By Bill Capodagli
In
2006, newly appointed Disney CEO Bob Iger bought Pixar for $7.4 billion. Talk about risk taking! Rather than impose
the stogy, top down, bureaucratic culture of Disney Animation on Pixar, he not
only allowed Pixar to remain a separate unit but graciously handed the
leadership of Disney Animation to Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, the executives
behind Pixar’s phenomenal success.
So
what’s the “secret sauce” of Pixar’s success?; how do they continue to catch
lightning in a bottle?; and how did they begin to change the Disney culture?
One
of the essential ingredients of Pixar’s success is collaboration. Pixar president Ed Catmull said, “When
technology and art come together magical things happen...Walt Disney understood
this.” One of the ways that Ed and John
encourage collaboration is something they call the “Brain Trust.” Typically, these sessions occur every 12
weeks or whenever the director wants to convene a meeting to make story
suggestions as a project develops. After presenting the film in whatever form
it may be in, directors, writers, and artists engage in a honest discussion
about what they liked and didn’t like. But the key to the Brain Trust is that there
are no formal notes taken and no directives given to the director. It is totally up to the director and his or
her team to decide what to do with the input.
Prior
to Disney’s formal acquisition of Pixar, a team from Disney visited Pixar headquarters just to observe a Brain
Trust in action. The next day, that very
same Pixar Brain Trust traveled down to Disney to observe Disney’s very first
Brain Trust meeting! Even though it took two years for the Disney Brain Trust process
to be totally integrated in the Disney culture, they loved the principle from
their very first experience.
So,
the Brain Trust groundwork was in place for the production of Frozen. Collaboration – the heart of the process –
was also in place. When a problem arises,
directors from various projects jump in and eagerly help one another. The Disney culture has changed. The magic of
Walt Disney is back!
Bill surprised attendees by riding into his presentation on a scooter, which he then gave away to an audience member. This set the tone for a discussion on the importance of building a creative workplace and embracing your inner childlike spirit. Bill’s engaging presentation addressed many of the findings from his latest book, titled Innovate the Pixar Way: Business Lessons from the World’s Most Creative Corporate Playground, which is the definitive account of Pixar’s creative culture. Bill’s approach to the workplace served as a glimpse into the opportunities that can arise from a professional culture where mutual respect, trust, collaboration and fun can produce phenomenal results.
I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to everyone attending the 13th World Human Resources Congress, organized by Quebec’s Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés.
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