A Bug’s Life; Toy Story 2; Monsters, Inc.; Finding Nemo; The Incredibles; Cars; Ratatouille…What’s behind Pixar’s success and hit movies? The formula calls for the right talent, a nurturing environment, and management’s ability to recover from a fall.
“Smart people are more important than good ideas.”
John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Pixar
Operating principles for innovation:
Everyone must have the freedom to communicate with anyone.
Any member from any department should have the freedom to communicate their idea directly to the source without having to go through the “proper” channels.
It must be safe for everyone to offer ideas.
Everyone in the company is encouraged to share their feedback with the creative leaders through e-mail notes that explain in detail “what they liked and didn’t like and explain why.”
We must stay close to innovations happening in the academic community.
Do not keep innovations secret. Publish and share them with the academic community in order to attract great talent and “reinforce the belief throughout the company that people are more important than ideas.”
Tips: Start Pixar’s Approach in Your Office
The brain trust. Otherwise known as your A-team, the brain trust convenes when your team runs into an obstacle and needs expert advice in order to get past the hurdle. A two-hour consultation with the brain trust yields discussion, guidance, and advice on a given problem. The brain trust has no authority over the final outcome, and their sole purpose is sharing expert opinions.
The dailies. On a daily basis, people share their creative work—in an incomplete state—to receive everyone’s feedback. Team members can learn from each other and gain inspiration.
|
