One of the ways that the Disney organization stands out from the crowd is in the way they empower their staff (cast members) to innovate and keep communication lines open.
This seems straightforward, even obvious, but the truth is, very few businesses do this. Usually management is a closed shop, and staff rarely hear about decisions from the top, until the last moment.
Often such decisions turn out to be poorly made because the people on the shop floor, the ones actually doing the day to day tasks, weren’t consulted.
The net result of that kind of ‘management’ is that a barrier exists between managers and staff. It becomes a ‘them and us’ divide. Not good.
As mentioned, the Disney organization sets a fine example in maintaining good working relationships with staff at all levels.
As an example, housekeepers in Disney hotels and resorts are regularly consulted about how they can create a better guest experience AND a better working environment for themselves.
Taking the first aspect, one of the housekeepers shared an idea to place a Mickey soft toy in different positions each day, as a simple touch that would delight guests. One day he’s sitting on the bed with the TV remote control in hand, the next day he’s in the shower, and so on. This simple idea which costs nothing but a moment f the housekeepers’ time, has been delighting guests for a number of years now.
As you can imagine, kids especially love it, and it’s one of many reason why families keep coming back to Disney properties over and over again.
Actually, the stats are quite extraordinary. Disney experiences 95-99% occupancy of their hotels and resorts, year round. That’s unheard of in the hotel industry.
Another innovation that came about from a staff suggestion was to have two peepholes on hotel room doors – one for the adults, and a lower one for kids! I’ve never seen that done in any other hotel chain, have you? Such a simple idea, but it’s a great way of acknowledging that kids are important too.
“Disney experiences 95-99% occupancy of their hotels and resorts, year round. That’s unheard of in the hotel industry.”
The other aspect mentioned earlier is encouraging employees to provide feedback about what would help them be more productive, or enjoy their jobs more.
Again, Disney actively does this in their organization. A number of housekeepers fed back that the carts they had to push were extremely heavy. It was causing a lot of strain and even injury. One member of the team made a suggestion to provide some kind of motorized function, like you see on some portable hand trucks and forklifts.
Management investigated this proposal and found a way to implement the suggestion. Interestingly, they also realized that the idea that was developed had spin-off applications in other areas. The same, motorized truck technology is now also used in the theme parks to move large refreshment carts to different areas. A heavy, difficult to manage cart that used to take three or four people to move, can now be easily managed with just one person!
How can you apply these lessons in your business?
It’s clearly very important to invite comments from staff members. When they feel like the lines of communication are open, they’ll often offer very good suggestions that will improve the business.
They will also often provide suggestions that will improve morale, by making a process easier, faster, or just a more logical way of doing something.
Obviously there’s a balance to be had with this kind of open door policy. Some guidelines should be established so that staff members know when and how to provide feedback, otherwise it could become chaotic.
Also, don’t forget to recognize and reward contributors. The reward doesn’t need to be anything fancy, usually the simple act of public recognition is reward enough - they’re not looking for a ‘prize.’
Again, looking to Disney, managers are directed to LOOK for evidence that employees are going the extra mile in their roles.
When a cast member is observed doing something special, they’re given a little card that says ‘Guest Service Fanatic.’ When this system was first implemented, the idea was that cast members would write their name on the card and post it in a special box near their work area. At the end of each month, cards would be drawn and prizes would be awarded.
Well, after a few weeks, management noticed that there were very few cards in the box, which left them puzzled because they’d given out lots of them.
When they asked cast members to explain why they hadn’t put their cards in the box, many of them said that they felt that the card was the reward, and they were proud to show their fellow team members!
As a result of that feedback, managers redesigned the card so that it had an extra, tear off slip that could be posted in the box, to allow the cast member to retain the card!
That example illustrates that it’s the recognition that’s most important, not the prize.
When employees are publicly acknowledged for their good ideas, and good work, it often spurs others to follow their example.
The desire to be recognized is a fundamental, basic human need. Regardless of what they may say, there isn’t a single employee who does not appreciate being praised in some way.
Running a Mickey Mouse business is something to aspire to! As you can see, Disney do a phenomenal job with encouraging employees to feel free to make suggestions. Managers listen, and the entire business often benefits as a result.
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