The Disney Way [Hardcover]

William Capodagli (Author), Lynn Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 1998

"I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks, and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true." -Walt Disney. Walt Disney's dreams, beliefs, and daring gave birth to captivating characters, thrilling theme park attractions, and breathtaking tales that have inspired the imaginations of generations of children and adults. Disney also launched an entertainment and marketing empire whose influence is felt around the world, and whose success provides a model of business excellence that can guide any company. Each principle is then examined in detail by illustrating the principle at work at Disney as well as at other successful companies.

Capodagli and Jackson have spent their careers studying Disney and teaching this unique management method to others. As consultants to companies ranging from Illinois Power to Bristol-Myers Squibb and Whirlpool, they have used the Disney principles again and again, and have seen them yield startling performance improvements. They have distilled this wisdom in THE DISNEY WAY. In this book, you'll learn how to: Give every member of your organization the chance to dream, and tap into the creativity those dreams embody; Treat your customers like guests; Build long-term relationships with key suppliers and partners; Dare to take calculated risks in order to bring innovative ideas to fruition; Align long-term vision with short-term execution. And more. No fairy dust. No magic wands. No wishing on a star. Just sound, effective management principles that stem from Walt Disney's values, vision, and philosophy. Lists of questions to ask and actions to take, along with real-life examples, will help you adapt the Disney Way to suit your company's needs. From the hiring and training of employees to the realization of a creative concept to exceptional customer service, every aspect of the Walt Disney Company is linked to Walt Disney's vision.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070120641
• ISBN-13: 978-0070120648
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Two years ago, consultant Tom Connellan used Disney as a model in his Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney's Success. Whereas Connellan focused on customer service, Capodagli and Jackson hold up Disney as a standard for its management methods and corporate culture. Like Connellan, these two authors are enchanted by the "Disney magic." In neither case did the Walt Disney Company provide sponsorship or even cooperate with the authors. Capodagli and Jackson are consultants who use the Disney model in their work. They have distilled the essence of Disney into the exhortation "Dream! Believe! Dare! Do!" and they identify 10 beliefs that "are at the heart of the Disney methodology." Interwoven throughout their book are examples of how they have successfully applied this credo in their work with other companies. Their primary, recurring illustration is that of their work with a successful restructuring at Whirlpool and the building of its Global No-Frost Team. David Rouse

From the Back Cover

Dream. Believe. Dare. Do.

These are the four pillars upon which the phenomenally successful Walt Disney Company is based. And these are the concepts that can help any business harness the magic of Disney and soar beyond the limits of traditional management. Transfrom your company using the magic of Disney.

"As Bill and Lynn's string of successful clients attest, the principles of good management that form The Disney Way can work their magic on any organization, including yours."­­From the foreword by Fred Wiersema, Business strategist and coauthor of best-selling The Discipline of Market Leaders

"This book is all about the real magic: simulating and harmonizing the collective energy of your people. What works for the world's most famous mouse can work for you."­­Kenneth H. Blanchard, best-selling author

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070120641
• ISBN-13: 978-0070120648
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Capodagli (pronounced Cap o die) co-authored one of Fortune magazine's "Best Business Books of 1999," The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company. Prior to co-founding Capodagli Jackson Consulting in 1993, Bill held managerial positions at the consulting firms of AT Kearney and Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst and Young). From 1991-1993, Bill launched the University of Southern Indiana's business consulting initiative and began teaching The Disney Way principles to an international client base. His popular speaking engagements on the topics of Disney/Pixar leadership; Pixar innovation; and Disney customer service, are transforming both entrepreneurial and Fortune 500 companies alike.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How Disney Does It November 11, 2002

By Matthew Dodd

Format:Hardcover

If you have ever wondered how Disney does it year-in and year-out, and why other companies are constantly competing with and comparing themselves to Disney, then you need to read this book and learn about Disney's magic.

The authors are a couple of Fortune 100 consultants who studied and now teach the management and leadership `secrets' that have kept the Disney name synonymous with organizational excellence for decades. The opening paragraph inside the front cover flap was all I needed to inspire me to read this book: "Walt Disney's dreams, beliefs, and daring gave birth to captivating characters, thrilling theme park attractions, and breathtaking tales that have inspired the imaginations of generations of children and adults. Disney also launched an entertainment and marketing empire whose influence is felt around the world, and whose success provides a model of business excellence that can guide any company."

The authors did a great job introducing and explaining Walt Disney's four pillars - Dream, Believe, Dare, Do. The authors then skillfully showed how upon those pillars were built the ten Disney principles of:

1- Give every member of your organization a chance to dream, and tap into the creativity those dreams embody.
2- Stand firm on your beliefs and principles.
3- Treat your customers like guests.
4- Support, empower, and reward employees.
5- Build long-term relationships with key suppliers and partners.
6- Dare to take calculated risks in order to bring innovative ideas to fruition.
7- Train extensively and constantly reinforce the company's culture.
8- Align long-term vision with short-term execution.
9- Use the storyboarding technique to solve planning and communication problems.
10- Pay close attention to detail....

The opening chapter gave the necessary background on Walt Disney's formative years. The next ten chapters each focused on a different principle. Each chapter used stories and case studies about big and small organizations that successfully applied that particular Disney principle. All chapters ended with reflective questions to ask and actions to take for yourself and your organization that reinforced that chapter's focus. The questions and actions were all clear and concise, and, probably more often than not, unpleasant for individuals and leadership to honestly answer and admit to.

I know that the Disney way is easy to understand, much more difficult to execute, much less frequently executed than it can and should be, and truly unforgettable when experienced firsthand. This book can be your most important first step on the journey into Disney magic for you and your organization if you have the courage to dream, believe, dare, and do - The Disney Way. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy Land's quintessential organizational qualities! March 29, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

The authors explore the business philosophy of Disney, introduce its four key principles (dream, believe, dare, and do) and examine the ten key principles that are at the core of the organization's strategy which are: provide everyone a chance to dream; stand firm on your beliefs and principles; treat your customers like guests; support, empower and reward your employees; build long-term alliances with suppliers and partners; dare to take calculated risks; intensively train and reinforce culture; align long-term vision with execution; use storyboarding techniques for problem solving and communication; and pay close attention to detail.

Chapters explore each of these quintessential organizational qualities -reflecting core beliefs-with an abundance of illustrations from life in the real world of the 'magic kingdom'. Each chapter ends with a few key questions to ask yourself about your organization and some suggestions to ponder. A worthy contribution to understanding critical organizational qualities that make for success. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, Stern & Associates, author of Stern's Sourcefinder The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and the Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Techniques that can help any business improve and succeed July 27, 2000

By R. Mohr

Format:Hardcover

This is by far one of the better books on how Disney uses management techniques to run and improve their business. This book does not present information on a bed of magic and fairy dust, but rather documents their findings in a very solid and objective manner.

The basic principles given in this book are Dream, Believe, Dare and Do. While these principles are certainly not new, they are a basic and effective way to get things done and get them done well. This book presents multiple case studies on how Disney has used these principles to further their business as well has how other companies have used these same principles. I was particularly interested in how the storyboarding technique can be used to generate solutions to complex problems.

I recommend this book to anyone studying or wanting to know more about business management techniques. It was a very enjoyable read.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Where's the beef? July 25, 2003

By Scott

Format:Hardcover

In 30 words or less...vague. Not for those who want a real deep look inside the Disney company's way of doing business. This is a rock skipping across the water...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreaming Big is the First Step November 26, 2005

By Roger Peter Marec VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Many books are produced by firms to act as sales tools for their products. This book falls into that category. Capodagli and Jackson present many personal success stories to show how their firm has saved companies. However, aside from this bias, this is a very good book for the times.

They have researched, as outsiders, the inner workings of Disney to glean the principles that have made Disney great. Disney is a great choice for a business model. Its repeat business and low turnover is its industry's gold standard. It has constantly advanced on many fronts from its inception, till Walt's death in 1966. Then the company slowly started to fall apart for two decades until it was revived by Michael Eisner (CEO) and Frank Wells (President) who in 1984 re-established the fundamental principles Walt had set in place.

Walt Disney put it this way, "I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks and I execute my vision to make these dreams come true."

If you are desiring some extrapolation on the above statement and would like additional fresh observations of the authors, you will love this book. I especially enjoyed learning how Walt turned his whole company into a very-willing idea/dream machine, and how that he also realized that from the customer's perspective, every employee is the company.

May I also recommend The Experience Economy and Pour Your Heart Into It.

Five Stars