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(Solved) Teaming at Disney Animation Case Study Solution - SimpliMBA
(Solved) Teaming at Disney Animation Case Study Solution - SimpliMBA
(Solved) Teaming at Disney Animation Case Study Solution - SimpliMBA
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Teaming at Disney animation is a case study from HBR. The Case can be analyzed from the lens of organizational structure, People as an
organization strategy, and using restructuring to remove organization silos.
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Walt Disney Animation Studios had become more structured and hierarchical, making it less than ideal for employees to collaborate across
divisions on creative projects. Prior to John Lasseter and Ed Catmull’s tenure, this was the case. Despite this, the work was more
multidisciplinary and dynamic than ever before, incorporating elements of state-of-the-art computer animation and creative storytelling.
Geibel wanted to know how he and Ron Johnson, whom he had hired and worked with to re-envision the Systems group within Disney
Animation, could facilitate a smoother workflow and higher productivity for the increasingly technical and imaginative projects being
undertaken by the company. Geibel hired Ron Johnson, and the two of them rethought the Systems department.
In order to facilitate the efficient collaboration required for the production of compelling and engaging animated films, Geibel and Johnson
had already implemented significant alterations to the organizational structure of the workplace as well as the physical environment. Now
that the changes were in place, it was time to assess how well they were working and whether any tweaks were necessary.
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The new administration of John Lasseter and Ed Catmull is responsible for these alterations. As far as Geibel is concerned, the company’s
inability to accomplish much due to its current structure is a direct result of its management. Disney Animation’s work revolves around
telling stories in fresh ways and employing state-of-the-art computer animation techniques. Considering how multidisciplinary and
dynamic the operation had become, maintaining the same team organizational structure as before was a huge drain on resources.
Therefore, it was necessary for the company to create a new teaming system that would facilitate open dialogue between workers.
For ten years, Geibel had worked for the company in various capacities, including Senior Systems Engineer and Production Engineering
Lead, gaining valuable experience in leading technical teams. Because of the knowledge he gained during that time, he is now able to
appreciate the value that teams can bring to an organization. If the company was going to succeed, he believed, it would be because
someone came up with a new way of structuring the company that would bring the team closer together. Similarly, Geibel’s ability to foster
cooperation across Disney departments is hampered by the existence of artificial boundaries.
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Currently, it is difficult to carry out responsibilities efficiently because groups do not have well-defined roles.
The company’s inability to adapt to new market conditions can be attributed in part to the rigidity of the current organizational structure.
According to Geibel and Johnson, the company should redesign its work processes and the offices it occupies to encourage more
interaction and cooperation among workers. It was difficult for workers to work together on projects because the old organizational
structure did not foster the growth of effective team structures
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To Geibel’s mind, the key to fixing this issue is fostering a spirit of teamwork. He is set on getting his team to work as one solid unit so that
they can increase their output. To this end, Geibel proposes setting up system groups that communicate with one another and work
together to solve any problems that arise.
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The way the company is managed has been changing, so it’s time to rethink the company’s structure. Several people, for instance, worked
to perfect cinematic lighting. The organization of the systems group within Disney Animation was another area of weakness prior to 2010.
The managers oversaw and coordinated the various projects from the comfort of their offices on the second floor. They hardly ever got to
talk to the people who worked in the software and systems department but were essential to the making of the animations. Assigning
people to groups led to the development of task boundaries, which impeded communication and cooperation among team members. The
workplace was divided, making it hard to improve how resources were distributed.
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These alterations were necessary for Disney Animation to better manage the increasing volume and complexity of its creative and technical
output. There had been significant changes to the company’s working environment, and so the business strategy needed to be adjusted
accordingly. More and more people from various backgrounds are working together to solve problems because of the proliferation of digital
tools.
Coordination of this sort became necessary because increasing productivity required workers to learn to work together effectively. Before
Geibel took charge, it was unclear who did what on the team. They struggled to keep things running smoothly due to being constrained by
the established parameters, and their expansion was slowed by inefficient task allocation. In order to advance, Geibel had to make
adjustments and form groups with distinct responsibilities. Taking this step would allow the company to accomplish more and encourage a
culture of innovation across all departments.
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Geibel has developed semi-independent groups throughout the company consisting of between two and six persons in each group. The
capabilities that each individual member of the team possesses played a role in the selection process. The head of a team will seek advice
and authorization from the members of the team who are considered to be technical subject-matter experts. In addition, depending on the
requirements of the situation, workers in a team might be assigned either primary or secondary duties.
When workers on a team are assigned big tasks, the worker is entrusted with a significant amount of responsibility for the team as a whole.
The development of a team’s technical and soft skills might benefit from the addition of individuals with complementary skills. In addition,
each team is led by a manager who is accountable for the advancement of individual careers, the funding of technological advancements,
and the coaching of the team. The leaders of groups are entrusted with the responsibility of directing their teams in the right direction and
overseeing their day-to-day operations.
Because the offices are so close to one another, the employees are able to readily collaborate and share ideas in order to discover effective
solutions to any problems that may arise. The fact that everyone was in the same location encouraged impromptu brainstorming among
the group. In addition, we have reserved spots in our technical areas for more casual get-togethers, so that our employees won’t have to
walk around while crucial conversations are taking place. The location of the managers’ offices is crucial to the operation of the system. They
were able to demonstrate better leadership to their subordinates after leaving the isolation of their offices and interacting more closely with
them.
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Solutions
After the “dailies” system was put into place, it became much simpler for workers to think up original concepts. It’s because they were much
too forthcoming with their managers about the ongoing initiatives they were working on.
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It is because their offices were also in the same working environment as the other group members. This was unlike before were their offices
were upstairs where employees could not communicate with them easily. The changes brought by Geibel in the organizational structure of
Disney Animation were crucial in making the company provide more and better products to its customers. The changes were also vital in
making the company adjust to the ever-changing technology in this industry.
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The acquisition also enlightened Disney Animation’s upper management, causing them to modify their approach to human resource
management. They banded together into teams and developed close relationships with one another within those groups, allowing for more
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effective dialogue. The acquisition also helped bring the company’s leaders closer to their staff, which boosted communication on both the
formal and informal levels. Changes of this nature were essential to enhancing the functioning of the organization.
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More importantly, the theories showed Geibel and Johnson where they needed to improve so that their business could thrive. After that, the
two of them came up with a plan for leading the team that included no more than six other people. Teams were led by individuals who not
only saw the big picture but also understood their place in it. These leaders were also responsible for supervising the team captains under
them. Employees with the required level of technical expertise could move up the corporate ladder thanks to the availability of these
positions.
Seeing these individuals as leaders, Geibel and Johnson believed they could effect the necessary shift within the company. In the previous
configuration of the organization, the roles of team leaders and personnel managers were essentially interchangeable. These two people
also proposed the concept of a primary and secondary team. Each worker was expected to take on a primary responsibility in one of the
groups, in addition to secondary responsibilities in the other groups.
Direct supervisors or team leaders had to join in on the work alongside their subordinates and reportees in order to foster the development
of trusting relationships within the group. Members of the team have been given the chance to learn more about the day-to-day business
activities of Disney Animation thanks to the new organizational structure that has been implemented. As a result of the staff’s increased
creativity and the business’s efforts to improve communication, the company was able to develop new animations.
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Because of this, we broke the team up into six-person groups to facilitate better communication and the sharing of information. Workplace
communication was also fostered by the relaxed atmosphere. Employees were better able to discuss their individual animation projects
with one another because of the confined nature of the workspace. They found it much easier to communicate and collaborate with their
staff after moving their offices closer to where the teams were working.
They wanted to make a difference in the systems group, so they went looking for answers everywhere they could. For instance, the Matrix
Model data ensured a systematic rollout of changes, making it simpler for staff to adjust to the new norm. Geibel and Johnson were also
cognizant of the need to employ a compact self-sufficient team with members having specialized knowledge in relevant areas.
The minimum group size is six people, all of whom are experts in the same field. The system applied the same requirements to the
management, as well. They were organized in the same hierarchical subsets as their subordinates. Overall, the approach taken by Geibel
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and Johnson was fruitful because it was grounded in established scientific principles. They were cognizant of the need to break the project
down into manageable chunks that would be assigned to workers according to their specific areas of expertise. Geibel and Johnson knew
that moving managers to be in closer proximity to their employees would boost productivity in the workplace.
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The reorganized Disney Animation department has made it easier for employees to do their jobs. This resulted because management did
not severely restrict employees’ freedom of thought. Another benefit for the system groups was that they shared office space with the
managers. System group members found it easy to think of and implement novel solutions in such a setting.
The group’s leaders consistently adopted the members’ ideas. A positive side effect of the revised organizational structure at Disney
Animation was an increased openness to new ideas, which I feel obligated to note. Groups of workers were taught how to collaborate
effectively on projects and how to come up with novel ideas for the business. The new leadership was also beneficial because it fostered
teamwork, which in turn increased output across the board.
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Since everyone is in the same place, it’s easy for supervisors to talk to each other and work together. When workers feel like their bosses
believe in them, they experience the same level of intrinsic motivation seen in any other business. That’s why I’m confident that the office
space provided to workers elsewhere can be successfully implemented in my own company.
Since workers would have more chances to boost one another’s morale and enthusiasm for individual effort, which in turn would boost both
innovation and output. This organizational model proves most effective in the highly creative Product Design team. Workers’ ability to think
for themselves is fostered by the organizational design, which bodes well for the creation of truly original products. Staff in such an
organization enjoy the backing of encouraging superiors, which in turn helps them develop the confidence they need to do better work.
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If you have any questions or comments on the case study, please write us a note
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Samrat Saha
Samrat is a Delhi based MBA from Indian Institute of Management. He is a Strategy, AI and a Marketing
Enthusiast and passionately writes about core and emerging topics on Management studies. Reach out his
LinkedIn for a discussion or follow his Quora Page
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