The Spirited Sixth Sense ...

[bhg469]

Back to the real world now for a bit ... but I really need to check out some great honeymoon pics that someone posted here when I return!

I had to stop looking because the current blizzard outside makes me want to put my head in the oven.

 

[CDavid]

Hong Kong Disneyland has a parade specifically for rainy days, while EPCOT has pavilions that are literally empty.

Just let this sink in.

Yet Walt Disney World - with four parks - will soon be left with a grand total of one parade. That's the statistic which gets me.

 

[Blueliner]

Those making decisions affecting WDW aren’t evil and they aren’t intellectually stupid.

They are making the “best” decisions based on limitations imposed on them.

Externally, those limitations flow down from the top of the corporate food chain; Iger and Rasulo. There are factors that influence Iger and Rasulo such as the BOD (which Iger effectively controls) and Wall Street. However, Iger is powerful enough that he could produce change, if he wanted to. He doesn’t want to. WDW is the way that it is because it’s what Iger wants, if not in word than certainly by deed.

Internally, those limitations come from the backgrounds of the individuals making decisions affecting WDW. They all are academically intelligent. Most are talented administrators. That’s their strengths. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the skillset to lead an organization creatively. Their abilities don’t make them visionaries, which is what it takes for an organization to remain on the cutting edge.

Organizations need to balance administrative and creative talents. When one side becomes dominant, it leads to a less successful organization. Artists are needed to push the boundaries, to dream big. Administrators are needed to reign in artistic excess.

It’s more difficult to find an outstanding artist than an outstanding administrator. That “vision thing” is not something that can be evaluated during an interview or judged during an annual performance review. Usually those conducting these evaluations lack the background to accurately appraise creative talent. Quite the opposite; true visionaries scare them.

What does this mean?

Once an organization reaches a certain level of maturity, the organization tends to produce a strong group of administrators where creativity is either not up to the standard needed to remain an industry leader or creativity is marginalized by those same administrators. In such an environment, the most talented visionaries either leave or are beaten into submission.

In such an organization, there is no balance. Decisions overwhelmingly are driven by dollars-and-cents considerations. Since it is difficult to predict long-term success using a dollars-and-cents approach (much long-term “market data” is nothing more than imaginative projections), those decisions are dominated by short-term thinking. What’s good for this year and the next, and how do I massage long-term data to support the short-term decision I’ve already made? The organization takes incremental steps instead of planning for the future. The organization withers, sinking into mediocrity and eventual slow decay.

Industry-leading becomes excellent becomes good becomes good enough.

Currently, WDW is dominated by administrators, rather than a balance of administrators and visionaries.

This is what is happening at WDW today.

Fixing WDW is not simply a matter of lowering hotel prices, building Star Wars Land, or restoring the Yeti. It's a matter of locating and empowering a visionary with sufficient authority to effect meaningful change, one who can lead towards the future.

The (relatively) recent glimmer of hope for the parks: Carsland

Someone, somewhere in the company (I assume it primarily was Lasseter, but I am sure others were instrumental) channeled their "inner Walt" and swung for the fences on a large scope, high quality, fully immersive, and well-balanced (i.e, one headliner attraction, two fun secondary attractions, shopping, dining, character greetings) addition to the parks, cost be damned. They were visionary but detail-oriented, and they fought to maintain the budget necessary to preserve their vision for the project. They hit a home run, transforming an entire theme park (and its financial performance) virtually overnight. Carsland proved that if you build a world-class, highly themed, well-balanced, immersive environment, people will come flocking from near and far, and the merchandise will fly off the shelves.

Carsland is proof that things can still be done at the company the way Walt did it. (i.e., have a vision; be willing to accept the risk and expense necessary to achieve that vision; emphasize quality, attention to detail and innovation; give people experiences that exceed their expectations; and the profits will follow).

I guess you could say management swung for the fences with the MM+ project and whiffed. That stings, but Walt also had his share of failed ideas. So now it's time to try something else closer to the company's core competencies, even if it needs to be along the same lines as Carsland (Star Wars land would be fine). Give your visionaries (whether it is Lasseter or someone else) some credit where credit is due (Carsland is a smashing success) and let them move on to a similarly large scale project (above and beyond what already is in the works).

 

[Phil12]

The (relatively) recent glimmer of hope for the parks: Carsland

Someone, somewhere in the company (I assume it primarily was Lasseter, but I am sure others were instrumental) channeled their "inner Walt" and swung for the fences on a large scope, high quality, fully immersive, and well-balanced (i.e, one headliner attraction, two fun secondary attractions, shopping, dining, character greetings) addition to the parks, cost be damned. They were visionary but detail-oriented, and they fought to maintain the budget necessary to preserve their vision for the project. They hit a home run, transforming an entire theme park (and its financial performance) virtually overnight. Carsland proved that if you build a world-class, highly themed, well-balanced, immersive environment, people will come flocking from near and far, and the merchandise will fly off the shelves.

Carsland is proof that things can still be done at the company the way Walt did it. (i.e., have a vision; be willing to accept the risk and expense necessary to achieve that vision; emphasize quality, attention to detail and innovation; give people experiences that exceed their expectations; and the profits will follow).

I guess you could say management swung for the fences with the MM+ project and whiffed. That stings, but Walt also had his share of failed ideas. So now it's time to try something else closer to the company's core competencies, even if it needs to be along the same lines as Carsland (Star Wars land would be fine). Give your visionaries (whether it is Lasseter or someone else) some credit where credit is due (Carsland is a smashing success) and let them move on to a similarly large scale project (above and beyond what already is in the works).

DCA needed Carsland. None of the WDW parks need the visitation boost that DCA required. Even with Carsland, DCA can't begin to match the visitation of any of the WDW parks. It made perfect sense for TWDC to upgrade DCA even if it's still the weak sister of Disney U.S. parks.

 

[Blueliner]

DCA needed Carsland. None of the WDW parks need the visitation boost that DCA required. Even with Carsland, DCA can't begin to match the visitation of any of the WDW parks. It made perfect sense for TWDC to upgrade DCA even if it's still the weak sister of Disney U.S. parks.

I only intended to point out that we have at least one recent example where creativity and attention to quality and details has produced massive returns for the company.

I agree that DCA was in desperate need of a project like Carsland/Buena Vista Street. However, I disagree that DCA is the only park with such a need. It's not just about the turnstiles. If the company wants to improve occupancy at its WDW hotels/villas and wants folks to spend full days in the parks, then the content at Epcot, DHS and Animal Kingdom needs to be improved drastically. Arguably, to keep folks in the parks and on property, WDW needs a Carsland makeover at each of those three parks.

 

[PhotoDave219]

With a ridiculous amount of construction going on at Magic Kingdom, Polynesian, downtown Disney and elsewhere… I cannot understand how Disney thinks it's going to increase growth.

I could not recommend anybody to come visit before 2015. There's construction everywhere. How can the company justify premium prices when the product is not up to the standards word should be?

 

[jt04]

No. But nice guess.



I don't think so. Not at all. For all the crowing that UNI fanbois want to make over the Comcast deal to acquire TWC, it isn't consumer friendly. At. All.

The consumer has very little power, despite what Wall Street wants the Average American Rube (AAR) to believe.

Please Stay Tuned

They will try to herd the cats to no avail. And the AARs, as you call them, will find the product they want.

That the big players are trying to fortify their positions is of little consequence in a market that evolves faster and faster.

Castles became obsolete because of the industrial revolution. But they still make nice museums.

 

[jt04]

I have never seen anyone doubt that DTD would ever start.

Oh OK.

hahahahahaha

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

DCA needed Carsland. None of the WDW parks need the visitation boost that DCA required. Even with Carsland, DCA can't begin to match the visitation of any of the WDW parks. It made perfect sense for TWDC to upgrade DCA even if it's still the weak sister of Disney U.S. parks.

While true that DCA desperately needed the boost, you're incorrect about DCA not matching WDW park guest numbers. DCA is on track to exceed at least DHS in attendance, if not DAK as well. We still haven't seen 2013's numbers, which would be the first full year since the expansion completed, and there will be significant growth over 2012. Wouldn't be surprising at all to see DCA break 10 million (while DL declines somewhat).

 

[CDavid]

DCA needed Carsland. None of the WDW parks need the visitation boost that DCA required. Even with Carsland, DCA can't begin to match the visitation of any of the WDW parks. It made perfect sense for TWDC to upgrade DCA even if it's still the weak sister of Disney U.S. parks.

The Carsland benefit for Walt Disney World is not necessarily a boost in attendance, but rather preventing a loss of guests to off-property destinations up I-4.

 

[SirLink]

Having one that doesn't really do anything is pointless.. and is kind of the point. A statement like 'we want to deliver the worlds most innovative houseware products' doesn't do **** to guide decisions within a company. Another fallacy is that vision statements are to define the focus of a company. No, what I'm saying is culture is broke when you say one thing, and do another. Having a vision statement doesn't fix that. Honesty and accepting of consequences is how you fix that.

Disney's Service Values statement (safety, courtesy, show, efficiency) is far more a practical guide than any vision statement like 'develop world class theme park entertainment for people of all ages' or some other lofty, but edgeless statement.

The problem is when a company is not honest or consistent in application of it's priorities. If your #1 worry is ensuring a 3% revenue growth.. then face up to it and spell it out.. because you are just going to steer your decisions by it anyways. Doing anything else just means lying to your employees and destroys credibility.

Yet I can think of at least several of companies whom were struggling with output and quality and got their together came up with one as a whole for a business subdivision asked everyone involved from animators to studio heads. They didn't change management, they didn't increase funding, they didn't change the workers' policies. Yet their product is insurmountably better than it was nine years ago.

Disney's Service Values statement was supposed to be followed in that manner yet Disney broke their standards so it is also meaningless. A fluffy 'vision' statement or real honest mission statement are both useless. It only works when you have a high quality of workers which are being used ineffectively. Lying to your employees is fine as long as they believe they have a notion of self worth within a company and feel that they are impacting your company in a positive manner. That is all it comes down to is perception of the truth.

 

[JimboJones123]

So Disney spent $2 billion to get more money out of people that were already breaking the bank just to get to WDW?

So the entire business model is based on tricking people to exceed their budgets so they cannot afford a future trip?

Sorry, I still cannot wrap my head around where they think the extra revenue is going to come from.

 

[PhotoDave219]

So Disney spent $2 billion to get more money out of people that were already breaking the bank just to get to WDW?

So the entire business model is based on tricking people to exceed their budgets so they cannot afford a future trip?

Sorry, I still cannot wrap my head around where they think the extra revenue is going to come from.

All the data from the behind-the-scenes analytics… Tailored marketing as well as labor savings.

 

[jt04]

The (relatively) recent glimmer of hope for the parks: Carsland

Someone, somewhere in the company (I assume it primarily was Lasseter, but I am sure others were instrumental) channeled their "inner Walt" and swung for the fences on a large scope, high quality, fully immersive, and well-balanced (i.e, one headliner attraction, two fun secondary attractions, shopping, dining, character greetings) addition to the parks, cost be damned. They were visionary but detail-oriented, and they fought to maintain the budget necessary to preserve their vision for the project. They hit a home run, transforming an entire theme park (and its financial performance) virtually overnight. Carsland proved that if you build a world-class, highly themed, well-balanced, immersive environment, people will come flocking from near and far, and the merchandise will fly off the shelves.

Carsland is proof that things can still be done at the company the way Walt did it. (i.e., have a vision; be willing to accept the risk and expense necessary to achieve that vision; emphasize quality, attention to detail and innovation; give people experiences that exceed their expectations; and the profits will follow).

I guess you could say management swung for the fences with the MM+ project and whiffed. That stings, but Walt also had his share of failed ideas. So now it's time to try something else closer to the company's core competencies, even if it needs to be along the same lines as Carsland (Star Wars land would be fine). Give your visionaries (whether it is Lasseter or someone else) some credit where credit is due (Carsland is a smashing success) and let them move on to a similarly large scale project (above and beyond what already is in the works).

All these words and not one mention of Pandora. Hmmm.

I also wonder what WDI could do with Marvel (at DL) or Star Wars (WDW) and a Carsland budget. Or even a dark horse franchise like Indiana Jones.

The future is bright.

IMO.

 

[Gabe1]

All the data from the behind-the-scenes analytics… Tailored marketing as well as labor savings.

I believe it was 60 minutes that ran a segment on the practice of Data Mining this weekend. Fits MME like a glove.

 

[JimboJones123]

Anybody know anything on some ground being turned over near DHS?

Sounds like the land in question is across the way on the other side of World Drive. Behind the Backlot and LMA.

 

[JimboJones123]

All the data from the behind-the-scenes analytics… Tailored marketing as well as labor savings.

Labor savings...

They are still spending about half a million a week staffing FP+ Kiosks, right?

 

[flynnibus]

Lying to your employees is fine as long as they believe they have a notion of self worth within a company and feel that they are impacting your company in a positive manner. That is all it comes down to is perception of the truth.

Don't agree at all. If you want your employees to over achieve they need to have personal interest in the success of the project. Lying and manipulating workers is not a sustainable way to build that type of personal investment from your employees. It's just a house of cards that always comes crashing down.

 

[Blueliner]

All these words and not one mention of Pandora. Hmmm.

I also wonder what WDI could do with Marvel (at DL) or Star Wars (WDW) and a Carsland budget. Or even a dark horse franchise like Indiana Jones.

The future is bright.

IMO.

I suppose I could have specified Pandora, but I instead referred to it in the last two lines as "what is already in the works." I really am hoping for the best with Avatarland.

 

[jt04]

I suppose I could have specified Pandora, but I instead referred to it in the last two lines as "what is already in the works." I really am hoping for the best with Avatarland.

Not to mention the rest of DAK. OTPN has great over the wall pics of the new FOTLK area. It is everything you would expect for this theme park. Every bit as good as the theming near Everest. DAK, I think, will become the crown jewel of WDW theme parks in due course.

And it is Iger who will have made that possible. Read it now, believe it later.