Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to visit the planetarium at the University of Louisville. Remember planetarium visits from high school? Watching shows about astronomy and the stars under a half-dome ceiling looking straight up? That was what I was expected again, but that wasn't what I got.
What if you move the planetarium's control from the science department to the department of education? A subtle shift opens a new world. The science department saw what the planetarium was historically made for: night sky shows. The education department sees it more as an IMAX-type opportunity to educate in all fields of study.
I got to see an animated video teaching me on a particular subject matter. Sure they still have the capability of an astronomy show and I received a bonus show of a Beatles laser show. What a flashback experience for me! The half-dome is the same, some of the equipment is the same, but the intent of the product is completely different.
What departmental walls do you need to be removing for the benefit of your customers and company? What additional input could you gain for production, sales, marketing, and training if you allowed the removal of the departmental death-grip of most department heads?
Subtle differences of perspectives can open an entirely new world of opportunity when you are open to input from outside sources. The planetarium designed for a single purpose in the hands of the science department never had the chance to experience a new life of growth potential until it was in the hands of someone new.
Where do you need to be gathering input from new sources to take your products, services and marketing ideas into an entirely new direction? Imagine the profits awaiting you when you take the risk to open up to fresh ideas.
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