People Management at Disney
Wishes Illumination
One of the things we were exposed to at the Disney Institute was a presentation on People Management in the Magic Kingdom. We were told all kinds of general facts, including that:
- At Disney, all employees are referred to as Cast Members
- Disney has over 2200 job titles with specific position descriptions.
- Disney promotes largely from within. Phil Holmes, VP of the Magic Kingdom started his Disney career as a part time 3rd shift cast member zeroing out cash registers.
- They have meticulous training.
- They listen to their employees, conducting an annual Cast survey every year that they use to drive many changes in working conditions for the Cast.
- They provide excellent benefits.
- They provide unique company related perks, including free admission at all their parks around the world.
- Disney enjoys amicable relationships with the 19 labor unions representing cast members on site at the Disney World complex.
Of course, all these things are important, and I haven’t even really scratched the surface of all you can learn about people management at the Disney Institute. For today, here are the top 4 most powerful things I observed.
- The cultural DNA of Disney “memory”
- Employee as Performer aka “Cast Member”
- You are always performing with customers
- Self-motivation: “Make your own applause”
What is your best Disney memory?
This concept permeates the culture at Disney. It starts from the very moment you consider applying for a position as a Cast Member. Here is what you see when you go to the Disney career site.
Welcome to The Walt Disney Company!
Yes, there really are dream jobs.
Here, the bottom line is imagination, our culture is magic and wonder, and required previous work experience: childhood dreams.
Think of all the laughter, astonishment, joy and thrills that have come from this one place. Movies, Animation, News and Sports, Music, Television, Books, Theme Parks and Resorts.
After all, a company built on imagination and wonder means the work will be interesting. And always will be. There’s room for talented people. It’s a dream job.
In the simulated on-boarding session we observed as part of our Disney Institute experience, we were temporarily “hired” as a Cast Member, and a member of Disney staff came out to begin our “Transitions” day, which is the name of the on-boarding process for Cast Members.
How was this done?
She asked one question: “What is your best Disney memory?” Then she shared her best Disney memory with us, using a picture of her and sister taken in front of “floral Mickey” at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom when they were children and first visited Disney World with her family. She described her memories of child like wonder, and how it made her want to come back there again and again.
Each new “Cast Member” was then invited to do the same thing. It was astonishing to watch these seminar attendees nee Disney Cast break down in gentle tears as they recalled visiting Disney or watching a film or watching a tv show.
Imagine the sort of engagement that tapping into these “brand memories” creates for newly minted Cast Members, many of whom are truly joining the company of their dreams. Disney begins building and reinforcing their work culture even before you have worked with a customer for a single moment. It is pure genius, and is a critical key to reinforcing the concepts introduced later.
Cast Members are always on stage at Disney
When you begin work at Disney, you are referred to as a Cast Member. This refers to the idea that every Cast member employed by DIsney is always performing for the customer as part of the overall Disney experience. Everything you do, including the way you dress, the way your hair is cut, and the way you speak is part of the carefully crafted Disney image. Understanding this concept is crucial for Disney to consistently deliver the unparalleled guest experience they strive to offer.
Disney: a Culture of Passion and Service
My Disney Institute colleague Michael Long has written a great post that discusses the culture of enthusiasm and passion we saw at Disney. How else do they drive their performance culture? How do cast members understand that they are always on stage and maintain the expected level of performance? Part of the Disney training is to encourage Cast members to learn how to create their own magical members by encouraging them to satisfy customers by:
- making immediate contact
- Listening to what the customer wants
- read their body language
- anticipate their needs
- being knowledgeable in their area
- managing the expectations of the customer
As the folks at Disney told us, serving the customer experience is the key to their success, and it is what each Cast Member is expected to do at all times. They aren’t perfect, but they strive for excellence. They are taught to look for opportunities to delight the audience. By making such moments where they create their own applause by delighting a customer, each Cast Members knows they are doing their part to perpetuate the Disney experience.
Speaking practically, Disney knows they can’t line up group of people to applaud each Cast member as they enter and leave work, so they teach the Cast to get their own personal motivation and satisfaction from their interactions with their audience, Disney customers. It is simple and brilliant and effective. Disney reinforces behavior with recognition programs, coaching and other tactics, but this concept permeates the culture.
Not every company has the brand reach and customer resonance of the Disney brand. The challenge for anyone, including those attending the Disney Institute is how do you carry these powerful concepts back your own business and apply them? Thoughts on that later!
What is YOUR best Disney memory? The folks at the Disney Institute and I would love to know.
Leave your comments, and you can get some of the swag I got from the Disney Institute. I mean, who wouldn’t want a USB flash drive that looks like Mickey ears?
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No childhood memories of Disneyland or Disneyworld – too far, and too expensive for my midwestern-based family to travel. But my favorite memories of Disney came when I was able to take my own children there. They were too young (and too little) to enjoy the rides – but my wife bought what I thought at the time was a silly purchase for kids – those special autograph books they sell there, each with a character on the cover that represented a favorite of my 3 kids.
We then proceeded to spend the rest of the day running from scheduled “appearance” to scheduled appearance of the various Disney characters – all to get the “autographs” of these characters my kids had grown up with.
To this day I remember the awestruck look in my then-not-quite 3-year-old son’s eyes (he’s nearly 17 now) as he took back his book from “Dopey” – well, that’s the true magic of Disney.
p.s. and while it’s been a long time, as I recall Ariel was pretty “hot.” Something for everyone at Disney! ;-}
A few years ago when I first became part of the committee for the local EMA group here in South Florida, we hosted a 1-day Disney Institute event. The session on customer service was so powerful it brought me to tears. Sounds kind of kooky I know, but I LOVE providing top notch customer service and building customer loyalty – so I was INTO it big time!
What I learned that day is that Disney is not JUST about the obvious – keep the property spotless, empowering people to provide great service, making sure they don’t run out of Mickey ear hats or thread to embroider names on them – you know, the big important stuff. No. Disney caters to the whim of their customers even if only 1 customer out of a 1000 that will pick up on it. For example: when you enter into the cobweb filled and obviously abandoned (for many years) hotel “lobby” of the “Tower of Terror” ride, an antique buff might see some valuable French bronzes including some by Moreau, a noted artist of the 19th century (the hotel lobby contains some valuable antiques). Or you might notice that the board game (can’t remember which one) on one of the tables was obviously left at a VERY crucial part of the game – that is if you weren’t too busy freaking out, wondering if you should skip out of line and not actually go through with the ride.
They will also include random things that most people wouldn’t pick up on, like when you enter the “library” of the Tower of Terror, before the door closes and the lights dim; on top of the bookcases you’ll see some props from Twilight Zone episodes! Or the small figures cleverly built out of the small tiles in “Cinderella’s Castle”. Or the “hidden Mickey’s”…or…well, as you can imagine, the list goes on and on. I personally love the figures that the housekeeping staff makes out of your towels and washcloths so you have a friendly face waiting for you when you get back from a long day in the park.
p.s. the next time you find yourself standing in the hotel lobby at the “Tower of Terror” wondering if you are nuts for going on the ride, I will tell you that it is an amazing experience and you must do it at least once!
While Disneyland will always hold a special place in my heart because I grew up on it, my best memories of Disney come from my time I spent there for an internship. I was there for the fall semester of 2006 and held a position in entertainment as a character performer. It was truly an experience of a lifetime.
Disney is a magical place not only for the guests, but for the cast members.
My best memory comes from actually being on stage, working. When guests see the characters, it is hard for them not to smile. The characters are the magic brought to life. There are countless numbers of children that were excited to see Cinderella, Snow White, Chip or Dale. One guest stood out to me. He was an elderly man in a motorized wheel chair, parked a little off to the side of Chip and Dale in the Animal Kingdom. He had been watching the ‘munks meet and greet guests for a good hour or so. I didn’t see anyone who was sitting with him or even chatting with him in the whole time.
The reason he had caught my attention was that he reminded me of my grandpa whom had practically raised me. My grandfather had died two years previous. At the end, my grandpa felt like he was actually getting better and had made mention of eventually wanting to get an electric wheelchair so he could travel.
The old man in the wheelchair watching the ‘munks struck a cord in me so much so that when the character attendant told Chip it was time to go back inside and informed the remaining guests in line that Chip would be right back, Chip took the opportunity to rush over to the man to give him a hug.
The man hugged Chip back gently and whispered, “Thank you,” almost inaudibly. I not only felt like my grandfather had been there, but also that I had made a difference in this man’s day. I won’t lie – Chip cried a few happy tears, in the inside, on the way back to the break room.
My favorite memory of Disney was taking my twins to Disneyland when they were just 1 year old. Although they don’t remember that trip now that they are 5, I remember it as if it were yesterday. If anyone wants to see awe in a child’s eyes, they need to go to Disney. My babies were in LOVE with every character. The highlight was meeting Buzz Lightyear. Carleigh loved him so much she pulled away from me and made him hold her! I have amazing pictures of that. She believed he was real. Jack had a special moment with Winnie the Pooh. At the time, they also had a Playhouse Disney show for small children where they could see all their favorite junior Disney shows live. Seeing Bear in the Big Blue House, JoJo’s Circus, and Stanley was amazing. My twins danced (even though they had just learned to walk) and loved when streamers came down from the ceiling.
I’ll also add that Disney has the perfect facilities for parents of VERY young children. We loved the hospitality area (which is tucked away off the beaten path) where new parents can use rocking chairs, high chairs, toddler size pottys, changing tables, etc. They even have pampers, formula, and other baby necessities. They do an outstanding job for their guests.
We just took the twins to Disney World this past April and had an equally magical time!
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
August 22, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Wow, you guys had some stories to tell!
@Nevin – never really followed Ariel that closely. They still sell the autograph books. Kids till line up!
@Deborah – You make me want to drive back over to Hollywood Studios. I didn’t go on that ride. We did some of the art work props in a store room down in the “Utilidor”
Lindsey – Great memory. Did you ever consider going back to Disney?
@Trish – I am sure the kind folks at Disney will appreciate your comment!
I think about it every other day, to be honest. I absolutely loved working for Disney. My original plan was to go back after college. However, my life brought me to Houston. Someday I’ll get back to Disney – even if I have to wait until I retire. There were quite a few older cast members that worked for Disney while I was there that started when they retired. How fun!
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
August 22, 2009 at 6:07 pm
@Lindsey – very cool!
Great post, Mike. My favorite Disney memory is odd, perhaps. In 1975, I attended a two hour presentation by Mike Vance, who had been the creative director for Disney. His presentation on creativity and how they did it at Disney was one of those life changing moments….he was the first one who said…at least to me, that creativity is simply re arranging old things in new ways, not just thinking up new things. Big, for me.
AT LINKUP.com , we have a bunch of DISNEY open jobs, http://www.linkup.com/results.php#a:1:{s:1:%22q%22;s:6:%22disney%22;} and if anyone from Disney happens to read this…you reallly should have a CURRENT JOBS AT OUR COMPANY on the Disney facebook page. This would make you HR 2.0.
Again, great post, Mike…keep em coming…