Page 169 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

150 The Disney Way

else at the company Walt built, training takes on a special quality not found
at most other organizations. Disney even devotes an entire “university” to it.
The students of Disney University enjoy the most exciting campus of
any educational institution in the country: Over 29,000 acres of Disneyland
and Walt Disney World and anywhere else the company operates. The
required course work is brief, but it’s famous for its intensity. The freshmen
are all new members of the Disney family: Some are there to prepare for a
summer job; others are being readied to assume a permanent position.
Disney University—a process, not an institution—was conceived by
Walt Disney himself prior to the opening of Disneyland in the 1950s.
Today, every new employee, from senior executives to part-time desk clerks
and tour guides, is required to undergo training prior to embarking on her
or his day-to-day responsibilities. And in typical Disney fashion, the train-
ing process leaves nothing to chance, not only imparting knowledge about
specific job skills and competencies, but also, and perhaps more important,
ensuring that every employee has a thorough understanding of the Disney
culture and traditions.
Thus, what is euphemistically called “human resources” at many organiza-
tions—which view training as no more than an expensive but sometimes nec-
essary evil—is given top priority in the Disney universe. That’s because Walt
considered training an essential investment in the future of his company.
Obviously, not every organization has access to the facilities and
resources that comprise Disney University, but every organization can adopt
the attitude that underlies the Disney approach to training and developing
its culture. For principal Jan Drees of the Downtown School (Des Moines,
Iowa), training teachers was a critical challenge in producing the culture she
and her Business/Education Alliance team members were trying to create,
Disney-style. They knew that breaking the mold of traditional education
would be just as difficult in the realm of training teachers as it would be
for teaching students. The B/E Alliance created a professional development
center, which prepares both new and experienced teachers to foster a learning
environment where children are self-motivated and where they can learn and
grow in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.
Drake University School of Education soon became a valued partner,
offering an innovative master’s degree program in Advanced Studies in
Elementary Education. This program of weekend classes allows teachers
to learn the latest teaching techniques and then apply their new skills in
classes they teach during the week. Half of students’ class time is spent at the