Lessons from Disney for Higher Education: The Magic of Success
I recently stayed at the JW Marriott Resort in Anaheim, CA and learned some things about the local geography. Here’s a fun fact: the JW Marriott Resort is right next to Disneyland, like right next door—a mere 15-minute walk, and you’re basically inside of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. I did not think much about my proximity to the Happiest Place on Earth™ at first, until I heard that the hotel’s rooftop bar boasted one of the best views of the Disney fireworks display. Calmly enjoying well-produced pyrotechnics without being elbowed in the rib cage by annoyed parents and stepped on by excited, sugar-filled children? Yes, please. As I watched the fireworks, drink-in-hand, I started thinking about Disney’s seemingly unstoppable success.
Walt Disney was a talented artist who sought to create a successful career for himself by making connections through his cartoons and, eventually, animations. Although his business plans initially experienced major setbacks (his Laugh-O-Gram Studio company went bankrupt), he continued pursuing his dream, certain that there was a place and demand in the marketplace for visual storytelling. While not every decision throughout the Walt Disney Company’s history has been successful or good (Song of the South, anyone?), they have continued to try to remain true to their founding mission, in part, “to entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling.” There are tons of case studies that follow the success of Disney’s business model, leadership, and marketing savvy since the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded on October 16, 1923, but creativity-focused missions aren’t usually accomplished in the boardroom. So, how do they do it? And what can higher education learn from The Mouse? Yes, the company has a good business strategy, but additionally, it values four key elements that can provide valuable insight for those of us within higher education.
Imagination
It is a tragedy that as we grow up and complete a formal education, we lose our creativity. As children, we are curious to learn about the world, how it works, and everyone who lives in it. Our personal opinions are limited as we explore new ideas, perspectives, and ideologies. We attend school to engage in learning during our formative years. Obviously, this is not an argument against formal education; children and young adults must receive the foundation needed to meaningfully contribute to society. But, as we prepare students to sit quietly, pass standardized tests, and only give the right answers, we lose something irreplaceable: the chance to celebrate differences in how students think, learn, and problem-solve. In a TED talk I’m particularly fond of Sir Ken Robinson says, “Creativity should be treated with the same status as literacy in education.” Disney gets this. They hire individuals because they think and contribute differently. It is not easy to win the attention and hearts of children in every generation; they need to relate to the images, stories, and characters they see on screen.
Colleges and universities should be places where people transition from childhood to adulthood in an environment that celebrates differences, engages in discussion of challenging topics, and allows every individual to see themselves as belonging. Disney creates a world where creativity is protected, and individuality is celebrated. Ultimately, higher education institutions, whether in-person or online, should create learning opportunities that allow people to come together to disagree, to discuss, and to discover how our individuality has a purpose in society.
Imagineering
This is the department at Disney which brings the magic to life. Imagineers dream, design, and build Disney theme parks, attractions, cruise ships, and resorts. Essentially, they focus on live entertainment—bringing the stories to life. This is similar to the faculty role at higher education institutions. Regardless of delivery modality, a program’s content needs to come to life in a relevant and relatable way for students. Similarly to how Disney Imagineers focus on creating experiences that guests can touch, smell, and immerse themselves in, students should also be engaged, inspired, and encouraged throughout their academic career. Disney creates masterful stories that capture the mind and the experience of going to a Disney theme park connects imagination to reality. This is very much the role of higher education.
At a basic level, faculty focus on teaching knowledge, but the real measure of an academic program is whether students can apply that knowledge in a meaningful way. Imagineers encompass a variety of jobs such as architects, writers, interior designers, illustrators, concept artists, landscapers, archivists, costumer designers, theatre technicians, special effects experts, and graphic designers. Collectively, they all work together to ensure that the theme parks and resorts meet guests’ expectations, but more than that, they are tasked with bringing the magic of stories into the real world. It’s not as apparent, since most institutions don’t have an animatronic Abraham Lincoln greeting their students, but the same collaboration exists within higher education institutions, too. They have teams of individuals who come together to take the magic of theory and concepts and translate it into academic programs. Faculty, instructional designers, technology officers, student success coaches, and many others, all work to take ideas and turn them into actual things that students can interact with while being supported throughout their enrollment.
Innovation
To capture and maintain the interest of their audience, Disney has had to evolve and develop new ideas to engage their guests. If Walt Disney had created his animated movies and theme parks and declared the work finished, my hotel likely would have been next to an Anthropologie instead of an amusement park. To maintain relevancy, Disney has embraced technology, pushed the boundaries of what was possible, and taken risks on the unknown. They’ll be the first ones to tell you, technological innovation is very much a part of their brand. From their introduction of one of the first monorail systems to their industry-redefining partnership with Pixar, Disney has proved throughout its history that it’s not scared of change, and it doesn’t need to wait for something to go wrong before looking for the next big idea. Today, higher education institutions get caught up in the chatter about innovation, but few seem successful in rethinking how education can be delivered and measured. Higher education institutions too easily fall into the trap of, “we’ve always done it this way.” It is one of the few industries where innovation must be defended before it is applauded. As a society, we are so quick to embrace new technology or other modern conveniences but when it comes to learning and instruction, we’re behind the times and, meanwhile, we’re losing our audience.
Ingredients
If you ask any wide-eyed, curious child to describe Disney, you will get as many different responses as there are children in the world. That’s because, despite its global reach, Disney consistently evokes the one thing that higher education often lacks—stimulation of curiosity. Disney, both its leadership and employees, focus on creating an environment that encourages children and adults to enter an immersive world that allows them to explore new perspectives and ideas. This requires careful research, consideration, and design for their audience. For higher education institutions this might look more like creating an academic environment that nurtures students by engaging them with differing opinions, encouraging alternative perspectives, and rewarding learning (even if the learning is the result of failing). Higher education institutions absolutely need to monitor outcomes, but a successful learning experience is more than just a culmination of grade point averages. What about the learning that occurs when a student comes to value the perspective of another, when students are introduced to and fall in love with a new field, or when a failed project lays the foundation for a successful thesis? Disney emphasizes the details because it crafts an intentional experience for each guest. Their goal is not to teach you the story of The Little Mermaid so that you can regurgitate it later; they want you to feel like you had an experience, an adventure that changed you. If we want to graduate individuals who can be successful and fulfilled in their work and lives, we need more than good test score metrics. We need to create an experience that speaks to the whole person.
Disney has certainly made some missteps throughout their long history, but they can’t be easily accused of drifting away from their mission. They have found a way to take a vast array of seemingly unrelated departments and diversely talented people and meld them into one, globally recognized brand. They have fiercely protected their purpose and have continued to impact generations by understanding their audience and consistently leveraging their strengths. Much to many parents’ dismay (you can only hear “Let It Go” so many times while remaining sane), Disney’s meticulous and intentional approach ensures their relevance, generation after generation. They don’t just have engineers, they have imagineers. They don’t just make movies, they build entire worlds you can visit that bring these stories to life—even the entry-level park employees are called cast members. Every individual at Disney plays an important part “to entertain, inform, and inspire people around the globe.” This unwavering commitment has allowed Disney to remain the unchallenged master storyteller, captivating imaginations and evolving with their audience for ~100 years.
So, how can higher education follow Disney’s lead? Like Disney, a successful institution:
Intentionally designs relevant programs that supports students’ success.
Fosters collaboration and creativity among faculty, administrators, and staff, bringing together their broad range of talents and expertise.
Avoids complacency by constantly looking for new opportunities to innovate and evolve with their target student population.
Mixes it all together to create a unique, holistic educational experience that can be life-changing for their students.
When higher education institutions do this inspiring work, they not only strengthen their institutional culture and relevance, they truly become the place where students’ dreams can come true.
And with that, I’ll leave you with Disney’s most inspiring song/scene of all time.
