Technicolor Worlds: Pleasantville in the Office

Lisa came up with this one a while back, but I think it is one of the best business analogies I've heard in a long time. Remember the movie Pleasantville where in the beginning everyone in town was living in their own secure, perfect world. Never changing from day to day, with little perspective beyond the edge of town and with very little desire to see what was over the next hill. Well how many of us work in companies that have a similar feeling. They use the past to define the present and have very little vision for the future, other than re-doing the same programs and projects that they have always done. Afterall these have always been successful.

Unfortunately, for them, the world is not a black and white place. It evolves and changes in sometimes unpredictable ways that can dismay people who live in their black and white worlds. To help companies get out of this rut you need to bring in some color. Different perspectives, new ways of doing things, outside-in thinking and disruption of the norm can all lead to a technicolor breakthrough.

In Pleasantville it took some new characters with different perspectives to bring color into their world. Can you bring color to your black and white world? Sure you can. Read, listen and learn. Attend conferences, meet outside experts and bring them in to talk with people in your company. Find examples of best practices from other companies and pin them up on your walls, doors or in hallways. Pass articles out at staff meetings. Finally, look for the people in your organization who are already in color and work together to make more of your organization glow in technicolor.

If you work in a stagnant environment make this one of your objectives: Bring Technicolor perspective to your Black and White World! Start today.