The World's Most Magical Celebration - Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary

[Disneyson]

Managers SHOULD be driven by metrics.

HQ directs their managers by metrics, then it's the managers' jobs to direct their staff.

The problem with the old system is that it was only set up to receive praise. This makes it much easier to source *negative* feedback as well, which leads to corrective action.

I'm studying Digital Marketing and Data Analytics and I can agree with you up to a point. I understand where you are coming from.

The problem is: This is labeled as a vehicle for CAST COMPLIMENTS. The system replaces Twitter cast complements, as was stated earlier, and while the idea may be to make GR lines shorter, the trade-off becomes that people will NOT share personal stories any longer.

The morale in Walt Disney World's cast members, according to cast member friends, is atrocious.

You cannot praise cast members or improve morale with this system. Even if the numbers are good in a single area, how can you even be sure what has been working and what hasn't with this system?

You are also wrong about the "old system". The "old system" allowed for complaints as well as positive feedback. This new system emphasizes a point structure that devalues individual successes.

The new system treats the front-like cast members like a machine, or characters in a tower defense game that can be "upgraded" by spending money on them. While this makes sense on paper, this program dehumanizes front-line cast members in order to use them as "points" for managers while neutralizing any positive effects of the actual compliment.

Sure, I will give you that this might give Disney license to fire bad managers and keep ones that have "good scores". But it will also drive a management style that promotes failure as a driving factor rather than positive reinforcement. This will drive down cast morale.

Especially during the holiday season, being honored by your managers with a 4 Keys card can keep you going for another week or even another month when so much is expected of you. Now, instead of individuals being recognized, there will be an undercurrent of fear that you haven't met your "quota" of magical moments, creating an overall toxic work enviroment that has already taken hold due to staff shortages and budget cuts as of late, not to mention a largely negative review of the 50th. I worry for Cast Members (valued employees?) that will no longer be thanked individually.

Earlier in the week, Disney dedicated "You Are The Magic" to the Cast Members that make Walt Disney World so magical. It was used as a major selling point for the 50th itself, which I always found odd, but there it is. I know that Cast Members are read personal anecdotes and hand-written letters that showcase individuality and the unique ways each of them can create "magic" for guests. This new program promotes a mindset for guests to leave star ratings as if the cast members they've interacted with are faceless Uber drivers rather than leave these impassioned messages, and encourages management to eliminate individuality within their Cast Member pool in order to make a homogenized "magic" that would actually lead to a reprimand for those that began an ASL conversation with Tinker Bell, gave away a free cupcake for someone's first visit, or interrupted efficiency in order to find help for a guest that did not speak their language. These things are all liabilities, damage profits, and create expectations that not all cast members can fulfill, and as such will likely be rooted out in order to create a safer point structure.

Not everyone is a skipper working for compliments, yes. Point well made. But meaningful recognition is a psychological need for many workers in all professions. It will be hard to do this using this system.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[Jrb1979]

Many have certainly noticed this trend. So called social media enterprises (hate that name) appear to be contributing factor. There was recently a Wall Street Journal article on the subject, though I haven't read that specific article. (Just heard reporting on it from other sources, but it was widely reported).

Regarding this forum, I agree a some posters are a bit over-the-top at times, but IMO that goes both ways. (Personally, I think Trauma has given some nuanced opinions in this thread.) Some forum members are SO negative about WDW, that I really wonder why they post to this forum. After reading them for a while, I have often found that many of the really negative forum members rarely visit WDW. They post here many times a day, but they haven't been to WDW since 2015. SO partly they are legitimately angry they can't afford to visit WDW, and partly they are projecting.

Conversely, some forum members also fall into the WDW can-do-no-wrong tribal thinking. Simply, WDW's 50th celebration could have been better. Yet say that, and some forum members quickly interpret such a statement as a personal attack that needs defending, as though they themselves have personally been attacked.

************************************
One more very important factor of social interaction is that we often don't consider how much of our in-person communication is non-verbal. In-person, we moderate our tone, facial expressions, and quickly make corrections when necessary. Online, that isn't possible. Tone is hard to convey.

An acquaintance of mine had this problem. In person, she's very petite, and generally speaks softly in a very feminine tone. In person, she just doesn't (generally) sound angry. Her emails though....Phew! I daresay, she likely adopted such a mismatched style because soft words coming from a soft voice = people ignored her.

As I said in another thread, I don't relate much to how much most of you love Disney. I didn't grow up going to Disney multiple times. I went once as a kid and I don't remember much of it. Since I've been an adult I've been a few times but I've never that emotional attachment that most of you have had.

Fast forward to now and with how Disney uses Covid so much as an excuse for cutting things, not going all out for the 50th and the big one for me is these party lite events. I get that there is a labor shortage but that goes for all parks too. It's leaves a bad taste in my mouth when the majority of parks across the US are putting on their regular Halloween and Christmas events.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'm studying Digital Marketing and Data Analytics and I can agree with you up to a point. I understand where you are coming from.

The problem is: This is labeled as a vehicle for CAST COMPLIMENTS. The system replaces Twitter cast complements, as was stated earlier, and while the idea may be to make GR lines shorter, the trade-off becomes that people will NOT share personal stories any longer.

The morale in Walt Disney World's cast members, according to cast member friends, is atrocious.

You cannot praise cast members or improve morale with this system. Even if the numbers are good in a single area, how can you even be sure what has been working and what hasn't with this system?

You are also wrong about the "old system". The "old system" allowed for complaints as well as positive feedback. This new system emphasizes a point structure that devalues individual successes.

The new system treats the front-like cast members like a machine, or characters in a tower defense game that can be "upgraded" by spending money on them. While this makes sense on paper, this program dehumanizes front-line cast members in order to use them as "points" for managers while neutralizing any positive effects of the actual compliment.

Sure, I will give you that this might give Disney license to fire bad managers and keep ones that have "good scores". But it will also drive a management style that promotes failure as a driving factor rather than positive reinforcement. This will drive down cast morale.

Especially during the holiday season, being honored by your managers with a 4 Keys card can keep you going for another week or even another month when so much is expected of you. Now, instead of individuals being recognized, there will be an undercurrent of fear that you haven't met your "quota" of magical moments, creating an overall toxic work enviroment that has already taken hold due to staff shortages and budget cuts as of late, not to mention a largely negative review of the 50th. I worry for Cast Members (valued employees?) that will no longer be thanked individually.

Earlier in the week, Disney dedicated "You Are The Magic" to the Cast Members that make Walt Disney World so magical. It was used as a major selling point for the 50th itself, which I always found odd, but there it is. I know that Cast Members are read personal anecdotes and hand-written letters that showcase individuality and the unique ways each of them can create "magic" for guests. This new program promotes a mindset for guests to leave star ratings as if the cast members they've interacted with are faceless Uber drivers rather than leave these impassioned messages, and encourages management to eliminate individuality within their Cast Member pool in order to make a homogenized "magic" that would actually lead to a reprimand for those that began an ASL conversation with Tinker Bell, gave away a free cupcake for someone's first visit, or interrupted efficiency in order to find help for a guest that did not speak their language. These things are all liabilities, damage profits, and create expectations that not all cast members can fulfill, and as such will likely be rooted out in order to create a safer point structure.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

Do you not see the problem with a feedback system that 1) has to be actively sought out by customers and 2) only accepts positive feedback?

The cast members who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional service don't do so for the #CastCompliment. They do it because they're exceptional.

 

[Disneyson]

Do you not see the problem with a feedback system that 1) has to be actively sought out by customers and 2) only accepts positive feedback?

The cast members who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional service don't do so for the #CastCompliment. They do it because they're exceptional.

Oh, I would, if that were the case. As far as I am aware, the twitter system as well as guest relations accepted both positive and negative compliments. I imagine the twitter system was much more easily searchable for customers than this one. Both of these points feel hollow and pointedly ignore some of the truths of Guest Relations and Twitter feedback.

Exceptional cast members do not do it for a compliment, sure. But knowing that your managers value you as an individual and appreciate your hard work isn't a Cast Member thing, that's a human thing.

You talk as if you have a vested interest in the success of this program for the managers and expect fantastic guest service from cast members to be extracted by creating a culture of fear and by squeezing blood from a stone.

I respect the thoughts of engineering a standard for managers across Walt Disney World. Maybe it will shine light on problem areas. I understand your points. But it is also implicitly creates a culture that dehumanizes workers and threatens to remove a lot of the "Disney Difference."

The point is, I don't imagine many cast members coming from this crucible that they will be able to show off at a D23 Expo in 50 years, like the Piano Player on Main Street, the legendary Hula Dancer from the Polynesian, Yeehaa Bob, or even the couple that does family photos in Hollywood Studios.

 

[flynnibus]

Do you not see the problem with a feedback system that 1) has to be actively sought out by customers and 2) only accepts positive feedback?

The cast members who go above and beyond to deliver exceptional service don't do so for the #CastCompliment. They do it because they're exceptional.

Does your head explode when you try to understand why you can TIP an employee in a jar or on your receipt, but there isn't an equivalent line or jar to make them pay you back if you have a complaint?

 

[dreday3]

Oh, I would, if that were the case. As far as I am aware, the twitter system as well as guest relations accepted both positive and negative compliments. I imagine the twitter system was much more easily searchable for customers than this one. Both of these points feel hollow and pointedly ignore some of the truths of Guest Relations and Twitter feedback.

Exceptional cast members do not do it for a compliment, sure. But knowing that your managers value you as an individual and appreciate your hard work isn't a Cast Member thing, that's a human thing.

You talk as if you have a vested interest in the success of this program for the managers and expect fantastic guest service from cast members to be extracted by creating a culture of fear and by squeezing blood from a stone.

So true.

I work hard and am excellent at my job (not Disney related) because that's who I am, how my dad raised me to be. No, I don't do it for recognition, but honestly, it would be nice to get some once in a while!

I love my Dad, but he comes from a time when management actually paid attention to what you did and how well you worked.
That's just not how it is today. I work hard because it's what I know, but I also know it won't ever be recognized.
I'm not saying don't work hard, because it has gotten me to where I am today - a great job with a good salary/benefits.

But to act like if management is recognized for good work, that they will pass that down to employees is just not real life.

Annnddd to bring back to the 50th, I will make sure I make an extra effort to compliment Cast Members this coming trip.

 

[Trauma]

I'm studying Digital Marketing and Data Analytics and I can agree with you up to a point. I understand where you are coming from.

The problem is: This is labeled as a vehicle for CAST COMPLIMENTS. The system replaces Twitter cast complements, as was stated earlier, and while the idea may be to make GR lines shorter, the trade-off becomes that people will NOT share personal stories any longer.

The morale in Walt Disney World's cast members, according to cast member friends, is atrocious.

You cannot praise cast members or improve morale with this system. Even if the numbers are good in a single area, how can you even be sure what has been working and what hasn't with this system?

You are also wrong about the "old system". The "old system" allowed for complaints as well as positive feedback. This new system emphasizes a point structure that devalues individual successes.

The new system treats the front-like cast members like a machine, or characters in a tower defense game that can be "upgraded" by spending money on them. While this makes sense on paper, this program dehumanizes front-line cast members in order to use them as "points" for managers while neutralizing any positive effects of the actual compliment.

Sure, I will give you that this might give Disney license to fire bad managers and keep ones that have "good scores". But it will also drive a management style that promotes failure as a driving factor rather than positive reinforcement. This will drive down cast morale.

Especially during the holiday season, being honored by your managers with a 4 Keys card can keep you going for another week or even another month when so much is expected of you. Now, instead of individuals being recognized, there will be an undercurrent of fear that you haven't met your "quota" of magical moments, creating an overall toxic work enviroment that has already taken hold due to staff shortages and budget cuts as of late, not to mention a largely negative review of the 50th. I worry for Cast Members (valued employees?) that will no longer be thanked individually.

Earlier in the week, Disney dedicated "You Are The Magic" to the Cast Members that make Walt Disney World so magical. It was used as a major selling point for the 50th itself, which I always found odd, but there it is. I know that Cast Members are read personal anecdotes and hand-written letters that showcase individuality and the unique ways each of them can create "magic" for guests. This new program promotes a mindset for guests to leave star ratings as if the cast members they've interacted with are faceless Uber drivers rather than leave these impassioned messages, and encourages management to eliminate individuality within their Cast Member pool in order to make a homogenized "magic" that would actually lead to a reprimand for those that began an ASL conversation with Tinker Bell, gave away a free cupcake for someone's first visit, or interrupted efficiency in order to find help for a guest that did not speak their language. These things are all liabilities, damage profits, and create expectations that not all cast members can fulfill, and as such will likely be rooted out in order to create a safer point structure.

Not everyone is a skipper working for compliments, yes. Point well made. But meaningful recognition is a psychological need for many workers in all professions. It will be hard to do this using this system.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

Yes.

Dispute what you want about what this member just posted but the fact that meaningful recognition is a psychological need is indisputable.

Not to mention the fact that positive reinforcement is significantly more effective than negative.

I try to never bring up a negative to my employees without at least including a positive.

“Hey Phil, you have been doing great work on this project and I might have spotted a way you can take it to the next level let me bounce my ideas off you.”

or

“Hey Phil, if I was doing this myself it would be a lot better. I’m not sure what’s wrong with you, but you better get it together before there are consequences.”

Maybe some can succeed in business by being a tyrant, but I value what my employees bring to the table and look to remind them of that whenever I get a chance.

 

[Brer Panther]

Josh started his role by getting rid of Splash, and it has all been downhill from there.

Isn't it Iger and Chapek who are the ones demanding Splash Mountain get the axe?

 

[VJ]

Kind of reminds me of when Coca Cola came out with new coke and it was hard to find the original and Coke pushed the new one hard ---people hated it. Soon disappeared of the shelves. Maybe Bob will disappear

i wonder if those who fought back so hard against new coke and successfully brought classic coke back would be called negative and vitriolic today?

not related to the above, just a general statement:

if disney isn't a charity, if disney is a business, then we don't have to sit down when we know they aren't trying as much as they could be, as they have before. as their customers, as the ones that have made disney successful in the first place, we should hold the company to a high standard. if you want to say "well, it could be worse" then that's fine, but if people don't like something they shouldn't be quiet about it just because a multi-million dollar company will get its feelings hurt.

 

[VJ]

Couldn’t space have been set aside in MS, even temporarily, showing WDW over the last 50 years? Start off with Florida project history then other exhibits showing opening of SpaM, River Country, Epcot, HS and finally AK. Then random photos over the years.

there is that 50th museum merchandise showcase thing in the stores... because you can't have something nice for free without an instant revenue source right next to it, after all!

 

[dreday3]

i wonder if those who fought back so hard against new coke and successfully brought classic coke back would be called negative and vitriolic today?

not related to the above, just a general statement:

if disney isn't a charity, if disney is a business, then we don't have to sit down when we know they aren't trying as much as they could be, as they have before. as their customers, as the ones that have made disney successful in the first place, we should hold the company to a high standard. if you want to say "well, it could be worse" then that's fine, but if people don't like something they shouldn't be quiet about it just because a multi-million dollar company will get its feelings hurt.

And if people do like something, they should just be quiet about it, and not speak of it because it annoys those who don't like it?

I feel like we all should have learned a big lesson with social media these past years - just because there are a lot of people yelling the loudest, it doesn't mean those people know best and it doesn't mean they are the majority.

I find it truly frightening if actual decisions are being made based on social media response.

 

[VJ]

And if people do like something, they should just be quiet about it and not speak of it because it annoys those who don't like it?

no, what i'm trying to say is don't put people down for an opinion you disagree with - pretty much the exact opposite

if you like it, great, if you don't like it, great, but don't let people quiet your voice either way

 

[dreday3]

no, what i'm trying to say is don't put people down for an opinion you disagree with - pretty much the exact opposite

if you like it, great, if you don't like it, great, but don't let people quiet your voice either way

Sorry, I added more to my post after you quoted. I started going down a path...

 

[Andrew C]

I find it truly frightening if actual decisions are being made based on social media response.

Not specific to Disney parks, but this happens a lot. It’s funny. And sad. And strange. And kinda scary.
To me, it should be treated as one tool. Not the end all, be all.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I haven't seen anyone say that the 50th couldn't have been better. I've said it before - there's a whole lot of things they should have done better.

Again, tone. I was just trying to give a non-controversial example. (I really wasn't saying anything about what you personally have or have not said about WDW.)




Long ago, one of my fellow co-workers was constantly negative about every possible topic. (No other viable option to eat elsewhere.) She had an incredibly depressing anecdote about every possible topic anyone tried to discuss.

I got so tired of hearing her, that I made a mental game of thinking up happy subjects just to test her. It was amazing! No matter what the topic was, she had a crazy-depressing anecdote on the subject.

If someone mentioned puppies, she had a story about drowning puppies. Rainbows: someone was involved in a nearly fatal car crash because they looked at a rainbow while driving. She never let me down.

Some WDWMagic forum members are equally predictable. Some ALWAYS defend WDW; others continuously rant.

Several of them sound an awful lot like they are paid by WDW or WDW's competition, just as paid political pundits always defend their party, and find a way to criticize every idea the opposing party has. It is boring.

 

[Roy G. Dis]

I think Disney was on track to have smashing attendance for the 50th until Delta. We were there in mid-June and it felt like Covid was over. Now we, the same family with small children, feel like we can't trust any trends or vaccines or safety in crowds because Delta completely knocked hapless Florida on its .

So anyway...

Delta is reasons 1-12 why the attendance and energy is off for the 50th. The people who still showed up were diehards or merch seekers and far less regular families pulled the trigger. Pleasing these first two groups in particular seems hard to do even without a pandemic.

 

[JohnD]

Again, tone. I was just trying to give a non-controversial example. (I really wasn't saying anything about what you personally have or have not said about WDW.)




Long ago, one of my fellow co-workers was constantly negative about every possible topic. (No other viable option to eat elsewhere.) She had an incredibly depressing anecdote about every possible topic anyone tried to discuss.

I got so tired of hearing her, that I made a mental game of thinking up happy subjects just to test her. It was amazing! No matter what the topic was, she had a crazy-depressing anecdote on the subject.

If someone mentioned puppies, she had a story about drowning puppies. Rainbows: someone was involved in a nearly fatal car crash because they looked at a rainbow while driving. She never let me down.

Some WDWMagic forum members are equally predictable. Some ALWAYS defend WDW; others continuously rant.

Several of them sound an awful lot like they are paid by WDW or WDW's competition, just as paid political pundits always defend their party, and find a way to criticize every idea the opposing party has. It is boring.

Your post prompted me to look for an image or meme of this. I found one about Disney World!

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think Disney was on track to have smashing attendance for the 50th until Delta. We were there in mid-June and it felt like Covid was over. Now we, the same family with small children, feel like we can't trust any trends or vaccines or safety in crowds because Delta completely knocked hapless Florida on its ***.

So anyway...

Delta is reasons 1-12 why the attendance and energy is off for the 50th. The people who still showed up were diehards or merch seekers and far less regular families pulled the trigger. Pleasing these first two groups in particular seems hard to do even without a pandemic.

Absolutely. After 50 years, WDW’s diehards are just as impossible-to-please as Disneyland’s.

Congratulations?

 

[Casper Gutman]

Ok, so for the anti-negativity folks - what, specifically, is great about the 50th, either as a single day event or as something spread over 18 months?

Personally, I like the monorail lights.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Ok, so for the anti-negativity folks - what, specifically, is great about the 50th, either as a single day event or as something spread over 18 months?

Personally, I like the monorail lights.

SSE looks amazing!