Disney Research Paper
Disney, uncontested, is the most famous and the most recognized name in the entertainment theme parks industry in the world. Walt Elisa Disney concept of self-contained work groups, dated back in the 1920’s, was the start toward the beginning of a successful organization. Walt Elisa Disney’s concept toward its organizations’ behavior launched a trend that shaped the look of Walt Disney entertainment theme parks around the globe. The concept itself forces competing amusement parks to change its image in which, entertainment theme parks became a trend.
A large part of Disney success is not losing its sense of purpose brought to life by its founder Walt Elisa Disney. In my research of Disney, I will show how a successful organization maintained its successful status in the entertainment amusement theme park industry. I will attempt to uncover the culture of Disney, present its organizational structure, and its communications practice. The idea of viewing organizations as cultures-in, which there is a system of shared meaning among members-is relatively recent phenomenon.
Until the mid 1980s, organizations were, for the most part, thought of simply as rational means by which to coordinate and control a group of people. They had vertical levels, departments, authority relationships, and so forth. But organizations are more. They have personalities too, just like individuals. They can be rigid or flexible, unfriendly or supportive, innovative or conservative (Stephen Robbins 2005, p484 Para 3). One intricate part of Disney’s success is due to its organizations culture. The culture of Disney, it captures people dreams and imaginations by bringing them to life.
The theory of real-life imaginations coming to reality reminds me of a well-known philosopher by the name of Renee Descartes. “Renee Descartes was a French mathematician, philosopher, and physiologist that we owe the first systematic account of the mind/body relationship” (Robert H. Wozniak, 1992), in addition, Renee Descartes is better known for his statement, I am thinking therefore I exist. The theory behind the culture of Disney, I believe, has much to do with Walt Elisa Disney theory of bringing to life fictional characters of his imaginations and dreams.
Before venturing into the intrinsic parts of what motivates employees at Walt Disney’s theme parks around the globe, let us find out about the culture of the organization. The best place to start, let us learn a little about the man who started it all, Walt Elias Disney. Walt Elias Disney is the culture of Walt Disney. Walt Disney’s around the globe is every component of Walt Elisa Disney imagination and his fictional characters has became apart of human culture. This fact presents why knowing Walt Elias Disney will set the basis of Disney’s organizations culture.
As a child Walt Elisa Disney began sketching and “doodling pictures of animals, and nature” (Just Disney. com, 2002, p 2 Para2). This hobby was due to Walt’s environment he was raised in, the countryside of Marceline, Missouri. When Walt became a teen he took a job with is uncle working on the railroad, “selling newspapers, popcorn, and sodas to travelers (Just Disney. com, 2002, p2 Para 3). This is where Walt developed a passion for building train sets, and in doing so, Walt would often reflect on the time working on the railroad. He would reminisce of the freedom he felt being on those trains (Just Disney.com, 2002).
Walter began expanding his interest and talents; he would divide his time between drawing and photography. At night Walt would attend the “Academy of Fine Arts” (Just Disney. com, 2002, p 2 Para 5), there is where he would advance his skills as an artist, and better understand his craft. “During these carefree years of country living young Walt began to love, and appreciate nature and wildlife, and family and community” (Just Disney, 2002, p2 Para 7). Walt continued to add to his personal resume by learning the art of acting and performing.
Animation and storytelling has much to do with the culture of Walt Disney. Walt Elisa Disney, often, asked by his teachers to tell stories. Walt would tell the stories, and at the same time, he would draw the story’s characters on the chalkboard to enhance his peers’ attention of imagination as he told the story. Unbeknown to Walt peers, they were the first entertained by two-dimensional animated stories. Capturing the attention of people is one thing Walt Elisa Disney done well. Within the culture of Disney, capturing its guess imagination is a high priority, and one that brought success to Walt Disney’s around the globe.
The current employees of Walt Disney’s around the globe are adapted to its culture and understand how the organization works. The show is what Disney does-from the actual entertainment to providing friendly service to making sure that the adventures and attractions (not rides) are safe. At the core of Disney’s internal training are storytelling and the traditions, through which new cast members learn about Disney’s history-not from professional trainers, but from rank-and-file employees who relate their own real-life experiences working at Disney World and Disneyland.
Some that knew Walt are still around to share their personal memories of the visionary man that began it all (Haidee Allerton (1997 Para 7). Innovation and risk taking has been means within Disney’s culture. Walt Elisa Disney risked it all as stated, “Three or four times in his life” (JustDisney. com, 2002) but never gave up on his dream of animated films; one account of Walt Elisa Disney risking it all to have finally meeting success when he started to create The Alice Comedies (JustDisney. com, 2002).
Walt’s brother, Roy O. Disney, was already in California, with an immense amount of sympathy and encouragement, and $250. Pooling their resources, they borrowed an additional $500, and set up shop in their uncle’s garage. Soon, they received an order from New York for the first Alice in Cartoonland (The Alice Comedies) featurette, and the brothers expanded their production operation to the rear of a Hollywood real estate office. It was Walt’s enthusiasm and faith in himself, and others that took him straight to the top of Hollywood society (JustDisney. com 2002).
Staying true to the cultural traditions of its founder, Disney uses the innovative ideas of its employees better serving its guest. Throughout the history of Disney, it experienced times where changes were needed. A manager by the name of Mary Cooper reflects on a time when she headed one of Walt Disney’s Worlds hotels in Florida. Mary tells the story of the hotel ranking last of 17 hotels within Disney World back in 1996. The hotel was suffering in its guest satisfaction department, and “the employee transfer rate had reached 73 percent” (no author, 2003).
Three years later, with her as manager, it ranked second in guest satisfaction and had a transfer rate of only 14 percent. Cooper told HR professionals at a conference hosted by the Northeast Human Resources Association in Newton, Mass. , that one reason for turnaround was a recasting of the corporate culture in the hotel to encourage greater creativity among all of the employees – or stagehands, as they are called at Disney World. With creativity and innovation… and with the right leadership in place to encourage that culture, you can do phenomenal things, she said.(No author, 2003, Para 2)
An additional account of Disney using the innovative and creativity of its employees was given to them by one of its table busser noticing a trend occurring daily. The table busser noticed each day when the parades were happening outside tables were unattended by its guest. The guest would leave their tables with large portions of uneaten food. The table busser brought it to the attention of his manager, and suggested that the restaurant host a parade of characters inside the restaurant. The advantage would be to the parents.
“Parents would have a few minutes to relax” (no author, 2003 Para 7) while the children participated in the parade. Therefore, it was the creation of the after-meal parade. Such above stated examples has made hearing out ideas of its employees much apart of Disney’s culture. In addition to Disney’s organizational structure, eliminating formalization and expanding its p of control, it allows’ employees to communicate its innovative and creative ideas without having to go through the bureaucratic red tape of a formalized organization.
Disney’s organizational structure eliminates such procedures to allow the free flow of ideas to surface. Disney belief in flattening its organization and increasing its p of control is the reason its employees can be creative and add to Disney being big on innovations. In addition, Disney creating a format for its employees to make their ideas known to upper management reduces Disney’s turnover rate and help eliminate the isolation factor so many employees endure within their organization.
Disney organizational structure includes every member of its family as an intricate part of its successes. Managers employed by Disney oversee 75 or more employees daily. How can a manager control 75 or more employees daily and keep its planning center efficient? The manager understands and knows the functions performed by its employees. Stephen Robbins (2005) states, “The major advantage to this type of grouping is obtaining efficiencies” (p 454 Para 4). Communication has proven to be an intricate part of Disney’s culture.
Without the free flow of communications within the organization of Disney, and its significant not being recognized, it would have greatly decreased Disney as being successful organization. Walt Elisa Disney realizing departmentalization, meeting rooms, and reports could not be apart of his organizational structure. Although, some employees were in need of an office space to do their work, such as Walt Elisa Disney’s administrative assistant; whose office was several times the size of Walt Elisa Disney’s office. Walt “said she needed the room to accomplish her job” (no author, 2003, Para 1).
Walt Elisa Disney organization main purpose is to bring two dimensional animation pictures to life. Therefore, meetings and reports would all take place in assigned planning centers. Walt Elisa Disney’s concept of self-contained work groups influenced other industries to mimic its theory. Competing amusement parks were not the only industry who implemented Disney’s concept of removing meeting rooms and eliminating reports. Walt Disney’s theory of “people working on a project were assigned a planning center where they displayed their plans and worked on their ideas” (Organizational Structure, n.d. ).
DisneyThe concept of self-contained work groups worked for Walt Disney in the 1920’s and to present. Therefore, Chrysler and Milican believed it was worth the effort to implement the concept of self-contained work groups within their organizational structure as well (Organizational Structure, n. d. ). Chrysler invested millions of dollars in a new center that incorporated Walt Elisa Disney’s concept. “The result was the release of new products in record time and under budget” (Organizational Structure, n. d. ).
As for Milican, it implemented Walt Elisa Disney’s concept to improve communications within the confinements of its office structure. Milican physically reconstructed their use of office space by removing the offices, creating an open space environment that allowed communications between departments that allowed a free flow of communication and ideas to reach the intended party right away. Milican old way of transferring ideas all conducted during scheduled meetings. These meetings hindered the free flow of ideas due to time constraints and having to what weeks or months to communicate its idea(s).
The result of Milican implementing Disney’s concept, of self-contained work groups, it “improved market share and the survival of the company” (Organizational Structure, n. d. ). Not one organization could reach success without understanding its environments culture(s), purpose and reason for existing. Some organization capitalize on people wants and desires such as, having an exceptional body, or giving the appearance of prestige, and more recent, within the hip-hop culture, the desire to be apart of cultural phenomenon.
Other organization understands people need to be educated therefore, the creation of distance learning programs are formed that allows working adults to attend college while meeting obligation of family. For the most part, within the diverseness of our human culture, we imagine and dream. Disney’s organizational behavior capitalizes just on humans imaginations and dreams. Disney understands its market, and by Disney being rational and holding to its founder’s original philosophy, and cultural foundations, it is what has made Disney a successful organization.
