Austin Carr wrote a fascinating piece in Fast Company about the behind the scenes struggles to implement Disney's MagicBand at Disney World. It details the infighting and politics at one of the most revered brands in the world. The MagicBand is a new innovation to Disney Theme Parks (only at the Orlando Disney World Theme Park at this time) which brings NFC technology to life in a 40 year old product. The ideas behind the MagicBand were well thought out and they were trying to solve real problems at Disney World, but they couldn't deliver on the entire dream and it proves that Customer Experience is a cultural change more than an initiative which I have been writing about for a few weeks now.
The article is very in depth and I think points out a few mistakes in launching an initiative this grandiose. The main point it proves is how hard it is to change a culture when it comes to customer experience, because so many people in the organization want to eep their points of power rather than thinking of the customer. It is human nature to be scared of technology that may serve the customer better, it puts people in a defensive mode. Even when a company as big as Disney commits $1 Billion to the initiative, without the cultural change it makes it near impossible to create magic.
Dream Big, Implement in Stages
The dream was large for the Next Generation Experience (NGE) team at Disney. They wanted to solve the real world problems that were influencing customer satisfaction at the park. Long lines, juggling multiple pieces of paper and keys were bringing down an experience that is supposed to be one of enjoyment. One of the main issues is they were trying to bite off more than they could chew with their implementation. At one point they were trying to change the airport arrival and had meetings with TSA on airport security procedures. I understand controlling the entire experience, something Steve Jobs has taught all of us, but at some point these types of distractions take away from the big picture, which is implementing and iterating.
The biggest problems Disney was trying to solve was long lines and handling of multiple items (tickets, Fast Pass tickets, money, hotel room keys, etc.). The team was 2 years late delivering on their initiative because they forgot what the main goal of the project was. The team was distracted with all the technology could do, instead of solving the immediate problems and then iterating on the technology to enhance other experiences. Always handle the low hanging fruit first, then iterate to enhance the next set of opportunities.
Keep the Team Small for as Long as Possible
Once the team grows to include more people to implement, projects start spinning out of control. Change is very hard for people and they will fight it especially when it comes to areas they control within an organization. Because the plan was growing larger than solving the immediate problems, more people from the organization had to be brought in which slowed the project down to a crawl. The leaders of the areas being affected wanted control and they wanted a say in the development of the technology. Embrace the leaders of the areas that will be affected and make sure they are represented on the early small team. If they embrace the change and feel they had a part in the development, they will get the troops aligned once implantation begins.
Clearly Articulate Goals
The goals of the initiative in my eyes were to enhance the customer experience at the theme park. What happens in these large initiatives is the organization gets hung up on the technology instead of what the technology is trying to help solve. Technology in and of itself is worthless, unless used for a purpose to solve a real world problem that cannot be solved another way more efficiently. NFC technology in a bracelet does not solve any problems by itself, it is the implantation of this technology that is the magic. Always keep the goals, which is enhancing the customer experience in this case, front and center. Never start from the technology and work backwards, start from the problem and work forward to how the technology can help solve the problem.
I am fascinated how organizations behave. Each culture is very different, but they all tend to have the same issues. The bigger the organization becomes, the harder it is to accomplish innovative change. Politics and human ego can be the death of innovation. The Disney project succeeded through sheer will to get it done, but proves that even throwing money at something doesn't guarantee success. The culture of the company has to be customer-centric before it can solve the problems of the customer.