Domino is the name of a family of tile games played with wooden or plastic tiles stacked end-to-end in long thin lines, with each domino tipping over as the first falls causing it to push against its neighboring tile, eventually leading to its tumble over and ultimately creating intricate and complex patterns. Domino is now commonly used as an analogy in business as an expression for chain reactions which begin small but significant events and eventually have far reaching repercussions; thus coining “The Domino Effect”.
No matter if it be physical dominoes or story plot, understanding the domino effect is an integral component of storytelling. Within stories, this allows us to understand how a character’s actions will have an effect on those around her, whether we write our tales without any prior outline or spontaneously. Plotting your tale always comes down to one question: What will happen next?
To answer that question, it’s essential that we can visualize the domino effect. A domino effect refers to an accumulation of events which eventually leads to one particular result or outcome; to successfully depict one, make sure each character reacts in an believable and reasonable fashion, so readers understand her choices and decisions.
While dominoes may derive their name from Latin verb dominus (master or lord), they’ve come to be associated with fate or destiny due to how each decision along a domino effect’s way plays an equally critical role in its outcome.
Early domino sets were comprised of 28 pieces, each end representing one of six outcomes from throwing two dice. They were commonly used for positional games where players placed their tiles edge-to-edge against those already in play. Bergen and muggins, a scoring game played commonly at British public houses and social clubs, scored points for every tile divisible by either five or three; these sets could also be found used to score in board games such as dominoes.
Undercover Boss offers a prime example of the domino effect in television show form. CEO Don Meij takes part in this show by visiting his company’s restaurants and delivery service locations to observe employees work practices and make necessary changes. At each location he visits, Meij makes decisions that have direct repercussions for their bottom line, including creating a special pizza delivery vehicle which should reduce delivery times significantly; ultimately creating more satisfied customers as well as increased revenues for Domino’s franchises.
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