Page 223 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

204 The Disney Way

make sure that a guest’s last impression after a wonderful day in the park
isn’t ruined by a don’t-ask-me-it’s-not-my-job attitude, The Walt Disney
Company decrees an extra three days of interpersonal skills training for the
clean-up crew. They take a proactive approach to head off potentially damag-
ing situations. The Disney organization realizes that the entire “whole show”
is critical; the way the street cleaner treats the guest is as important or even
more important than the way the guest is treated on the Tower of Terror.

Maintaining a Delicate Balance

When it came to pursuing the often elusive ideal of perfection, Walt Disney
spared no expense. The previously mentioned reworking of the Jiminy Cricket
character in Pinocchio, after the costly animation process was already well
underway, is but one example. When it was discovered that a merry-go-
round at Walt Disney World was installed two inches off center, the company
insisted that it be moved. “Who would notice?” you might wonder. The
Disney folks not only noticed, but they reasoned that if the carousel were
not set right, thousands of guests would take home vacation pictures that
provided an imperfect memory of their visit to the park
You may think that this was much ado about nothing. However, the
Eastman Kodak Company once estimated that 4 percent of all amateur
photographs taken in the United States were taken at the Disney theme
parks, and many of those taken at Walt Disney World were from an angle
that captures the carousel in the background. For example, guests often are
photographed as they stand in Cinderella’s Castle with Fantasyland as the
backdrop. Looking through the doors of the castle, the carousel is perfectly
framed at the center of the opening. Since an off-center merry-go-round
would make those pictures look strange, Disney naturally decided that the
imperfect carousel had to be moved, despite the hefty expense involved.
But we must make clear that “sparing no expense” has never meant
profligate spending. Walt Disney was always well aware of the bottom line,
and he expected that the money spent would be returned in customer satis-
faction and employee loyalty. The way Walt saw it, meticulous attention to
detail provided a level of quality that cast members could take pride in, and
he knew that when workers are proud of their product, it is reflected in the
kind of service they give to customers.
But when it came to spending on items unrelated to providing the good
show, the boss was actually known as something of a penny-pincher. He