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It’s a truism but society changes over the years. What is acceptable and even “hip” in one era is outdated and seen as “on the nose” in another era. And yet many businesses and managers don’t keep pace with the times.

TV is a great barometer of what is acceptable in our culture at any given time. Think about what was acceptable on  TV over the decades. In the 70’s we had Number 96 full of nakedness and much bed hopping and the Benny Hill shows showing a middle aged fat man chasing buxom women. Workplaces were still coming to grips with women in the workplace and many women of that era experienced sexual harassment within their jobs.

In the 80’s we had the influx of more shows showing good guys overcoming bad with Knight Rider, the A-Team, McGyver as well as power plays of Dynasty and Dallas. Gone were the hippy 70’s and enter power dressing and tough guys. Women started to move into positions of power in the workplace and benchmarking systems and processes were the order of the day in many businesses.

In the 90’s we had Mad About You, Beverley Hills 90210, Ally McBeal, Frasier, Home Improvement & Sex in the City. Here smart scripts, relationship analysis and humor were the messages of the decade. There was movement in workplaces towards embracing diversity and inclusion. Leadership became experiential rather than management driven and women embraced their strong independence.

In the millenium we have a huge influx of reality TV – where everyone gets their minute of fame – as long as they are quirky and different. Workplaces are trying to keep pace with the influx of social media and ensuring all employees are valued and recognised for their different contributions. This is the decade of the individual and tailored solutions.

What has this got to do with business? Well, many businesses seem stuck in a previous decade of interacting with their staff and customers.

A classic case is the cast of the Footy Show and Gordon Ramsey.  These blokes obviously were reared on a 70’s/80’s diet of culture – and didn’t move on. They still work on the old style humour and old fashioned ways of interacting with women – and haven’t yet realised that the world has shifted. That their approach to humour isn’t funny anymore (if it ever was) and their presentation style is the equivalent of wearing a safari suit to a modern day cocktail party. There time is past and keeping them on TV shows the lack of awareness by the TV programmers of the shifts in society.

During the last State of Origin match there appeared to be more women watching the match via Twitter than men. And many were commenting on the poor commentary put forward by Channel 9.  They voted with their feet – and chose other than the mainstream offering.

While we cringe at Sam Newman and Gordon Ramsey’s antics which look a heck of a lot like Sir Les Patterson on a good day, businesses need to also stop to consider if any of their managers are giving off the same outdated message.

Do they look at their marketing images to see if they are still using the equivalent of bikini clad females holding tools or draped over trucks? Do they check their marketing strategies to see that they are socially inclusive rather than one way systems and process driven? Do they look at the language they are using to ensure it reflects the diversity in society rather than marginalising groups of people?

In my experience every business needs a significant brand review at least every 5 years to ensure it is keeping pace with the society it serves. When was the last time you took a serious look at your business? Do you reflect the culture of today – or are you stuck in a decades old time warp?

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance writer