Established in 1979, Pixar, also going by the name Pixar Animation Studios began as the Graphics Group, which was then part of a bigger firm referred to as the Lucasfilm computer division. Later, in 1986, Graphics group separated from its parent company with funding from Steve Jobs, the owner of Apple Inc.; he became the majority shareholder in the firm. Later in the year 2006, Disney acquired Pixar, making Steve Jobs Disney's largest lone shareholder then (Catmull et al. , 2015). Pixar is popularly known for computer-generated imagery, one of its initial productions in the market was Toy Story in 1995 (Catmull et al. , 2015). After Pixar was purchased by Disney, fears arose that the company would lose its culture to that of Disney, but this was not the case. Despite the fears, by 2009 Pixar continued to excel, having won numerous awards in various categories (Purkayastha, 2009). Since the establishment of Pixar, its organizational culture was distinct compared to other firms based on a work-friendly environment for all its employees. The success of this culture can be attributed to Pixar University. This paper examines how Pixar University has contributed to the culture at Pixar and the benefits of internal employee training.
According to Pixar’s culture, each successful production story is as a result of teamwork and collaboration as opposed to individual work. Pixar believes in bringing together both the technical and artistic aspects of individual employees for success in production. In addition to the teamwork aspect of production, Pixar offers an in-house or internal training program for all its employees through the Pixar University (Purkayastha, 2009). Initiated in 1997, the Pixar University program is a combination of workshops, classes, events and daily courses at Pixar. The program is open to all employees and enables them to pool together their various abilities and collaborate to be able to meet deadlines for assigned projects. According to the dean of Pixar University program, going through the program is an equivalent of possessing an undergraduate degree in filmmaking and arts (Purkayastha, 2009). By the year 2006, the Pixar University program had more than 110 diverse courses for the employees.
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With the employees being allowed to take at least six of the offered courses annually, the program is extremely effective and was considered as one of the biggest achievements by the company (Purkayastha, 2009). Just like at Pixar, internal employee training programs are known to be very effective with numerous benefits for corporations that practice them. Training employees internally is beneficial for both the employer and the employees as compared to training employees away from their workplace (Heathfield, 2016).
To begin with, internal training courses are custom made to suit the requirements of the employer, and this saves companies time while recruiting since they just have to pick employees depending on the training they have offered them and match them to their various tasks (Heathfield, 2016). The company can also design the programs in such a way that they are tailor-made towards the company’s exact requirements. In addition, these training programs are cost saving for the company since it is cheaper to offer centralized training for all employees, compared to sending out employees individually to get trained. Furthermore, employers can control the training schedules in such a way that they don’t interfere with the daily operations (Internal Training Pros and Cons, 2016).
For the employees, internal training programs ensure that they get hands on training and are trained at tasks that are relevant to their career paths. Furthermore, getting trained at the same place you work enables the employees to save time and costs, such as travel costs to training centers (Internal Training Pros and Cons, 2016). Internal training programs also encourage socializing and interaction of employees during training. This type of interaction enables them to know each other in terms of their weaknesses and abilities, which is crucial for developing team spirit and teamwork.
As stated at the beginning of this paper Pixar University is an important part of the working culture at Pixar. The training program has played a huge role in developing creativity and innovation among the employees at Pixar. Through the program, all employees, including the artistic and technical ones, are brought together under one roof during training. Engagement in common activities enables the employees to interact at various levels, getting them to know and get comfortable with each other. This process enables them to build confidence and have the courage to take various risks that are vital for them to develop their creativity (Purkayastha, 2009).Though encouraging risk-taking, the Pixar University program creates an atmosphere where failure is appreciated, through appreciating failure eventually a great idea is developed (Catmull et al. , 2015).
The program also encourages communication without fear of discrimination. Through this, the program is able to provide a constant flow of creative ideas from all employees, which eventually when brought together can be developed into something amazing (Catmull et al. , 2015). Through the program, employees get to interact with each other even from top-level employees whom they do not get to meet in ordinary situations. Through this, ideas are brought together without any fear, which helps to grow creativity and innovation. In addition, these interactions build the morale of the employees, giving them a sense of belonging and morale to perform their duties (Catmull et al. , 2015). The program also trains the employees on how to receive feedback, both positive and negative. Most people are afraid to bring forward new ideas or developments in fear of negative feedback from other employees or their seniors. In an atmosphere where people are not afraid to share ideas, numerous ideas are availed and this enables the employees to get help from fellow employees in polishing and developing these ideas (Catmull et al. , 2015).
The Pixar University program also enables employees with different expertise to interact and share knowledge and views in developing ideas. This helps to grow ideas by involving people from all ranks in the company and enables an optimal combination of small details from different people with different views to come up with the best combination of the final product (Catmull et al. , 2015). In summary, through Pixar University, creativity and innovation are developed by encouraging teamwork and collaboration, appreciating failure, encouraging communication and feedback and in general, making the working environment-friendly (Catmull et al. , 2015).
However, the Pixar University program is different from the Hollywood system. In the Hollywood system, everyone is out to take care of their own personal interest, unlike the Pixar program where team members cooperate with each other in the production system. Through teamwork and involving everyone in the creative process, more ideas are generated and developed through different views, opinions and expertise, which leads to quality productions and evidently the success of Pixar. Thus, in conclusion, the training offered at Pixar University plays a huge role in developing the working culture at Pixar and eventually its success.
References
Catmull, Ed, Wallace, & Amy. (2015). Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration . New York: Random House Inc.
Heathfield, S. M. (2016, October 13). Training Employees In-house Has Powerful Advantages. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from https://www.thebalance.com/tap-the-power-of-internal-training-1919298
Internal Training Pros and Cons. (2016, March 30). Retrieved September 26, 2017, from https://www.findcourses.co.uk/inspiration/hr-learning-development-articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-internal-training-10131
Purkayastha, D. (2009). Pixar University: A Distinctive Aspect of Pixar's Organizational Culture and Innovation . ICMR Center for Management Research.
