From Science Fiction to Strategy: How Tangible Visions Transform Organizations
Why do 90% of corporate visions fail to inspire change? Because they live in PowerPoint, not people's hearts.
In 2011, Corning released "A Day Made of Glass" - a video showing a world where every surface was a digital portal. It wasn't just corporate messaging; it was a glimpse into a possible future that captured 26 million viewers' imaginations. More importantly, it sparked real transformation, inspiring Kaiser Permanente to revolutionize how they envisioned healthcare delivery.
Beyond PowerPoint: Making the Future Tangible
Kaiser Permanente faced a monumental challenge: how do you align thousands of partnerss - from physician leaders to administrators to patients - around a shared vision of healthcare's future? The answer wasn't another strategy deck. It was "Imagining Care Anywhere," an immersive experience that put people in the shoes of a young mother navigating her pregnancy in a patient-centered future.
This wasn't just show and tell. The hour-long experience at the Garfield Innovation Center evolved into multiple life-stage storylines, spawned a video series, and transformed into a traveling exhibit. But the magic wasn't in the medium - it was in the method.
Why Tangible Visioning Works
The results were extraordinary. Over 40,000 people contributed to the vision, directly shaping KP's strategic evolution toward consumer-driven digital experiences, telehealth adoption, and family-centered care. This success wasn't accidental - it stemmed from four key principles:
Creating Shared Understanding When people experience a vision firsthand through personal narratives, they grasp it at a deeper level than any presentation can achieve.
Enabling Co-Creation By presenting visions as provocations rather than proclamations, organizations invite stakeholders to become architects of the future, not just observers.
Making It Memorable In a world drowning in PowerPoints, emotional storytelling cuts through the noise. People remember - and champion - ideas that move them.
Accelerating Implementation When people truly understand and help shape a vision, they mobilize faster. The path from concept to reality shortens dramatically.
The Future of Visioning
Whether you call it speculative futures, design futures, or provocations, tangible visioning represents a fundamental shift in how organizations chart their course. It's not just about predicting the future - it's about creating a future that people can see, feel, and help build.
The questions for leaders become: How will you make your vision tangible? What stories will you tell? And most importantly, how will you involve your stakeholders in writing the next chapter?s not business as usual.
4. It accelerates vision becoming reality. Tangible visions have a much higher chance of being successful. Why? People mobilize faster when they truly understand the vision. Second, people adopt what they shape.
What are your thoughts on tangible visioning? Have you experienced its impact on your organization?
