A Disney Trilogy
The Human Race Horses blog goes inside Disney
I still find myself thinking about the Disney Institute experience nearly a week after I left. There are three things still percolating a bit that I am going to write about. They all relate to the consulting piece of the work a team of HR/social media bloggers recently did with the Disney Institute.
Risk and Reward for the Disney Institute
Inviting a group of bloggers inside a fairly exclusive “open enrollment” 5 day training session to review and critique the entire training experience was a gutsy move on the part of Disney. It is also a significant diversion from the typically conservative approach to brand and image that Disney is famous for.
What did Disney have to gain?
- Audience – each of the bloggers in attendance has a good size audience with reach into several different demographic and professional groups.
- Awareness – since we were live blogging (tweeting and posting) from the event as it actually took place, it brought a different dynamic to the event.
- Analysis – each of the invited blogger participants came to the event with very credible professional credentials. None of us are the stereotypical “kid with a laptop in Mom’s basement”. Nor were any of us hard core Disney fans before our arrival.
What did Disney get?
- Engagement – from an extended audience via the blogosphere that is undoubtedly much more aware of the Disney Institute than they had been the week before.
- Expertise – from consultants experienced in recruiting, HR consulting, and human resources generalists who brought the view of both an attendee and a potential customer/decision maker.
- Evaluation – part of the process involved leadership at the Disney Institute meeting with our consulting team and engaging in a very intensive and wide ranging discussion about present and future programs.
- Empowerment – by having the courage to take a risk involving social media and blogging, the leadership at Disney Institute have learned that the effort didn’t blow up in their face. We were promised feedback on the process once they finished their debriefings which we haven’t received as of this writing, but hopefully they will be emboldened to continue this process in other ways.
What did I gain?
- A unique consulting opportunity which is leading me to consider other ways in which the experience is applicable. I believe the future opportunities are numerous, and am currently exploring one right now.
- A high level of respect for an organization that I had little experience with. The people at Disney are creative and focused on improvement, in addition to their legendary emphasis on customer experience.
- An opportunity to review my environment. This experience was very helpful in helping to to think about some opportunities in front of me in a different way.
- Improved relationships with the members of the consulting team, which I value immensely.
More on the consulting team itself in part two of the Disney Trilogy.
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Loved this post Mike and really like the way you presented the content. Like you, I certainly hope that Disney gained value from our participation. Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy!
Twitter: JoanGinsberg
August 27, 2009 at 4:53 pm
This was a great post, Mike. I come from a very small biz background and I have been enjoying the Disney experience that you and the other bloggers have offered. It has certainly opened my eyes to the opportunities and information that is out there.
Twitter: MikeVanDervort
August 28, 2009 at 6:38 am
@Mark – I looked at a few of your posts this week! Liked the style and it fit this particular post…but i wanted to write three short related topics..so trying the trilogy idea
@Joan – glad you found these ramblings useful