Page 133 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

114 The Disney Way

produced a welcome reduction in material needs, a critical factor at a time
when forest shrinkage is reducing the supply of wood pulp.
A close alliance is also producing big rewards for both Wal-Mart and
Bristol-Myers Squibb, which supplies the discount retailer with its products
on a quick-delivery basis. As the products are sold, Wal-Mart’s purchasing
department informs the sales department at Bristol-Myers and replacement
products are shipped out within 24 hours. The partnership has worked so
well that Wal-Mart chose to honor Bristol-Myers as a Supplier of the Month,
not because of size, for many of Wal-Mart’s thousands of suppliers dwarf
Bristol-Myers in terms of volume, but because of reliability.
The Walt Disney Company has long understood the importance of
respecting its suppliers and maintaining strong alliances with them. Michael
Vance, former head of Disney University, tells the story of when he and
Roy Disney visited the construction site during the building of Walt Disney
World. As the two men entered the site, the first thing they saw was a large
sign announcing, “All contractors immediately report to construction shack
47 upon entering the premises.”
Reading that clear and curt order, Roy turned to Mike and asked, “What
does that convey to you?”
Without hesitation, Vance responded, “It says that we don’t trust our
suppliers to be on the property.”
“Right,” Disney replied. “And who’s responsible for communicating the
Disney culture and values to all employees on the property?”
As it happens, that is one of the goals of Disney University, so Vance put
together a team that designed and built a new reception center. Now contrac-
tors and construction workers at Walt Disney World are treated like the valued
partners they are. The reception center offers them coffee and cold drinks,
telephones, and meeting rooms, all in a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere.
As Roy Disney explained to Vance, not only were company values at
stake but also the wider reputation of the company. “We need to be partners
with our contractors for the park to open on time, but even more importantly,
they have to be proud to be a part of this, so they will call friends and family
all over the country and tell them to come down to see what they’ve done.”

Lessons Relearned

Do any of us always follow the rules, even though those rules may stem from
our own stated convictions? Probably not.