New Institute for Strategic Research, Institute for Strategic Leadership, and WorkPLACE staffing program will help meet the needs of an evolving industry.

Alexandria, Va. - Idealliance, the association for the Visual Communications and Media Industry, today announced that it is launching three new initiatives to help company executives manage their businesses with maximum effectiveness and advance an industry in transition: The Idealliance Institute for Strategic Research, the Idealliance Institute for Strategic Leadership, and the Idealliance WorkPLACE industry development program.

"The programs we are now introducing will break new ground for our industry, helping it move forward to meet new customer demands, marketplace challenges, staffing concerns, and technological advancement," Idealliance President and Chief Executive Officer David Steinhardt told attendees at a press conference during the PRINT 17 trade show in Chicago.

"Our initiatives will focus on three areas that are critical to business success in the months and years ahead: strategic research, which will give company leaders the data and insights to make profitable decisions; strategic leadership, which will provide them with the management skills to deal successfully with new opportunities and threats while developing new talent for the next generation of industry growth; and workforce development, which positions the industry as a viable career choice and offers resources for staff training."

Institute for Strategic Research

The Idealliance Institute for Strategic Research will be a new division within the Association focusing on expanded statistical and observational studies of key issues affecting the industry during transition. Research will be led by Idealliance Chief Economist Andrew Paparozzi, who will continue to oversee the industry-leading State of the Industry Series studies and ongoing Capital Investment Report program, both sponsored by Canon, and who will provide informed data clarification and implementation advice related to research findings through his "Must-Dos" commentaries. Joe Vincenzino has joined the Idealliance team to support its work as a Research Associate.

"Both our State of the Industry Report and Capital Investment Report are not one-off projects, but ongoing research programs based on carefully constructed panels of participants with whom we build deep relationships, often over many years," said Paparozzi. "They are very different from surveys that just blast questions to every name they can find and hope someone participates. Our relationships with our panel members allow us to get below the surface to what's really happening in the industry, what concerns industry companies and their management most, and what Idealliance can do to best address those concerns."

The current State of the Industry Report, 15th Edition Executive Summary, for example, emphasizes that the gamut of opportunities in our industry continues to expand, adding both new printing technologies and new services to complement print. But so does the competition for those opportunities. Companies must decide which opportunities to pursue, which best fit their resources, capabilities, and circumstances, and how they can maximize each opportunity. The goal of the current report is to answer these questions.

The complementary 2017 Capital Investment Study Executive Summary points out that while our gamut of opportunity continues to expand, our margin for error continues to shrink. New printing technologies and new services to complement print are creating transformative opportunity to satisfy a broader range of our clients' communications needs, faster and more efficiently. But to excel, we must get capital investment right. We must identify the investments that best fit our company, precisely define the value those investments offer clients and prospects, and execute effectively enough to create that value.

Executive summaries of both the 2017 Capital Investment Study and State of the Industry Report, 15th Edition, were made available to PRINT 17 attendees at Idealliance Booth #2067. Contact Idealliance Membership Coordinator Tyler Keeney at (703) 837-1075 or [email protected] for a copy of either or both executive summaries.

Institute for Strategic Leadership

"At the heart of our new Institute for Strategic Leadership is finding and providing answers to the central questions, 'How do you manage a business in an industry in transition?' and 'How do you develop your management talent and the next generation of leadership?'" said Steinhardt. "We believe that our industry has evolved beyond management development programs of the past and that to develop the next generation of leaders we must create a new generation of leadership programs that address changes in our industry related to supply chain issues, digital communications, workflow, generational employee expectations, and more."

The institute, which officially launches in January 2018, will house expanded versions of Idealliance's CEO Roundtable for company leaders and NexGen Leadership Development Program for up-and-coming employees. It will also be home to a new Leadership Institute training program with curricula developed for individual business discipline tracks such as sales, finance, operations and chief executive. Idealliance is reaching back to NAPL's highly successful Management Institute for inspiration for other relevant new programs.

"Whether it is identifying and encouraging young professionals, strengthening and expanding the skills of middle managers, or bringing top executives together to address common management issues, the Idealliance Institute for Strategic Leadership will have a program specifically designed to help," said Steinhardt.

WorkPLACE Industry Development Program

"Finding and training employees to meet the needs of today's industry companies, both in traditional skills and new specialties such as data management, marketing, and integrated media, is a paramount concern for management," said Steinhardt, "and it is one that Idealliance is moving to address and ameliorate on a number of fronts through its multifaceted WorkPLACE Staffing Development Program." Among the new program's components:

Leading an advocacy initiative to attract talent for the next generation of employees, whether in production on the shop floor, in technical positions from prepress to data analytics, in entry level positions, middle management roles, or C-Suite leaders.

Expanding Idealliance's Young Professionals group, not only to encourage and attract talent to the industry, but to mentor new employees and help them develop their capabilities. Creating WorkPLACE training programs and materials to help current and prospective employees improve the basic skills necessary for professional growth.

Introducing training modules and blended learning opportunities to complement and reinforce the recently introduced programs around sales development (SalesPro and SalesPro Digital), human resources (HirePro), brand supply chain management (BrandQ), and color management (ColorPro).

"The dynamics of our industry have changed drastically over the last few years and especially during the digital revolution of the last decade," said Steinhardt, "and it is imperative that we change as well, as an industry, as company leaders, and as an association serving our industry. The new programs we are announcing today are important steps in making changes and adding resources that will enable our industry and our members to not only remain competitive, but enjoy even greater success in the years ahead.

"It is a challenging and exciting time," he added, "and, as Andy Paparozzi so often emphasizes, it is a time that will favor the prepared. We at Idealliance will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that our members and our industry are fully prepared to meet whatever challenges lie ahead."

For more information, conduct Julie Shaffer at (703) 837-1091 ([email protected]) or David Steinhardt at (703) 837-1066 ([email protected]) or visit the Idealliance booth (#2067) at the Print 2017 show, Sept. 10-14, at McCormick Place South, Chicago, Ill.