The way things are supposed to be

I saw this movie recently in the cinema - "Accepted". It's this typical college-life simple fun movie that is easy to watch. Plot outline: when a high school burnout discovers he's been rejected from every college he's applied to, he creates a fake university in order to fool his overzealous parents.

Now in the university they create the students are the teachers and every student chooses what they want to learn. In the end of the movie they try to get the college accredited and the lead character gives an inspiring speech how the purpose of education is to develop the creativity of young minds and they don't have to be like any other university.

And that is quite an amazing point.

People are used to the way things usually are. They expect certain types of organizations to act a certain way or to have a certain way of operating.

It's expected that universities provide you with a specific curriculum and they have a faculty of professors. It's not expected that you give classes while being a student and choose every single subject you want not following a specific discipline.

It's expected that the waitress serves the tables in a coffee shop. It's not expected that a coffee shop serves as your temporary home where you can host your friends.

It's expected that the company's main goal is to maximize the profit. It's not expected that you are driven solely by a mission to make the world a better place.

It's expected that every person in the company has a specific job role and there's a hierarchy. It's not expected that the staff divides the necessary tasks among themselves every week and there is no boss at all.

It's expected that a conference takes place in a fancy location with high-tech facilities and they serve good food. It's not expected that a big conference takes place outdoors or in an warehouse and people have to cook themselves food over a bonfire.

What if you'd change the way people are used to see things? Sure, it will create some resistance to the idea, but more likely the innovation will make you remarkable. It will help you to stand out from the competition and create something cool. It's a great competitive advantage. It will make people talk about you. It will make people want to work for you or buy your products.

Challenge the way thing usually are and you can drive innovation.

4 comments:

Tru said...

mmm...good stuffs!

sarah said...

Wow! This is so cool! A conference where you cook your own food would be awesome! You are so smart and creative...

Martin-Éric said...

Brilliant! Any unconventional ideas of your own to propose, for starters?

Unknown said...

Well I shared some already, but I can't make life too easy for you;)