Seeing as how The Avengers had the best opening weekend in history, it is clear that there is something enticing about the idea behind this film. And there is! For one thing, Marvel Comics has built up character backstories for years that people identify with either through comic books or the movies. But that is only one aspect that is appealing. The other is the interplay between these powerhouse characters and the fact that, though incredibly powerful on their own, only by combining their unique strengths can they overcome a massive, world-altering threat. It is this characteristic that businesses can learn from, particularly as it relates to the tools they use to solve their business problems. Can businesses really learn from comics characters? Absolutely! Lets delve a little deeper.

The Avengers Are Mighty Individually

Though it can be argued that certain Avengers are more powerful than others (Hulk, anyone?), it nevertheless remains true that each can stand on their own and still represent a potent and efficient fighting force. The same can be said of most quality business software. If a program is entirely dependent on another to be of value, then it is subject to weaknesses that might not befall a more independent system. Further, many programs like this do not represent a significant value, and are often upsells for a core product. While they might increase the functionality, they normally do so at a disproportionate cost. If a business chooses to abandon the core-product, the add-on will become worthless as well. Sunk costs like this can be very damaging.

They Work Better With A Leader

[Minor Movie Spoilers] In the beginning of The Avengers, the heroes are all tossed together and almost everyone gets in a conflict. These characters are all used to being at the top of their game, and they are all strong leaders. However, once they fall in line behind a certain spangly-bannered someone, they become much more organized and effective. In business, there are going to be certain programs that the organization is more comfortable working with. If other programs are proprietary and do not play nice with the programs that the business already feels comfortable with, then their value decreases dramatically. It is always easier to access information in just a few places. The more dashboards that employees have to go through, the more difficult it is to understand and execute on the information available.

Avengers Cover Their Weaknesses

The best part about the avengers is that, when they team up, they can overcome weaknesses. The Hulk has a group that can keep him in check and point him in the right direction. Iron Man has a moral authority to keep him grounded. Hawkeye has people to distract enemies while he shoots arrows from afar. The point is, they accentuate and enhance strengths while minimizing weaknesses. Business tools can and should do the same thing. If there is a facet of a comprehensive program, such as Microsoft Dynamics, that doesn’t quite work to solve your needs, another piece of software can be configured to jump right in so that you can keep going and get your work done. In the end, it’s all about minimizing problems and boosting efficiency.

Are your business tools super-powered? If not, take a look and see what will give them the juice they need to take on problems you face every day. That way, when a metaphorical planet altering invasion of space monsters occurs, you will be able to handle it.