Dutch Inn '76
Well-Known Member
Climbing the ladder at Disney is cutthroat you say? It's a rough and tumble world out there? Especially at big corporations?
I'm shocked!
I'm shocked!
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Interesting fact I heard from a CM today at Magic Kingdom
- Thread starter MrConbon
- Start date
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Unsolicited life advice: That's a terrible idea. Please don't do that.
POLY LOVER
Well-Known Member
Sounds ridiculous, they have a whole unit dedicated to that. Why would you want managers coming up with crreative ideas their job is to operate efficiently and smoothly on a day to day basis. The company's imagineers come up with ideas And they implement them.
After the cabana debacle, we saw a sudden uptick in upcharge experiences such as food carts in the parking lots that all seemed to happen at once. So maybe there was a one-time push for local leaders to come up with something 'extra.'
But, many of those 'extras' are gone. They failed to be profitable. And the creation of new ones has definitely slowed down. This slowdown on new 'events' came shortly after Disney hired a new person to oversee such 'events'. Maybe she put an end to the madness and is directing a less shotgun approach to such things. New upcharges seem to be targeting Big Money such as Club 33 and Club-level FP+s.
But, many of those 'extras' are gone. They failed to be profitable. And the creation of new ones has definitely slowed down. This slowdown on new 'events' came shortly after Disney hired a new person to oversee such 'events'. Maybe she put an end to the madness and is directing a less shotgun approach to such things. New upcharges seem to be targeting Big Money such as Club 33 and Club-level FP+s.
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
This isn't what I heard from my bus driver...
Raineman
Well-Known Member
Call me crazy, but I always thought a middle manager's main focus was to ensure that all employees in their department follow all policies and procedures, and their department runs effectively and efficiently. Of course, any suggestions for improvement are always welcomed, but having that as a job requirement? Doesn't sound right to me, especially coming up with ideas involving the creative end of WDW operations-unless you are an Imagineer.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Food carts in the parking lot are not "upcharge experiences." They're just selling crap.
Hum, why? I’m literally majoring in Theme Park Hospitality Management. My degree is made to work in the parks.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Gotcha. When you said "work in the parks," I thought you meant a costumed front-line role. Didn't realize you meant management.
WDW Monorail
Well-Known Member
Not getting too specific, last year I made a personal purchase and I shared this eith some coworkers. I told them about the capabilities of the product and that information made it’s way to a partner of the company and he expressed interst in purchasing the same product for the company. The capabilities of this product have been used in similar capacities for commercial use for the past couple of years so my information was not ground breaking and my company already outsources this type of work to another company. But it did greatly influence my company to take an initiative to cut out the outsurced work and perform the work in house. Depending on how the company uses the device, it can save the company and our clients a few hundred thousand dollars per year.
I expect zero additional compensation for providing my company with this information given it is my job to solve problems and make things work better. I did however receive a nice bonus for hiring an employee who has turned out to be very, very good.
The point is that regardless of whether or not innovation and information distribution is part of an employee’s job description, if an employee thinks of something to benefit the company, that employee should make their ideas known.
I expect zero additional compensation for providing my company with this information given it is my job to solve problems and make things work better. I did however receive a nice bonus for hiring an employee who has turned out to be very, very good.
The point is that regardless of whether or not innovation and information distribution is part of an employee’s job description, if an employee thinks of something to benefit the company, that employee should make their ideas known.
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Unless of course, they have the type of boss that likes to take credit for everything those under them do and roll them under the bus at some future point... I've had a manager like that with a VP above him like that as well. Good times.
OK, Captain Lack of Context, amend what I said to "upcharge experiences and extra points of sales."
That still isn't funny
OneofThree
Well-Known Member
Creativity is certainly key in revenue growth, particularly in entertainment. That said, there's a lot of research which suggests that the approach taken here (allegedly) by certain members of management can actually stifle the creative process itself. Many times, the wrong amount and wrong type of pressure is the result of poorly educated, poorly trained middle managers struggling to keep their own jobs.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
It's a balancing act. As somebody who does project management, process improvement, process enforcement, and change management for a living (or used to do for a living, lay offs are a hoot) you want to have a clear set of policies and procedures in place (think ISO9001, or Military Field Manuals, or for those in telecom the old Bell System Practices).
One of the goals is to have everybody follow the process. That requires first writing a good process. You need to have a cross functional team that involves all stakeholders, and gets sign off from all stakeholders - you cannot create it in a vacuum.
The next requirement is to have a clearly defined (and funded) backchannel for continuous improvement (Kaizen in you are into buzzwords). The field needs to know that they can suggest changes to process. If their changes are not implemented, they need to know why. If the "suggestion box" becomes a black hole, then nobody make suggestions, and process enforcement falls apart.
-dave
Disneyrailfan1996
Active Member
Snap and crap. no wait that doesn't make sense it's an app..... Cents for a restroom anywhere on property or CRAP for short. or maybe PEE: Pay Eleven (cents) for Entry.
Raineman
Well-Known Member
I definitely agree with what you are saying. I am a Quality Manager at a plastics factory, so I am well acquainted with processes and procedures, as well as continuous improvement. I would imagine, for the managers at WDW that manage certain operations, ie food service, sanitation, attraction operation, guest services, etc., any continuous improvement ideas would most likely be in the form of process efficiency improvement/cost reduction. The idea that these managers’ job security is based on coming up with creative ideas to make more money-I just don’t believe that is part of their job description. If they do have an idea in that regard, I’m sure it is well received and they get credit for it, but unless you are an Imagineer or in another creative department, it shouldn’t be required to fulfill your job duties.
Dutch Inn '76
Well-Known Member
Chef Mickey
Well-Known Member
This is common in Corporate America. Management likes to give the illusion that front line employees are powerful, valuable and influential but really doesn't take their ideas seriously.
Maybe 1/10,000 employee ideas might have some legs, but it's mostly a cheerleading move.
Maybe 1/10,000 employee ideas might have some legs, but it's mostly a cheerleading move.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
Oh, I agree with that 100%. Front line engagement and improvement should be encouraged and promoted, and even used as a consideration during promotions, but it should not be a job requirement.
-dave