Assignment 2

Q1. What problem is Geibel trying to solve? What factors, over time, have contributed to
creating this problem at Disney Animation?
Geibel, Director-Systems at Walt Disney Animation Studio along with Ron Johnson were
trying to solve the following challenges:
a. They want to break the conventional structured based set up of the company.
b. At present a typical hierarchy based system has been maintained in the company and
somehow they realized that in existing business environment did not need the same.
c. There is urgent need of transformation from manually creating cartoons to high tech
computation based format. How the existing team could be reorganized for its adaptation and
better performance?
d. How could the individualistic way of working formed over the years be broken and team
come together for a common aim of the organization?
e. How can the top down approach are replaced by team centric approach?
f. As the existing team is quite creative, how could framework be placed in order to give
platform to the employees so that best possible ideas be continuously encouraged, developed
and sustained?
g. How does an entrepreneurial mindset be infused in the team members to become
responsive for better performance?
h. How could available resources and knowhow be shared to bring about the top results for
the studio?
Q2. What is your assessment of the new team structure (new structure for Disney Animations
Systems Group)? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
Improved team structure was proposed and implemented since Geibel understood that the top
performance in a team was possible if the team comprised 2-6 members.

He introduced three tier based team concept as mentioned hereunder:

1. Team Lead: Within a team, team leads were designated on the basis of best potential
individual who had broader vision and knowhow of the related domain area. A team leader is
responsible for the day-to-day activities guiding a group of employees as they complete a
project. They are responsible for developing and implementing a timeline, which
their team will use to reach its end goal. Some of the ways team leaders ensure they reach
their goals is by delegating tasks to their members, including themselves. They usually spend
most of the time in setting up the priorities for achieving the overall objective of the
company/related project.

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 2. Primary Member: Within a team, primary members were the ones who were most
passionate a particular set of confronts. They owned the first and key responsibility towards
his/her team. They are the members with whom you guide your organization, department or a
project.
3. Secondary Member: Within a team, few of the primary members shares dual
responsibility i.e. of secondary member as well, where he/she could provide suggestions to a
different team altogether. However, their first responsibility was towards his/her team. In the
case, if there was certain knowledge they want to share to a different team in order enhance
the utilization/productivity of any different team in the greater interest of the organization.
They are allowed for doing so.
Q3. Can the teaming model be used in any organization? What are the requirements for the
teaming model to be successful?
Teams are the principal building blocks of the strategy of successful organizations. The focus
of your organization may be on service, quality, cost, value, speed, efficiency, performance,
or any other similar goals, but teams remain the central methodology of most organizations in
the private, non-profit, as well as government sectors.

The fact remains that when a team becomes more aligned, a commonality of direction
emerges, and the individual energies harmonize. This way there is a shared vision as well as
an understanding of how to complement each others’efforts.

It is important to familiar with the requirement of teaming model because the same may not
be successful in all the organization. Some organization will require hierarchal structure
wherein authority and span of control will be of primary importance for easing the risk.

Teaming model may not necessarily work in financial service sector, manufacturing sector,
Infrastructure sector and basically where the manpower is huge and on a higher risk. It may
work effectively in the case of startups where quick decisions may require with aggressive
market plans.

On the other side, organizations which are in creative and with high technology space will
require a teaming model. This is due to the factors of complexity involved in the ideas and
execution of the ideas cannot be solved while working in self mode but being approachable
and fast pace communication among the team members are there. Moreover, generation of
innovative ideas and creativity requires team in a smaller group which enable, the team
member to contribute to the objective of the team.

In the case of Disney team, they wish for environment wherein people abilities were utilized
in attaining common objective, faster decision making, new ideas generation, cross functional
communication. The same was provided by setting up the team.

Few of the important requirements for the successful teaming model are mentioned
hereunder:

1. Team must seated together to ensure clear and better communication.

2. Team size should be smaller in size i.e. 2 to 6 at the maximum

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 3. Able to recover fast from failures and modest interventions are required.

4. Where multi level reporting is required

5. Teams are formed for a specific purpose and where more collaboration is required

6. Where too much team monitoring is not required, teams are self drive and intervention is
required during the time of any obstruction in the performance.

7. Limited available resource and resources are flexible enough to make the contribution in
different department or unit.

8. Where the culture is highly dynamic and not constant.

9. Teams are passionate about their work and realizing the importance of their contribution in
attaining goals.

10. Given the team the reasonable independence on its operations.

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