Investing in people is the key to growth in design business

I wholeheartedly agree with Mark Gandy’s article ‘Put staff on the career ladder’ (DW 2 March). Investing in people is an important part of the long-term growth and development strategy in any service industry sector, and is absolutely essential in design. Your staff create your product and your differential.

Ownership is always a great incentive for this longer-term view and many privately-owned businesses understand the value of their people and the benefit of investing in their career development.

As more design businesses continue to become part of larger global marketing services networks, the challenge is for these groups to retain the longer-term view and to value the rewards from a considered approach to people investment.

Clearly, every business needs to deliver to profit targets in order to succeed. But, if the focus is entirely on numbers, rather than people, it becomes a very short-term strategy, that will ultimately be detrimental to overall growth.

Stephen Scott, Client director, Fitch, London W2