Shawshank Redemption

In this paper, I will apply Colbentz ideas of organizational sustainability from his paper The Three Aspects that Matter, to a modern era film. Colbentz defines a sustainable organization by stating “it means that it has the elements necessary to carry on and constantly enhance its activities in pursuit of a defined mission” (2002, p.1). I have chosen the Stephen King written film, The Shawshank Redemption. I feel this is an applicable film because as the story evolves, Warden Norton and Andy Dufresne turn Shawshank from your average run of the mill prison to a viable financial organization. Colbentz explains “A sustainable organization needs to be strong institutionally, financially and morally” (2002, p.1). All of these aspects become visible as the penitentiary becomes the highly successful financial organization and as it comes crashing to an end.

A mission statement provides a succinct definition of why the organization exists and what it hopes to achieve” (2002, p.2). Initially, the purpose of the prison is house and rehabilitate the inmates that have been sentenced to service their time there for the crimes they have committed. However when Warden Norton reveals his inside-out program, which was a program he developed to take the inmates outside the prison to essentially work for the state on various jobs of the Wardens choosing. The Warden describes his program as “a genuine, progressive advance in corrections and rehabilitation” (1994). At this point Warden Norton reveals the prison’s new mission statement as “providing a valuable service to the community and at a bare minimum of expense to Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Taxpayer” (1994). From here the prison starts to develop as profitable financial organization and the story becomes more detailed of how Andy Dufresne, a former banker on the outside, guides it to