Organizational Culture at Dreamworks Animation

<< Previous

Excerpts

The Spin-Off In late 2004, DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. was spun off from DreamWorks Studios SKG. Katzenberg became the CEO of the company and listed it on the New York Stock Exchange. Geffen and Spielberg continued with DreamWorks Studios SKG. Two animation movies 'Shrek 2' and 'Shark Tale' were released in 2004. 'Shrek 2' was a huge success and replaced 'Finding Nemo' to become the highest grossing animation movie worldwide...

During the inception, the founders of DreamWorks realized that the animation industry was very dynamic, that its success was dependent on the response of the audience, and that predicting their interests was almost impossible. The founders wanted DreamWorks to differentiate itself from its competitors through its creativity. They wanted to foster creativity by creating and harnessing a culture that generated engagement and collaboration that resulted in a sense of transparency. According to Satterthwaite, DreamWorks needed a culture where there would be constant anxiety." ...............

In 1996, the directors of DreamWorks planned to build an animation studio at Glendale, California. Steven Ehrlich (Ehrlich), the architect of the facility, said "What we're trying to do is create an environment that allows the artists, who are the heart and soul of this project, to come together and create." It accommodated about 1000 odd employees (animators). The DreamWorks facility at Glendale was spread across thirteen acres, and was adorned with water fountains, flowing streams, fishponds, stoned walkways, courtyards, landscaped gardens, a man-made waterfall, and streams and plantations. The architecture was Mediterranean-inspired. According to Ehrlich, "Jeffrey Katzenberg and his team envisioned an organic and naturalistic environment – a village for artists." ...

DreamWorks nurtured a sense of community among the workforce to make them feel connected to the organization. According to Satterthwaite, "One of the fantastic things about being part of the HR department at this company is having a CEO who sees the value in each employee." Satterthwaite was of the view that the culture helped employees to come up with creative stories, and also reduced stress........................

Individuals at DreamWorks were valued for their creative ideas which formed the base for an animation movie. Irrespective of the job responsibilities and designation, all the employees were encouraged to contribute ideas. People across all the designations with different skill sets were made to understand the creative process that went into making a movie............

Individuals at DreamWorks were valued for their creative ideas which formed the base for an animation movie. Irrespective of the job responsibilities and designation, all the employees were encouraged to contribute ideas. People across all the designations with different skill sets were made to understand the creative process that went into making a movie...........

Individuals at DreamWorks were valued for their creative ideas which formed the base for an animation movie. Irrespective of the job responsibilities and designation, all the employees were encouraged to contribute ideas. People across all the designations with different skill sets were made to understand the creative process that went into making a movie...............

Exhibit I:Fortune's Ranking '100 Best Companies to Work For'
Exhibit II: List of Animation Studios
Exhibit III:Dreamworks Animation Studios SKG
Exhibit IV: Financial's of Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc.
Exhibit V: List of Animated Movies of Dreamworks Animation
Exhibit VI: Dreamworks Stock Chart

---

Custom Search

---

Introduction to Human Resource Management Textbook Textbooks Collection	Introduction to Human Resource Management Workbooks Collection	Case Studies in Human Resource Management Volume V Case Study Volumes Collection