assistant Professor of the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at RIT, Holly Slay, Assistant Professor of the Albers School of Business and Economics, Seattle University, and Mathew Sheep, Assistant Professor, College of Business, Illinois State University.

The study looks at the effects of mergers and acquisitions on creative engagement, using longitudinal case study design to analyze two printing companies that were undergoing or had undergone a merger and/or acquisition in recent years.

Key findings include:

• Managers that understand the multi-dimensional nature of creativity (its cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects) should be better able to look for signs that employees are disengaging and take appropriate actions to re-engage people.


• Firms within the printing industry often develop new technologies or acquire firms to gain new technological capabilities. However, this kind of organizational change breeds uncertainty among employees as the focus of the organization moves away from familiar technology and hard-won expertise to new technologies.


• Creating a shared identity is important for encouraging creative engagement, especially when the organization shifts from its previous identity following a structural change.

The report is available for download as a PDF from http://print.rit.edu/research/index.php?page=item&id=118.

About the Printing Industry Center at RIT
The Printing Industry Center is a joint program of the RIT School of Print Media in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and RIT's E. Philip Saunders College of Business, and was established in 2001 by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as one of the Sloan Industry Centers. The Center is dedicated to the study of major business environment influences in the printing industry brought on by new technologies and societal changes, creating a forum for printing companies and associations worldwide to access a neutral platform for the dissemination of knowledge, to share ideas, and to build the partnerships needed to sustain growth and profitability in a rapidly changing market. For more information, please visit http://print.rit.edu.

Media Contact:
Ashley Walker
Marketing Communications Coordinator
Printing Industry Center at RIT
585-475-4231
aswppr@rit.edu