Corporate culture is magical
by Miki Saxon
Tom Vander Well talks about the difficulties in applying what he learned attending the Disney Institute. Two comments really struck me,
It’s harder to change a corporate culture than it is to grow one. …One of the lessons I’ve learned in the call center business is that it’s easier to get new employees to embrace a service attitude than the crusty old veterans. Culture is hard to change, and the larger the company the more difficult it becomes. You’re fighting years of baggage and branding. Your great Disney-esque ideas are easily perceived to be the latest in a series of fad initiatives that employees have seen come and go.
Tom’s absolutely right about this, but it’s easier to do anything when you can start from a fresh slate. That’s one reason that hiring is so important, whether you’re working to change the culture or hold on to it.
If the effort is to change the culture than you must avoid hiring people with the kind of MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy)™ that supports it.
Similarly, if the goal is to sustain and nurture your current culture you need to hire those with MAP that is, at the least, synergistic with it.
Further, you need to make and implement these choices consciously.
Tom ended by saying,
I have come to believe, however, that there is only one Disney. While we can all learn nuggets of wisdom from Disney’s experience, we must ultimately do the work to create our own magic.
That is the true key—recognizing that your culture is magic and that you are the magician.
What kind of magic have you conjured up lately?
