Disney Diversity: A Fifth Key For Disney?
Will Diversity Join Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency?
It’s right there in the job description…
Disney’s four keys:
Key #1 – Safety. The Keys appear in a specific order to remind us that Safety must be the priority in every decision we take and must never be sacrificed for another key.
Key #2 – Courtesy. Because Cast Members play a major role in the magical Disneyland Paris experience, Courtesy must be at the heart of our contact with Guests as well as with colleagues and partners.
Key #3 – Show. It breathes life into the stories we tell our Guests. The Show Key also applies backstage, in offices and workshops, where each of us contributes, directly or indirectly, to the Guest experience.
Key #4 – Efficiency. By managing our activity efficiently, events run smoothly and we avoid unnecessary inconveniences for our Guests, colleagues, and professional partners.
The Key’s In Practice
The Disneyland Paris website explains:
Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency. Our Four Keys are an integral part of our professions across the Resort. Each Key is essential, and together they guarantee an exceptional Guest experience.
And, for those of us lucky enough to take in a Disney Institute course; well, they are basically tattooed on the inside of our eyelids.
But now, those of us living by those principles and Cast Members around the world might have another key to memorize (and live by).
Diversity.
A New Key?
The new chapter may have started here:
Below is a link to a statement we sent to our fellow @Disney employees. It's from Bob Chapek, our CEO, Latondra Newton, our Chief Diversity Officer, and me.
Thank you.https://t.co/R6ucJhv26p— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 31, 2020
The Disney leadership team wrote:
While we don’t have all the answers, we resolve to use our compassion, our creative ideas and our collective sense of humanity to ensure we are fostering a culture that acknowledges our people’s feelings and their pain. We also realize that now more than ever is the time for us all to further strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion everywhere… [and] we intend to focus our efforts and resources to compassionately and constructively talk about these matters openly and honestly as we seek solutions. We intend to keep the conversation going, not just today, but for as long as it takes to bring about real change… Bob Chapek, Bob Iger & Latondra Newton
Add Diversity To The List
And then, yesterday, this was posted:
DISNEY ADDED A 5TH KEY: INCLUSION. I LOVE IT pic.twitter.com/apSJ5UisCT
— jojo but spooky 🎃 (@sweetenerjodi) September 24, 2020
Now, there are a lot of skeptics. And Disney’s recent debacle in China speaks to some of the good reasoning behind that cynicism.
However, if you put Diversity solidly into the mix of Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency it creates a pretty good recipe for success in the Parks and beyond.