Page 75 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

56 The Disney Way

■ Do you refer to your mission when making decisions about products,
services, customers, or coworkers?
■ Do you share the mission statement with potential new hires?
■ Can everyone, including the company janitor, articulate the organiza-
tion’s mission and values?
■ What do your product development policies say about your values?
■ Are all employees encouraged to be innovative in product, process,
and service?
■ Do your recent business decisions confirm your company’s values?

Actions to Take

■ Formalize your mission and values in a written statement to be used
as the constitution.
■ Encourage each department to prepare a Vision Align exercise that
aligns their mission with the organization’s vision, values, core
strengths, objectives, and stakeholder needs.
■ Communicate all missions throughout the organization.
■ Exhibit commitment to the organization’s values through everyday
actions.
■ Evaluate all business decisions in light of the values.
■ Conduct regular companywide meetings to reinforce the organiza-
tional vision and values.
■ Hold a semiannual crazy-invention contest where everyone can submit
off-the-wall product and service ideas. Reward winners and prototype
their ideas.

A Shared Vision

It isn’t enough to corral a bunch of people and then expect them to func-
tion like a team. It needs much more than that. Every member’s personal
view of the project must be linked to the team’s ultimate purpose so that
a shared vision propels everyone’s commitment.
“The way I saw my role,” Whirlpool team leader Jerry McColgin
remembers, “was one of bringing this group together, of making sure I
was utilizing the talent that was there. I had an incredibly high level of
competency within this group and my task was to harness this compe-
tency and to guide and direct the team.”