Josiah Wedgwood Leadership and Creativity
Josiah Wedgwood (1730-95)
English pottery manufacturer (pictured right) , famous for his green glazed pottery that is still popular
today.
The first businessman to sell pottery worldwide to a mass market, produced at its factory,
Etruria, near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England.
An anti-slavery campaigner and Charles
Darwin’s (pictured right below) father-in-law.
Why was he so creative?
1. Vision and purpose
His aim was simple but incredibly ambitious: to become “potter to the universe”, selling
beautiful pottery that appealed to his customers (see point 2).
2. Customer satisfaction
He always:
a) considered the needs of his customers
(particularly the growing middle class in Europe).
b) influenced customers
(persuading them that beauty was just as important as function i.e. for eating and drinking).
c) valued the public image of his products
This was
- based on the products' distinctiveness, quality and appearance
- communicated through advertising and his luxurious showroom.
d) branded his products
He was one of the first exponents of branding.
e) supported neoclassic designs
Customers liked his beautiful designs for which he employed artists and sculptors.
For example, his creamware (cream coloured earthenware) was called Queen’s
ware, when it was sold to George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte.
3. Technical skill
He was an expert in the science of pottery making.
Wedgwood:
- invented the pyrometer for measuring high temperatures which
was invaluable for the firing (or baking) of pottery.
- was always introducing the latest and best production methods (see point 4).
4. Lifelong learning
He never stopped increasing his knowledge through his love of:
- experimenting and trying new ideas.
For example, his factory was the first in the world to have steam powered engines in
1782.
His motto was
“Everything comes from experiment”
He kept all his new discoveries in his experiment book.
He was a big supporter of the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement
dedicated to learning and scientific progress.
5. Great employees
He worked them extremely hard and demanded very high quality standards.
But he looked after them through:
a) housing
He built them a village of nice houses near his factory (pictured right).
b) training
c) family support
He gave their families money when they died or were ill, and educated their children.
d) health
He worked hard to eradicate “potter’s rot”, the killer chest disease that came from
breathing in clay particles.
His failure to do so was one of his biggest disappointments.
6. Support
He had great support from his
- wife, Sally (pictured right above).
- closest friend and business partner, Thomas Bentley (pictured right).
7. Determination
He was extremely determined to make the best of his ability and become a great potter.
He overcame:
- smallpox as a child (that later led to a leg being amputated).
- the tragic death of his daughter, Mary Anne, in 1786.
He was also determined to abolish slavery and his motto Am I not a man and a brother? was
adopted by the Anti-Slavery Society (pictured right in its 1787 poster)
8. Love of work
He got totally absorbed in his work that he enjoyed passionately.
Key quote on love
Am I not a man and a brother? – his motto adopted by the Anti-Slavery Society
Key quote on
creativity
Everything comes from experiment.
Key quote on
quality
A composition for cheapness and not excellence of workmanship is the most frequent and certain cause of the
rapid decay and entire destruction of arts and manufactures.
Key quote on
ethics
Men must have the right of choice, even to choose wrong, if he shall ever learn to choose right.
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