Disney: A Culture By: Ellie Curtis

★ The Walt Disney Company: Reinforcing Culture and Values to Employees was an enlightening and wonderful article to have had the privilege to read and review. The article first discusses how Disney started out as a simple cartoon studio and has evolved into an international corporation with over 100,000 employees around the world.

★ As the article continues you learns the values and beliefs Disney hold as a company and how their organizations culture has helped them become the worldwide known corporation that they are.

★ Next the writer reviews the idea that Disney is the perfect company to look at when studying organizational culture because “clear mission and vision that they use”(stacycacciatore.wordpress.com).

Article Summary

Article Summary Cont.

★Disney has expanded into a world renowned company. The writer informs us of the expansion of the company and how it has spread across the world and the places it has been established in.

★The article then takes us through the vigorus process that in order to be hired at Disney you must go through. The company does this in an effort to establish whether or not the person going through the hiring process will be an appropriate and beneficial asset to the company's culture.

★The article is concluded with a recap of all the reasons the writer feels Disney’s organizational culture works so well.

What is Organizational Culture?

★ Organizational Culture is a format of values, beliefs, and assumptions in which have a strong influence on how the company functions. The culture of an organization can depict how employees interact and perform day to day tasks and jobs.

★ The culture of a company has the power to make or break the environment employees are working in and can affect greatly a company’s success rate.

The Mission of The Walt Disney Company“The mission of The Walt Disney

Company is to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of

entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate

our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most

creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related

products in the world.” (thewaltdisneycompany.com)

★ Walt Disney's mission statement gives me, myself, the feeling that the company is there to share it’s talents and ideas with the world. It wants you to watch or view it’s entertainment as an enlightening experience. This to me says that Disney strives to show its creativity through it’s work. I like the fact that in the first few lines of the statement that they establish being producer of entertainment is important to them, it shows that as a whole the company won't lack dedication.

Mission Statement Breakdown

Deal and Kennedy’s “Strong Culture”

★Values: beliefs and ideas of an organization that those involved in the organization hold to great importance.

★Heroes: an individual or multiple individuals that symbolize what an organization views important (values).

★Rites and Rituals: the meetings or gatherings an organization has that reflects what the company sees as important.

★Cultural Network: this how an organization or company communicates with each other, but more importantly communicates the Values they view as important.

“Strong Culture” in The Walt Disney Company

★ Values:○ Disney’s mission statement is a great example of their values, in a concise paragraph

the company has told you what they are going to strive to accomplish and what the company views as important. Also while reading the article a statement was made saying “The Walt Disney Company declares that their values; innovation, quality, community, storytelling, optimism and decency, are present in everything they do” (stacycacciatore.wordpress.com).

“Strong Culture” Cont. ★Heroes:

○ One of the most predominant heroes to the Walt Disney culture would have to be Walt Disney himself. He has created a magical world through his movies and parks that will live on forever. I feel as though Walt is not just a hero to the company but a hero to the children he so greatly impacted with his movies like The Lion King, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and so many more.

“Strong Culture” Cont. ★ Rites and Rituals:

○ Along with being able to say you work for Disney, Disney hosts many events throughout the year in which all employees (no matter what sector of Disney you work in) get to come. On top of both of those exciting things, Disney offers complimentary park tickets to any employee worldwide.

“Strong Culture” Cont

★Cultural Networks:

○ Disney like most companies has done some evolving over the years. Reading the article you find that sticking to the same value and belief system that was established in the very beginning is extremely important to them. “As time progresses, the shared vision and values are socialized to the company’s new employees by more senior members.” (stacycacciatore.wordpress.com). Meaning the company relies on the old members to teach the new bees the meaning and values of the company.

How Disney’s Classic Movies Portray the Values of the Company

★ To refresh your memory, Disney’s values are innovation, quality, community, storytelling, optimism and decency. To express the idea that Disney puts its values into everything they do/create we’re going to take a look at some of Disney’s all time classic films. Aside from storytelling because all of the films have a story and aside from innovation, I’ll analyze to see if a few of Walt’s classic films have the remaining values Disney is so proudly known for.

Film #1 Snow White ★ Snow White is the lovely story of a girl whose stepmother tries

to kill her due to the simple fact Snow White is thought to be of more beauty than her. To avoid her death Snow runs away and meets a dashing group of dwarfs who take her in. Well her Step mother eventually finds her and tries to kill her and in the end she is saved by true love's kiss. This story displays optimism at it’s finest, because even though Snow White is in this terrible situation she still looks to find the happy side of life. She is optimistic about the good in people which eventually leads to her eternal sleep at the end but never once did she doubt that the old lady (her stepmother disguised) was a bad person. Now for me if someone had tried to kill me multiple times I would be weary to trust anyone even an old lady who seems harmless.

Film #2 Peter Pan ★ Peter Pan is the story of a young girl and her

brothers who fly away to a mystical place called Neverland where nobody has to grow up. They fight indians and pirates and search for lost treasure but in the end Wendy (the female lead) realizes that as much as we don’t want to, all of us have to grow up at some point. For me this movie gave me a sense of community. For the short time you’re watching it even though it seems silly, you get the amazing experience of realizing that no one wants to grow up, that being a kid is the greatest thing you’ll ever be able to be. You are given a community that you can relate to and say that you were just like them at one point in your life, afraid to grow up.

The Process to Becoming Apart of the Culture

★ In order to maintain the culture that they have Disney needs to be sure to hire people with an innovative and creative mindset. “Ensuring that employees embody Disney’s values is much more effective than trying to instill their values in employees who inherently don’t believe in them” (stacycacciatore.wordpress.com). To do this the company has a rather lengthy hiring process. “The Walt Disney Company instills their values in employees across the globe through their hiring practices. The structure of this analysis will include an analytical literature review, which will include an analysis of the organizational culture communications theory, Disney’s background, mission and management philosophy, international program, recruitment policy, entertainment landscape, organizational values and training” (stacycacciatore.wordpress.com). All of this is just before you’re hired.

Disney Culture Facts ★Although Disney has five different segments of it’s company all segments media

networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products, and interactive media the culture is said to be the same throughout the entire company.

★ “The company’s primary financial goals are to maximize earnings and cash flow, and to allocate capital toward growth initiatives that will drive long-term shareholder value” (stacycacciatore.wordpress.com). Even though we’d all like to believe Disney isn’t in it for the money that is very important to their culture.

Culture Facts Cont. ★ No matter what branch of Disney you are at in the world, the employees

regardless of what country they are in are expected to follow a universal culture. The article states the the company likes to “ensure that the company’s core values are clearly communicated and embodied by employees, no matter where they are located” (stacycacciatore.wordpress.com).

★ No matter what branch of the company you are applying for the same casting/hiring directors will look at you. “These casting centers are not only important to embedding the Disney culture in new cast members, but also the casting center sets the tone for the cast member’s experience” (stacycacciatore.wordpress.com). By only having a certain set of people hiring for all branches of their company it is easier to establish exactly what you are looking for.

★ In what ways does The Walt Disney Company remember or celebrate the great work of Mr. Walt Disney himself and does remembering him play a major part in your culture?

★ In what ways do you feel Disney allows it’s employees to innovate and express themselves creatively?

★ Out of the the five common values Disney states to have which one is the most important to follow or stick to?

Questions?

Questions? Cont. ★ If there was something an employee could change about the organizational

structure of Disney what would it be? Why?

★Disney is often referred to as the “happiest place on earth” do you as an employee still feel that way after working there or does the “magic” disappear when you’re apart of making it?

Works Cited

Cacciatore, Stacy. "The Walt Disney Company: Reinforcing Culture and Values to Employees." Stacy Cacciatores Digital Project Portfolio. Wordpress.com, 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.

"The Walt Disney Company." The Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.

"Total Rewards." Disney Careers. Disney. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.