The Walt Disney World corporation is known for succeeding in all areas of guest relations. As the world’s most reputable company, they manage to maintain and excel in guest satisfaction. In the past four months, I was able to see first hand how the company operates to keep a high profile reputation. Through my Corporate Communications class taught by a Disney cast member, I was able to learn theories and see how they are used in the work force.
Through internal and external communication, methods of communication flow, and involvement in corporate social responsibility, the Walt Disney World company strives in brand management. While being at a cast member at Disney World, I experienced the company’s use of both internal and external communication. Internal communication is all methods used by a business to communicate with its employees (Cornelissen 130). The company uses the intranet as an internal computer network for all employees.
The website is called, “The Hub” and deals with situations ranging from work to personal and also articles pertaining to the company. On a typical day, a cast member would log onto the hub to see where they are working, when they are working, and what costume they will require for working in this area. Cast Members will also use the hub to request days off, view their record card, see discounts, and also can send other cast members appreciative emails of good work that they may have witnessed.
This is an example of an intranet because it is a private company website indicated only for cast members in Walt Disney World and Disney Land parks and resorts. There are different types of upward, downward, and horizontal communication flows evident in any workplace. While working in main entrance operations at Magic Kingdom, I was able to see how their management team works in this certain department. Downward communication consists of electronic and verbal methods of informing employees about their organization, their performance, and their own contribution and performance.
It involves the, “information flowing from the top of the organization management hierarchy and telling people in the organization what is important (mission) and what is valued (policies)” (Andrews and Herschel 165). In my operations department, the management ranking goes from leaders, coordinators, trainers, full time, part time, and then college program cast members. Leaders are in charge of the department, and have little to no interaction to cast members, unless they are in troubles. They are the one’s making new rules and enforcing old ones.
Coordinators are the cast members that are present during all shifts, and are the ones in charge of making sure the area is running efficiently. If there were a new rule to be enforced, it would be the leaders telling the coordinators, who would then tell the trainers. It is the trainers responsibility to learn this new rule, and then inform the rest of the cast members of this new rule. This shows the principal of downward communication because general and specific information is being moved from the of management downward to the other cast members involved.
Upward communication is used regularly within the Walt Disney Company. The company prides itself of the satisfaction of not only the guests, but also their employees. Throughout the entire park in each location, there are many suggestion boxes and also “near misses”. A near miss is a card a cast member can write about an accident that almost occurred. The point of this card is for management to see what is and what is not working in an area, in order for them to improve the working situation. This is the idea of upward communication because it is feedback and suggestions that can be reported to higher management.
In my area, the use of horizontal communication is present when cast members are using each others knowledge or training for problem solving, task coordination, or conflict resolution. Corporate social responsibility is defined as actions that are not purely financial implications, and are expected of an organization by society (Cornelissen 255). Disney is a very successful and financially stable company, which allows them to help improve the quality of life of the workforce, their families, and also the community.
CSR typically consists of economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibility in a company (Gabriela 1245). The Walt Disney Corporation has the goal and promise of, “continuing commitment to be among the most admired companies in the world – a recognition of both the integrity of our people and the quality of our entertainment experiences. This guides our actions as a company and our efforts to promote the happiness and well-being of kids and families by inspiring them to join us in creating a brighter tomorrow.
With that being said, they are very active in community relations through partnerships, volunteering and philanthropy. Some of the partnerships that Disney is involved with are Give Kids the World, United Way, Boys and Girls Club, and Heroes work Here. As a college program cast member, we are required to “VoluntEAR,” which allows us to volunteer at Give Kids the World, which is a nonprofit in Florida that gives kids with life threatening illnesses and their families a cost-free weeklong vacation filled with fantasies and attractions.
As well as volunteering, Disney also hosts food and gift drives for the holiday season. The benefits of being a company known for positive community relations is guest loyalty, employee morale, positive reputation, and it also attracts employees who are aligned with he company’s values. This semester I was able to learn a lot about myself as a student, and someone who will be entering the work force soon.
Working at a company who has such high and strong xpectations of their cast members has allowed me to adopt these similar expectations for myself as a student and also an employee. I enjoyed learning communication theories from my teacher because she has been a cast member for over twentyfive years now. Being a more visual learner, this allowed me to learn different theories and principals, and directly see how they are used in our company. I am very grateful for the experience and also the opportunity to learn and work for such a high profile company.
