Gene Roddenberry, creator of "Star Trek," knew something about organizational structure in challenging situations. He trained as a police officer and later worked for the Los Angeles Police Department, flew dozens of bomber missions in the Army Air Corps in World War II, and was a commercial pilot after the war, helping to rescue several crew members and passengers who survived a plane crash in the Syrian desert.
"Star Trek" draws on many of Roddenberry's experiences -- the way people lead and follow, the way people function under stress, the dynamics of conflict. And because of that, the trailblazing sci-fi TV and movie series offers lessons that could benefit business leaders.
Now, with "Star Trek Into Darkness," the latest film based on Roddenberry's work, rumbling into theaters, here are ways that Kirk, Spock and their team serve as business role models:
1) Don't surround yourself with people just like you.
Kirk and Spock could not be more different. Spock is emotionless (or tries to be) and spouts rules and regulations. Kirk is a swashbuckling commander who looks for rules to break. Together they make up for each other's weaknesses, pull each other toward the center, and are stronger together than apart. The key to making the relationship work is the unshakable trust both men have in each other.
2) Have someone close to you who isn't afraid to tell you off.
"Bones" McCoy is loyal to Kirk and an off-duty drinking buddy, but he isn't afraid to tell his captain when he's wrong. And Kirk listens.
3) Put yourself in the middle of things.
If Kirk has an office on the starship Enterprise, we never see it. He spends his time in a chair in the middle of a circular room, surrounded by his top deputies. He is in touch with everything, and he is very approachable when his staff needs to bring him important information.
4) Understand your adversary.
Many "Star Trek" episodes begin with the Enterprise in deadly peril from some alien race and end with a breakthrough of understanding by Kirk and his crew. They could just fire away with all phasers (and sometimes they do), but more often they take the time to know what hidden issues their adversaries are dealing with and turn enemies into friends. Kirk is a two-fisted captain and a fierce warrior, but he also is a diplomat.
5) Seek skill diversity.
Usually in the business world, "diversity" means ethnic, gender, age and ability diversity when it comes to recruiting. But in "Star Trek," Kirk also has surrounded himself with officers representing a host of backgrounds and skills. Uhura speaks many languages. Spock is a scientist. Sulu is an ace pilot and a swordsman. It's not enough to assemble a staff from the usual diversity checklists; leaders should build a team representing a host of skills.
6) Find people who underpromise and overdeliver.
Scotty is always telling Kirk that "I canna give you more than Warp 3" when the Enterprise engines break down. Kirk usually smirks when he hears that, knowing that his chief engineer will have the engines going full blast in no time.
7) Don't let your chain of command keep you from getting the best advice.
The Enterprise is run under a military hierarchy, but Kirk encourages his crew to speak up when they have important information or advice.
8) Keep the home office at arm's length.
Kirk reports to Starfleet. But he is the captain of the Enterprise. He is the man in charge at the scene, light years away from the bosses. He generally follows orders from his admirals (with some notable exceptions) but he allows himself a lot of leeway in how he interprets those orders. And the results are better -- both for his ship and for his superiors -- than if he had simply slavishly followed instructions from headquarters.
9) Don't let tech dominate your actions.
The Enterprise has a talking computer, tricorders and medical scanners that look like salt shakers (in fact, in the TV series, the props were salt shakers). But the officers know when to turn away from the gadgets and make decisions based on their own intelligence, skill and intuition.
10) Don't ask your people to do what you wouldn't do.
Kirk generally goes along with his crew on "away" missions to mysterious planets. That's probably not what a ship's captain would typically do in real life. But in "Star Trek," Kirk's willingness to place himself in harm's way alongside his shipmates demonstrates that he wouldn't ask them to take on tasks riskier than he himself would face.
And finally, when all else fails, "Star Trek" teaches us that you want to have the transporters fired up and ready to get your butt out of there...