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  • December 2005 (Revised May 2014)
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Walt Disney and the 1941 Animators' Strike

By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony Mayo and Bridget Gurtler
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:24
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Abstract

Focuses on the leadership lessons drawn from the events precipitating the Animator's Strike of 1941, depicting the growing pains of a company that was as much formed and changed by American culture as American culture was formed and changed by it. The tale of Walt Disney's roller-coaster journey from small-town paperboy to underage ambulance-driving serviceman to amateur animator and thrice-failed businessman to iconic leader is told against the backdrop of swift and seeping change in the beginning of the 20th century. An ambitious creative genius, he masterfully pursued emerging technological advantage and uniquely grasped and personified American social mores, but was reckless and naive about strategic business issues, especially concerning intellectual property and human resources management. A rewritten version of an earlier case.

Keywords

Business History; Leadership; Creativity; Culture; Business Strategy; Technology Adoption

Citation

Nohria, Nitin, Anthony Mayo, and Bridget Gurtler. "Walt Disney and the 1941 Animators' Strike." Harvard Business School Case 406-076, December 2005. (Revised May 2014.)
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About The Authors

Nitin Nohria

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Anthony Mayo

Organizational Behavior
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Related Work

    • December 2005 (Revised May 2014)
    • Faculty Research

    Walt Disney and the 1941 Animators' Strike

    By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony Mayo and Bridget Gurtler
Related Work
  • Walt Disney and the 1941 Animators' Strike By: Nitin Nohria, Anthony Mayo and Bridget Gurtler
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