Organizational Culture Report: Disney, Schein's Theory, and Impact

This report provides an in-depth analysis of The Walt Disney Company's organizational culture, focusing on Schein's theory and its application within the transnational media corporation. It explores the three primary elements of organizational culture: artifacts, values, and underlying assumptions, and how these elements shape Disney's identity and influence its corporate policies. The report examines the employee experience at Disney, highlighting the unique aspects of the company's culture, such as the 'Disney University' and the specialized language and practices. It also discusses the importance of adhering to the mission statement and the roles of cast members within Disneyland. Furthermore, the report analyzes the interconnected processes that define Disney's culture, including care, communication, employee selection, and training, and their impact on employees and the audience. It also addresses the effects of changes in organizational culture on employees, the influence of organizational innovation, and the relevance of Deslandes' theory in understanding media organizations. Finally, the report examines the symbiotic relationship between internal and external assumptions and how Disney adapts its policies to local needs.

ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
Name:
Course:
Professor:
Institution:
Date:

Schein’s theory on culture
 There the three primary elements/understanding, as fronted by Edgar
Schein, through which the aspects of organizational culture are categorized
 Artifacts
 Value
 Underlying assumptions
 The three attributes are applicable in transnational media corporations like
Disney
 The attributes help company stakeholders (both internal & external) to
understand its culture and identity
 The attributes also help to clarify how cultural influences shape the
company’s corporate policies.

Employees feeling when they
enter Disney
 One feels as if s(he) is never actually a Disney employee
 One feels that Disney university is an actual thing
 One feels part of the company through the book dedicated to how
one is supposed to look at Disney
 the feeling of specialty as one has to learn the Disney’s special
language
 the Disney point and Disney scoop makes one feel special/unique

Why to Follow mission statement in the
organization and underlying assumptions
 Walt Disney core mission is “to be one of the world’s leading producers
and providers of entertainment and information” (Farfan 2014)
 The mission statement lives in Disney's elitist customer service, theme
parks, movies and products.
 The top-notch quality associated with the cast members forms the
greatest asset of the company.
 There are six principles which are supposed to be held by the Cast
members
 Community
 decency
 Innovation
 Optimism
 Quality
 Storytelling

Roles of cast members in
Disneyland
 Attractions
 Costuming
 Custodial
 Guest relations
 Housekeeping
 Merchandising

Internal and external culture
and its effects on employees
and audience Four interconnected processes define culture.
 Care
 Communication
 employees selection
 Training
 The employees are positively affected designation of theme
 Organizational innovation and creativity influence corporate culture,
and any consequent interference has an impact on employees.
 To boost the morale of employees and influence positive
performance, the organization through the human resource
department runs a recognition and reward and program

Impacts of change in
organizational culture on
employees Whereas artifacts are affected by evolutionary processes, the Basic
assumptions have low chances of changing
 It is considered an expensive task to change the drastically different culture
and that which is ingrained in the organization
 When the organization changes its culture, the employees remain on the
receiving end to battle external adaptation and internal integration
 When the organization changes its culture, it affects employees’ morale
 A change in organizational culture has an effect of either rejecting or
attracting the right talents
 A change in the corporate culture has an impact on employees’ performance
 Healthy organizational cultural changes can facilitate organizational change

Theory of Deslandes
 Focussed on examining cultures of media organizations
 The perceptions of external actors according to Deslandes determine
the fluctuating reality of cultural identity
 In the definition of mass media culture, the critical component is the
audience
 Understanding the symbiotic relationship existing between external
and internal assumptions
 Disney’s alteration of the policy to fit local needs fractures the
established histories, ideals, and values which are significant in
understanding Schein’s cultural assumptions.

References
 Bülow, AM 2011, Global corporate communication and the notion of legitimacy.
Journal of Intercultural Communication, (25),4-29
 Deslandes, G 2011, Corporate culture versus organizational identity: Implications
for media management. Journal of Media Business Studies, 8(4), 23-36.
 Farfan, B 2014, “Walt Disney Mission Statement”. RETAIL INDUSTRY ABOUT.
Available at
http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/company-mission-statem
ent/Walt-Disney-Mission-Statement.htm
 Lipp, D 2013, Disney U: How Disney university develops the worlds most
engaged, loyal, and customer centric employees. New York, NY: McGraw Hill
 Lisanti, T 2012, Disney's new character. License! Global, 15(3), 48-50,52, 54.
 Schein, EH 1990, Organizational culture. American Psychologist, 45(2), 109-119.
 Wise, TD 2014, Creativity and culture at Pixar and Disney: A comparison. Journal
of the International Academy for Case Studies, 20(1), 149-168.