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• Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | January 2017

  Teaming at Disney Animation

  Amy C. Edmondson, David Ager and Emily Harburg

  Citation:

  Edmondson, Amy C., David Ager, and Emily Harburg. "Teaming at Disney Animation." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 617-036, January 2017.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2014 (Revised May 2015)

  Teaming at Disney Animation

  Amy C. Edmondson, David L. Ager, Emily Harburg and Natalie Bartlett

  Jonathan Geibel, Director of Systems at Walt Disney Animation Studios (hereafter referred to as Disney Animation), walked through the workspace occupied by the group he had been tasked to lead. Geibel knew he was part of a creative and magical environment. The Disney studio had created more than 53 feature animated films in over three-quarters of a century—beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937 through to Frozen, released in November of 2013 and awarded the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature in March 2014, the first Academy Award® in that category for Walt Disney Animation Studios. In late March 2014, Frozen became the highest-grossing animated feature, worldwide, of all time. There was a period in the history of the 90 year-old studio, not so many years ago (and prior to John Lasseter and Ed Catmull's leadership), when Walt Disney Animation Studios had become more structured and hierarchical, and it wasn't always easy to work across departments to innovate. Yet the work, which involved both high-tech computer animation and creative storytelling, was more cross-disciplinary and dynamic than ever. Geibel wondered what he and Ron Johnson, whom he hired and teamed up with to re-envision the Systems group within Disney Animation, could do to improve the flow and the efficiency of the organization's increasingly technical and creative work. Geibel and Johnson had already made dramatic changes in the work structure and in the physical space to promote the effective teamwork that was so essential to producing compelling, engaging animated films. Now it was time to figure out how well the changes were working, and what further changes, if any, were necessary.

  Keywords: Leading Change; Creativity; Organizational Structure; Animation Entertainment; Organizational Culture; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States;

  Citation:

  Edmondson, Amy C., David L. Ager, Emily Harburg, and Natalie Bartlett. "Teaming at Disney Animation." Harvard Business School Case 615-023, August 2014. (Revised May 2015.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2013 (Revised April 2014)

  Trader Joe's

  David L. Ager and Michael A. Roberto

  Based on a variety of metrics, Trader Joe's ranked as one of the most successful grocers in the United States in 2013. Experts estimated that the company had the highest sales per square foot of any major grocery chain, even significantly higher than top performer Whole Foods. In 2013, Trader Joe's faced several threats as larger chains such as Wal-Mart and Tesco had begun to open small-format stores that mimicked the Trader Joe's approach. In addition some analysts had begun to question whether Trader Joe's was losing its authenticity and "quirky cool" as the firm had continued to grow and expand across the country. What should Trader Joe's do to ensure continued growth?

  Keywords: competitive advantage; competitive strategy; core competencies; growth strategy; strategic positioning; industry analysis; organizational culture; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Organizational Culture; Growth and Development Strategy; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; United States;

  Citation:

  Ager, David L., and Michael A. Roberto. "Trader Joe's." Harvard Business School Case 714-419, September 2013. (Revised April 2014.)  View Details

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