Common Sense and Conflict
Michael Eisner is an American entertainment executive, whose leadership in the 1980s and 1990s revitalized the Walt Disney Company. Born in New York City, Eisner was educated at Denison University, where he studied literature and theater. After graduating in 1964, he worked for six weeks as a clerk at NBC and then briefly in the programming department at CBS. His career crystallized at ABC, which he joined as a programming assistant in 1966 and where he spent the next ten years, ultimately becoming senior vice president of prime-time production and development. Eisner's rise through the corporate ranks was paralleled by ABC's leap from third place to first place in the network viewing ratings. In 1976 he was named president and CEO of Paramount Pictures. During his eight-year tenure the motion-picture studio moved from last place to first place among the six major studios. In 1984 Eisner left Paramount to become chairman and chief executive of Walt Disney Productions (renamed the Walt Disney Company in 1986). Eisner admired Walt Disney and was especially interested in children's programming and family entertainment. The company's success included several feature-length animated films in the Disney tradition.
Michael Eisner was an optimistic person and he was well known for being a genius in creativity. He has made Disney a company that is built on a strong combination of institutionalized creativeness that constantly produces potent ideas, and also having common sense. One question that we must ask ourselves is how does Michael Eisner have such good leadership. Well as he describes in his interview, he says that being a leader requires 4 main parts: being an example, being there, being a nudge and finally being an idea generator.
There are many things that I agree upon in Michael Eisner’s way of having leadership in a company. One thing that I strongly agree on is that he has situated his company in being an “idea generator”, which to me is so powerful in a company. When setting your company to be an “idea generator”, you must have a loose environment so people are not afraid to speak their thoughts and ideas. He strongly encourages this type of behavior within his company. From seeing this way of leadership also shows me that the culture at Walt Disney is fun oriented, exciting and loose. Having this type o...
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...hat is spread out across the top and not just the very top. Eisner says that he focuses on the 40 people that he interacts with everyday. That is good because it shows to those people that you truly care about them and they feel wanted. The other leaders in the organization focus on other groups of people. Disney’s management teams are always moving around the entire world but they stay focused on what is most important to them. Eisner says that he wishes that he could be there for every signal person in his organization whenever someone needed help. But unfortunately, that can’t happen but that just goes to show you how committed Michael Eisner is and also why he is so powerful as a leader.
To me, being a nudge in an organization can be an ok thing, but at the same time it is very disturbing to employees. Eisner feels that being a nudge constantly reminds people of their ideas and what they need to do. That is true but the way he inputs it into the organization can be very frustrating to others. Eisner says that he does not keep many notes, which he should because that way you know at all times what needs to be done today and also what may need to be done in a week.
During a time of great tribulations, each colonist would be forced to chose a side. Their options were either to fight for their rights and freedom or stay loyal to the royal monarchy of Britain. Both sides had support from people of great power. Two men by the names of Thomas Paine and James Chalmers wrote to defend their position and influence others to do the same with pamphlets titled Common Sense and Plain Truth, respectively. After reading, re-reading and analyzing both of the documents, it is clear that each hold debatable arguments, however, when pinned against each other and set side by side, Common Sense holds more power and influence, whereas Plain Truth highlights greater intellectual and logical arguments.
After Walt Disney death, the studio is struggling but was saving by the arrival of Michael Eisner as a CEO and Jeffrey Katzenberg as chairman of Walt Disney Studios. The studio produced many hits animation like Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. The Lion kings generated more than $ 1 billion revenue to Disney (ALCACER, COLLIS, & FUREY, 2010).
First published anonymously on January 1776, before the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense offered American colonists a newfangled perspective that questioned the power of the monarch government and preserved ideas of equality, representation, freedom and independence. After King George III had refused to accept the Olive Branch Petition, Paine created Common Sense, declaring that the time had come for colonists to proclaim an independent republic. Thomas Paine’s accessible writing style allowed colonists to understand his theoretical reflections in a straightforward manner. Abstaining from complex Latin and philosophy references portrayed by Enlightenment era writers, Paine created Common Sense as a homily and established biblical references to display to the people. As a means to present a distinct American political manner, Paine intertwined independence with common disagreeing Protestant beliefs.
Perhaps the most common themes in Disney films are a mere image of how the company itself is structured. In Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination, Ross debates that Walt Disney and Walt Disney Studios are known for their “top-down management style,” in which the company flourishes due to a “homogeneity” and an identical cumulative distribution of ideals rather than encouraging workers to find their inner ‘kid’ (Ross 471). For a company that thrives on the motif of how imagination is the heart of success, Walt Disney Studios contradicts its theme by forcing their workers to suppress their spontaneous and impulsive creativity, and to confine to the normality of how the kingpins of the company believe things should be run.
Walt Disney said "I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination" (JD). In creating Disney stories and movies, Walt Disney demonstrated that he was a true visionary. His acclaimed imagination wasn’t always apparent, though. It has been said that Walt was fired from a job at the Kansas City Star newspaper because of a lack of creativity (Brown). Years later, Disney purchased ABC, which owned the Kansas City Star. How ironic that he was fired from a company because he wasn’t creative enough and then ended up owning it because of his creativity. Walt Disney is one of the most significant individuals of our time. His distinguished business acumen and abounding creativity enthused children for generations.
[1] Information was mainly taken from the Harvard Business Case Study “The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King”
If Michael Eisner were to remain in his role as CEO, it’s likely he would face heavy opposition. Currently, three major stakeholders of the company have publicly disapproved of Eisner and called for his resignation. During an official vote, 45% of shareholders and 72.5% of 401(k) pensioners, who are essentially employees of Disney, voted that they were not confident in Eisner’s leadership. In response, Eisner resigned as the chairman of the board of directors. Additional to the shareholders and pensioners, two members of the board of directors resigned due to Eisner's leadership practices, and launched the “Save Disney” campaign. In order to regain the confidence of the board, shareholders, and pensioners, Eisner will not only need to address and remedy their complaints, but also alter his leadership style and take significant steps toward improving the economic condition of Disney.
In Common Sense, by Thomas Paine writes that America cannot recon ciliate with Great Britain. Paine gives many examples in this document of why America cannot reconsolidates with Great Britain. One of them is there is no advantages to being connected to Great Britain; only disadvantages can come out of the connection and the second idea is British government must sooner or later end.
When one thinks of the Walt Disney Company and all it has to offer, it brings a smile to their face. Believe it or not, the Walt Disney Company has brought countless smiles to millions since 1925. Ever since birth, the company has embraced the filter of satisfaction to its customers creating the “Happiest Place on Earth” philosophy. (Blitz, 2014) In order to maintain this philosophy, the company meticulously capitalizes on strategic tactics to ensure their iconic status never fades away. Popular names such as Mickey Mouse started with Disney, and were the infrastructure of an organization that has now enlarged it’s territory into several entertainment studios, theme parks, products, and other media productions. (Sanders, 2015)
In chapter eleven case study, we were asked, What special qualities of Steve Jobs seem to have contributed to his leadership success as Apple’s CEO? We think Steve Jobs was a successful leader because he was imaginative; passionate about his job, he had the ability to push employees to create new things, had confidence, and believed
Michael Eisner, former CEO of Walt Disney Company strained several important relationships to the company because of his abrasive style and tendency toward micromanagement. During his 22-year tenure at Walt Disney, ex-CEO Eisner fought with the Miramax founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein over financial details relating to the purchase of Miramax. Eisner bumped heads several times with Steve Jobs who was then CEO of both Pixar and Apple Computer. The negative remarks Eisner made in front of Congress about Jobs Apple Computer was taken so personally that Jobs threatened to not renew the Disney-Pixar partnership if Eisner was still CEO of Disney. As well Eisner’s continuing disputes with Board of Director members Disney and Gold was that of disruptive behavior. For several years the long-standing board members repeatedly called for Eisner’s resignation.
Although there are many outstanding, albeit necessary qualities of a good leader, it is the leader’s beliefs in which greatness is given its first breath, fostered by action, and spread throughout the institution. A great leader believes in encouraging, not destroying; in setting the precedence instead of yielding to prominence ; in collaboration, not division; in giving, not taking; and in having high standards and volunteering to be the first of many to be held to them. A great leader does not take advantage of the people being lead, but instead, creates an advantage for the people by giving them the opportunities to lead. Only when people take ownership of an institution will passion be cultivated, action be taken, and greatness be achieved.
Lynch, L. (2001). Sustaining innovation Walt Disney instilled how. T&D, 55, 6, 44-50. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from EBSCO database University of Phoenix Apollo Library.
Since the company was started, Walt Disney has always envisioned more than just making animated movies. In 1952 the company made plans to build its first theme park known as Disneyland (Disney.com, 2011). With the opening of the park the Walt Disney Company initiated a growth strategy that would take them to the global entertainment company that they are known as today. In 1984 the company brought in a new CEO ...
The Walt Disney Company is the largest entertainment company in the world in terms of revenue. It was founded on October 16, 1923 by Walt Disney and his brother, Roy O. Disney. They started the company, The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, where they became the leader in the American animation industry and later working in live action film production, television and their world famous theme parks. Through different acquisitions, they have diversified and now do business in theater, radio, publishing, online media, music and own several television channels (Disney History Institute).