Creating Magic at Walt Disney World: Book review Do you ever wonder why so many people love to go and travel to Walt Disney World? It is because this park has a hidden secret and sets its self apart from all other amusement parks around the world. They are pedestal of guest satisfaction and entertainment. Walt Disney World has the highest of standards to meet guest expectations. This is the place were dreams come true and is the happiest place on earth! Which makes Disney’s cast members the ones behind the sense and the faces you will see around the park is one of the most important jobs is to create the magic for the millions of people who visit the parks and resorts. I will be discussing some key concepts presented in the book Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President, Operations, Walt Disney World Resort. …show more content…
No one knows more about this kind of leadership then Lee Cockerell, the man who ran Disney World for over a decade. He formed the cultural bedrock of the world’s number one vacation destination. Lee shows great leadership is not about mastering complex management but by following his common sense strategies outlined in this book. His leadership lessons include, Everyone is important, Make your people your brand, Burn the free fuel: appreciation, recognition, and encouragement. Also give people a purpose, not just a job, are just a few of the remarkable lessons that follow in this
Magic carpet rides and genies have never seemed realistic to show “a whole new world.” Never would I think a children’s Disney production would help me realize how my talents and interests can change the world; however, when children are involved, their joyful innocence enlighten me to be a positive influence.
Disneyland was Walt Disney’s dream of a theme park that would be, in his words, “The Happiest Place on Earth”. Walt understood too well that the people that were hired would need to be taught how to create that elusive atmosphere. He called on Van France to assist him in creating what has become a world renowned training program. This program taught their employees, or “cast members”, to achieve the ultimate result, a “good show”.
In chapter four of Be Our Guest, the author dives deeper into the idea of creating a setting. Not only did Walt Disney create a setting that would be awe inspiring to every guest who entered his amusement park, but he also added countless details to everything that aided delivering the specific experience. Everything surrounding the guest at any given moment was made to support the common theme of the area. Walt Disney's continuous innovation and dreams drove his success to never before seen heights.
Walt Disney World is the magical place every child dreams to visit at some time in their childhood, and why wouldn’t they, it is after all the happiest place on earth, where dreams come true for both children and adults. Disney gets that magical feeling from all the happy smiling kids and families seemingly experiencing spontaneous fun and experiences throughout the stay at the park. To Disney insiders though the magic is a meticulously scripted and planned out experience, where nothing is placed or happens by chance. With every experience planned and thought out by Disney employees and the spontaneous fun be nothing more than a well thought out script it makes one wonder what would Disney or any other amusement park look like if allowed for spontaneous fun to take place?
No matter how old you are, when you go to Disney the inner child in you comes out. From the moment you walk into Disney until the moment you walk out you feel welcomed and special. There is one word that describes the Disney experience and that is that it is “magical”. Lee Cockerell writes of this “magic” from firsthand experience, as he was the Executive Vice President of Operations of Walt Disney World Resort for over ten years.
Lee Cockerell was the Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World for over ten years, but he did not gain this position overnight. He had years of hard work and dedication that lead him to this position. His humble beginnings instilled the value of hard work and basic management skills into his life. He discovered along the way through being an intimidating manager that something in his management style was not working. He evaluated himself and decided to become a better leader. His improved management skills are responsible for his climb up the corporate ladder. In the position as an executive at Walt Disney World, he wrote the strategies that were used to create the Disney Institute program that have created many successes for the company. Upon his retirement, Cockerell decided to share these strategies with other managers and leaders across disciplines so that they might be able to have success as well. He decided to do this by collecting his thoughts, tips, and strategies in a novel called Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney.
Math happens behind closed doors at Walt Disney world or should I say that math happens inside of a secret tunnel somewhere in Walt Disney world but we will not get in to that just yet. Where does the real magic happen, people might ask? To begin with some people might say the magic starts with the Disney characters, the rides or others might even say it is the parades that Disney world have at the end of the day from the fireworks, to the yummy cotton candy and the treats that they bring out for people to enjoy along with the characters coming out all at once to entertain everyone. There are so many wow factors during the parades at Walt Disney world. Nevertheless Neither one of
The Walt Disney Company has created theme parks throughout the world for guests to undergo a specific experiences that recalls the guests’ inner child through rides, visuals, and music. Disney has proved to be more than just a theme park; it is portrayed as a “world” or “land” of acceptance and integration of all cultures into one place. The universality aspect is what draws people in from different countries to visit the parks. Ultimately, the Disney parks are based off of two key concepts: commoditization and Americanization. Since Disney is an imagined utopia, guests buy into, literally and figuratively, the commodities and experiences it offers. Through music and visuals, Disney intertwines a message of Americanization through a single world culture that the guests accept. Disney’s limited understanding of cultures became much more apparent as theme parks were erected in different countries with cultural values that differ from American norms. Disney is a utopian society that exposes a narrow interpretation of the different cultures throughout the world.
As I stepped off of the bus, I immediately noticed a magnificent castle. The sun gleamed off of the blue, white, and gold spires that reached for the clear, blue sky. At this moment, it was evident that Magic Kingdom was not an ordinary theme park. Still in wonder over the architectural beauty of the building, my family and I joined the rest of the energetic crowd waiting to enter the park. I forgot about the summer homework assigned, the workouts that were to be completed, and the stresses of everyday life. I became a child again, preparing to enter a multitude of worlds in a tiny section of Florida.
Sicinski, Adam. "My Conversations With Walt Disney About Life, Success and the Power of Imagination." IQ Matrix. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017. .
It’s no doubt that creating a family oriented theme park based on popular, beloved cartoon characters and imagination was a good idea. From Cinderella’s castle to the famous Main Street, U.S.A, there’s something extraordinary lying around every corner. Walt Disney World, other wise known as “the happiest place on earth”, or the place “where dreams come true”, was founded by a man with a dream of creating a place where children and parents could spend time together while making amazing memories. However, this extravagant amusement park is only one of the major accomplishments of Walt Disney.
In this paper, we will explore the magical experience of Walt Disney Company through the structure and symbolic frames based on the Bolman and Deal?s individual lens. The structural frame focuses on the architecture of an organization and other features like: rules, regulations, goals, policies, roles, tasks, job designs, job descriptions, technology, chain of command, vertical and horizontal coordinating mechanisms, assessment and reward systems, and many more (Bolman, L., & Deal, T. 2013). The symbolic frame focuses on the culture, meaning, metaphor, ritual, ceremony, stories, heroes and inspiration of the organization (Bolman, L., & Deal, T. 2013). On this analysis I will also explain the organization?s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that impact the leadership, partners, employees and community internally and externally.
Before we can discuss how Walt Disneyworld became a household name, we need to understand how it was developed.
The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts strive to be the leader in innovative and creative family entertainment in the world. The mission of The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts is to provide “magical” experiences to all guests that visit our Parks and Resorts. We use technology, innovation, and imagination to create a unique entertainment experience comparable to nothing else.
Since the grand opening in 1971, Walt Disney World has continuously brought dreams to life. Walter Elias Disney and his brother Roy Oliver Disney cofounded Walt Disney World in hopes of encouraging imagination among all attendees. The park continues to grow and excite visitors from all over the world. Many people deem Walt Disney World as one of the best theme parks to exist. To make this evaluation one must consider the qualities successful theme parks possess. These include entertainment for all age groups, flexible options for health needs, advanced technology, and alluring themes. While Walt Disney World may be busy, it exhibits all the necessities of an excellent theme park.