Page 151 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company
P. 151

132                      The Disney Way

        for change was distinctly lukewarm. Dr. Cross told us later that his first reaction
        was, “Why do we need to change?” He knew that his division already had a
        culture of quality and never let bad products go out the door. Then he real-
        ized that more than quality was at stake. Dr. Cross began to get excited about
        implementing a culture where team members could enjoy working together
        toward common goals and objectives.
            As we were laying out plans for the implementation of the change effort
        and the initial Dream Retreats, Dr. Cross phoned to say that the division was
        going to have its first-ever layoff in only a few months. “Should the implemen-
        tation be postponed?” he asked. We couldn’t answer his question, of course,
        because, ultimately, the decision was his to make. But in the end, he proceeded
        as planned. “Okay,” he said, “I’m going to plunge ahead because I feel so sure
        about its worth to us.”
            Thus, when the layoffs came, the shock that everyone understandably
        felt was mitigated by the fact that a plan was in place to change the culture
        to one in which people could enjoy and take pride in their ability to meet
        customer needs and problems.
            After the initial teams were well on their way to success, the vice president
        took the initiative to enlist the entire division in the change process. Now, the
        new cultural orientation has spread throughout the unit. It was this leader’s
        belief in the change effort and his recognition that the long-term future of the
        division was at stake that made the success possible.
            Another leader at a Fortune 500 manufacturing company with which
        we work also exemplifies the kind of long-term perspective that Walt Disney
        showed. Traditionally, manufacturing a new product at this company required
        the installation of an assembly line costing between $80 million and $100
        million. If the product failed, a large investment was lost. Obviously, finding
        an alternative way of doing things was in the company’s best interests.
            Deciding to experiment with the possibility of running multiple products
        on the same assembly line, our client turned to an engineering manager with
        eight years of service with the company who was known as someone willing
        to experiment to try out new ideas—in short, someone ready to take risks.
        When the company approached him, however, he was in the enviable position
        of being head of the division that manufactured the most profitable product
        in its line.
            Although managing this pioneering project carried the possibility of
        enormous benefits, success was by no means guaranteed. How many leaders
   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156