Page 42 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

Make Everyone’s Dreams Come True 23

free expression of their dreams, amazing ideas begin to emerge and flourish.
Dreaming in this context is not a solitary occupation; participants bat around
project ideas, argue, laugh, and brainstorm solutions as a group.
Storytelling is always encouraged at the Dream Retreats, but occasionally a
new client will balk at learning and practicing the technique. Such reluctance is
understandable. After all, we are proposing a radical departure from the custom-
ary business procedure. In the traditional environment, employees are informed
of a new project when most of the preliminary details are in place. They are
told who will work on a project, what the budget is, and what the deadlines are.
To suggest that management invite employees into the strategy and planning
process through storytelling is at odds with received wisdom.
Most of our clients, however, are open-minded and willing to experi-
ment once they understand that communicating their vision is pivotal to
innovation and project success. We tell them that if they want employees to
get behind a corporate vision, they have to let those employees know what
that vision is. We often think of a former client that literally kept its strategic
plan under lock and key. Employees cannot possibly help advance specific
goals if they aren’t privy to the overall plan.
New clients sometimes have difficulty in understanding the basic value
of Dream Retreats. “What will my company gain from such an idea?” we are
asked. “It sounds like some kind of a vacation to me. Everyone will probably
just want to play golf.”
But a Dream Retreat is only a vacation from operating in the old, less-
than-optimal style. In reality, a Dream Retreat involves a lot of hard work and
grappling with tough decisions. Employees are removed from the administrative
details that hamper their creativity at the office so that they can focus on strategy
and planning in a fresh, innovative way.

The Dream Retreat in Action

While disabusing our clients of the notion that a Dream Retreat is a break from
work, we want them to understand the excitement that such an experience gener-
ates. The power of the collective intelligence and the power of teaming amid a
spirit of fun create a unique atmosphere that is rich with inventive possibilities.
One of our favorite examples is Whirlpool’s Global No-Frost team (fea-
tured in the sidebars at the end of each chapter). In 1994, this team was formed
to create a new international product that would require building a plant in
India. The team was composed of members from India, China, Brazil, Italy,