Pixar

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Pixar is unique in its ability to turn small ideas into international million dollar hit movies. The way Pixar accomplishes this is through creativity. However to stay creative is a task in itself. Pixar has built a sustainable creative organization by: 1) Empowering everyone to be a leader, 2) Hosting a creative environment, and 3) Building a team of talented individuals. From the case study, “How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity,” these were the three main lessons I noted as being valuable in fostering creativity. Whether it’s creating a film about a young aspiring chef who happens to be a rat, or following an animated family with ‘incredible’ super powers on their journey to stop evil, Pixar has risen to be one of the most creative organizations on the planet.

In my opinion, in order to foster creativity everyone needs to be a leader in their own respect. I believe that by empowering people, you allow people to open up their minds and tap into their true potential. You allow people to think for themselves and come up with creative ideas that you would not have thought of by yourself. The reason for this is because everyone is different and thus thinks differently. Ed Catmull, Co-Founder of Pixar, mentions that the creative vision propelling each movie does not come from corporate executives or the developmental department. Instead, Pixar assembles several small incubation teams that consist of individuals from different backgrounds that come together and brainstorm a story board for a film. Each individual is empowered to submit their ideas to the team and is then offered constructive feedback on their ideas to determine feasibility. I believe that this is a sound way of inducing creativity because it allows everyone to bring value to the team.

Hosting a creative environment seems to play a big part in many of the top companies today. Catmull said his goal when creating Pixar was “to construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity.” After doing a quick google search, it is safe to say that Pixar has succeeded in building a creative wonderland. I believe that for a true creative to work at their best, they have to be in an environment that allows them to open their mind. Many of the top ideas were formulated outside of the typical office space. An example of this is Sir Isaac Newton’s realization of gravity. By going outside of his normal work environment, and sitting under a tree, the sight of a falling apple was the final step in solving the puzzle of gravity. If he was sitting in an office or cubicle he may have never thought of the solution to his problem. Another company, similar to Pixar, that prides themselves on fostering a creative environment is Google. Google offers their team members everything from free travel insurance to counseling to Nerf-Guns to play with at work to show that they genuinely care about their well-being. Furthermore, corporations like Google and Pixar do not believe in boundaries between departments. They allow open communication which I believe is crucial in sparking creativity. By removing barriers and creating a nurturing environment, creative people have the ability to set aside their worries and delve into thinking about the task at hand.