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Inspiration
The Jurassic world of work
ne of the blockbusters in movie theaters • Mosasaurus and Pteranodon: Mosasaurus is the
this summer is Jurassic World, the fourth largest dinosaur in the sea. The Pteranodon is a
installment in the Jurassic Park film franchise. flying reptile. We might consider the Mosasaurus
O Jurassic World, like the preceding films in the as the worker who knows the most about the
series, features dinosaurs – and lots of them. We often business, who has been involved in the nitty-
think of dinosaurs as mindless, vicious killers, "red in gritty of the job the longest and is, as a result,
tooth and claw" (a term 19th century poet Alfred Lord the most knowledgeable about the business. In
Tennyson coined in an elegy for a friend). contrast, the Pteranodon flies above and does
"the visionary thing." With someone doing
Jurassic World offers a different take on dinosaurs, show- the forecasting, and someone else keeping the
ing them to be denizens of a relatively harmo- business grounded in the nitty-gritty, a business
nious ecosystem – until it is disrupted by is more likely to succeed.
human interference, that is. There is
certainly competition in Jurassic • Tyrannosaurus rex and Indomi-
World, but there is also a delicate nus rex: As its name implies,
balance, with various dino- Tyrannosaurus rex is the ruler
saurs taking on complemen- of the dinosaur world. In
tary roles, making the sys- the same way, someone in
tem as a whole work for an executive role needs
the benefit of all. to take charge in the
modern business. But
You could think about even the Tyrannosaurus
the modern business is limited by its role
workplace in similar in the ecosystem. The
terms. Whether you Tyrannosaurus can't
work in an office or just gobble whatever
work more with clients comes along or, in the
than with co-workers, case of the business
the Jurassic world of the place, indulge in mi-
workplace depends on cromanagement or ag-
competition and comple- grandize certain roles.
mentary work, with dif- The result, as we see with
ferent kinds of people acting Indominus rex, is disaster. In
in a variety of roles. Indeed, the film, the Indominus is a hy-
we could consider these roles as brid, the product of human hu-
types of dinosaur. Consider the fol- bris and greed. Indominus upsets the
lowing: delicate balance of the dinosaur world.
The same can be said about some workers,
• Velociraptor and Apatosaurus: These for example, individuals who do not respect the
raptors are the stars of all the Jurassic Park films, distinct roles and command structure of the
due to their amazing agility, relentless pursuit of modern business place.
prey and superior intelligence. Who is the raptor
in your business? Most likely it's the person or Whatever your role is in the Jurassic world of the
people who have learned to channel their natural workplace, know that it is vital to the overall success of
aggression into the pursuit of clients and sales. your business.
At the other end of the aggression scale is the
Apatosaurus, the largest dinosaur on land. He is a
gentle giant who generates more sympathy than
fear. Workers like this are also needed for any
successful business. They may work behind the
scenes, doing the payroll or something similar, Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
but your business could not function without
them.
57
The Jurassic world of work
ne of the blockbusters in movie theaters • Mosasaurus and Pteranodon: Mosasaurus is the
this summer is Jurassic World, the fourth largest dinosaur in the sea. The Pteranodon is a
installment in the Jurassic Park film franchise. flying reptile. We might consider the Mosasaurus
O Jurassic World, like the preceding films in the as the worker who knows the most about the
series, features dinosaurs – and lots of them. We often business, who has been involved in the nitty-
think of dinosaurs as mindless, vicious killers, "red in gritty of the job the longest and is, as a result,
tooth and claw" (a term 19th century poet Alfred Lord the most knowledgeable about the business. In
Tennyson coined in an elegy for a friend). contrast, the Pteranodon flies above and does
"the visionary thing." With someone doing
Jurassic World offers a different take on dinosaurs, show- the forecasting, and someone else keeping the
ing them to be denizens of a relatively harmo- business grounded in the nitty-gritty, a business
nious ecosystem – until it is disrupted by is more likely to succeed.
human interference, that is. There is
certainly competition in Jurassic • Tyrannosaurus rex and Indomi-
World, but there is also a delicate nus rex: As its name implies,
balance, with various dino- Tyrannosaurus rex is the ruler
saurs taking on complemen- of the dinosaur world. In
tary roles, making the sys- the same way, someone in
tem as a whole work for an executive role needs
the benefit of all. to take charge in the
modern business. But
You could think about even the Tyrannosaurus
the modern business is limited by its role
workplace in similar in the ecosystem. The
terms. Whether you Tyrannosaurus can't
work in an office or just gobble whatever
work more with clients comes along or, in the
than with co-workers, case of the business
the Jurassic world of the place, indulge in mi-
workplace depends on cromanagement or ag-
competition and comple- grandize certain roles.
mentary work, with dif- The result, as we see with
ferent kinds of people acting Indominus rex, is disaster. In
in a variety of roles. Indeed, the film, the Indominus is a hy-
we could consider these roles as brid, the product of human hu-
types of dinosaur. Consider the fol- bris and greed. Indominus upsets the
lowing: delicate balance of the dinosaur world.
The same can be said about some workers,
• Velociraptor and Apatosaurus: These for example, individuals who do not respect the
raptors are the stars of all the Jurassic Park films, distinct roles and command structure of the
due to their amazing agility, relentless pursuit of modern business place.
prey and superior intelligence. Who is the raptor
in your business? Most likely it's the person or Whatever your role is in the Jurassic world of the
people who have learned to channel their natural workplace, know that it is vital to the overall success of
aggression into the pursuit of clients and sales. your business.
At the other end of the aggression scale is the
Apatosaurus, the largest dinosaur on land. He is a
gentle giant who generates more sympathy than
fear. Workers like this are also needed for any
successful business. They may work behind the
scenes, doing the payroll or something similar, Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
but your business could not function without
them.
57
