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196                      The Disney Way

            An American architect once mused that there are very few inferior people
        in the world, but lots of inferior environments. “Try to enrich your environ-
                        69
        ment,” he advised.  Storyboarding is a tool that can enrich the environment
        of any organization, no matter the specific needs. Storyboarding can be
        adapted to fit so that anyone can capture the magic.
            Having examined planning and problem solving, we turn our atten-
        tion in the next chapter to the third element of successful execution of The
        Disney Way. As Walt knew so well, grand ideas are nothing without proper
        emphasis on the details.


        Questions to Ask
            ■  Do you formalize communications through the utilization of story-
              boards?
            ■  Do teams of all sizes use storyboarding as a way to visualize their barriers,
              goals, problems, solutions, and project plans?
            ■  Do you promote the use of storyboarding in meetings involving sensi-
              tive topics?
            ■  Do you offer assistance in storyboard facilitation to teams in need?
            ■  Do all employees know how to conduct a storyboarding session and
              in which situations this technique is particularly useful?
            ■  Do you invite your customers and suppliers to participate in story-
              boarding sessions to gain their feedback and assistance in planning
              and problem solving?

        Actions to Take

            ■  Train all employees in the technique of storyboarding.
            ■  Provide teams with areas to storyboard and the flexibility to leave
              them visible for as long as needed.
            ■  Use storyboarding in planning sessions to develop timelines and proj-
              ect assignments; use the storyboard as a dynamic tool which can be
              changed, revised, and updated as needed.
            ■  Use storyboarding to gain anonymous input from all meeting partici-
              pants, particularly when there are sensitive topics at hand.
            ■  Use storyboarding to gain feedback from customer groups.
            ■  Develop a formal communication plan that defines who, what, when,
              and how communications are made to all employees. Schedule story-
              board sessions with all employees to gather ideas for improvement.
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