... In one thread!!! How does he do it?
Landbaron, well if we're misunderstanding each other, then we better set each other straight, because we nearly had a tiff there and I'd rather understand and be proven wrong then not understand (or not be understood)
Not at all, my friend YoHo!! We could never have a tiff! A spat perhaps. A heated word here or there. But never, never a tiff! Truth be told I was leaving work, looking forward to an hour or so on the Kennedy and you mentioned my friendly adversary bicker. So with what struck me as appropriate humor, I tried to answer like he would. I think I succeeded.
Anyway, now that I am home I have a little time. So, lets look at the issue in question. Someone posed the concept, What was important to Walt vs. what was important to Ei$ner.
I have no idea about Ei$ner, but I think I know enough about Walt to further the theory that the following four items were at least important enough to him to be included (even prominent) in Traditions. They are (in order):
1- Safety
2- Courtesy
3- SHOW
4- Efficiency
Now, my only point was that Walt specifically arranged those four in that particular order. Why? Because lets face it, if someone was about to lose life or limb at WDW, Efficiency goes right out the window. So does the SHOW and courtesy! And there may be times when courtesy is simply the better option over keeping up the pretense of the SHOW. In other words, the SHOW, for example, is the most important thing at WDW, except when it comes to being courteous or when it involves safety. Still with me?
Now. To me, taking the above paragraph and the four tenets in their particular order, logic dictates that the same must hold true for #4. That is to say that Disney must maintain the most efficient operation possible. UNLESS that efficiency interferes with the previous three! (Asimovs three rules of robotics!! A hierarchy kind of thing.) Lets leave the realistic and specific examples out of it. I get sidetracked easily and we start arguing the particulars rather than the concept. So, generally speaking, anything that furthers high efficiency is very welcome within the Disney organization. Most of your examples are perfect within that context. And (this is the really important bit) in so far as they really compliment the previous law (for lack of a better word) and dont affect the first two at all, they are accepted with opened arms by the Walt philosophy. HOWEVER, there are certain aspects of business efficiency and day-to-day operations of a theme park that might not be so lucky.
Common sense tells you that you cant mess with safety, so its taken for granted. But suppose it was found that by rerouting the cue for Splash Mountain you could save the company mega-bucks and cut the wait time down for the guest to less than half (I dont know how just bear with me). But in order to accomplish this, the guest would have to walk though the flume at the load area, between the boats!! (DONT ASK, its supposed to be preposterous!) Anyway, that wouldnt work would it? Why? (I mean other than common sense.) Well, its not very courteous to have the guests legs get soaked trudging through knee-deep water. And after the first few guests crossed over, the inevitable bone crushing accident would occur shutting the ride down for at least an hour!!!
Im just saying that the first two tenets, most of the time, are so apparent, so taken for granted, that we instinctively avoid any conflict with them. (That's why the example had to be outlandish). The SHOW is a much more gray area. And efficiency can definitely mean what you referred to. And as far as most of your examples are concerned, they go hand in hand with the previous three tenets. But efficiency can and often does (just ask bicker) involve costs, value and profits. And according the four laws of Disneydom this fourth law is very important. Out of all the words in the dictionary only four are listed. And efficiency is included among them. It seems they like efficiency very, very much. Very important to Walt and very important to the company. But not as important as Safety. Not as important as courtesy. And not as important as the SHOW!!
One final thought. I wrote the piece about what we buy from Disney after you put me on the scent. I think it adequately describes just what the product of Disney is. Therefore, NOTHING should interfere with the delivery of that product (except of course the first two). It comes before EVERYTHING (except of course the first two). That, in a nutshell, is the Walt philosophy Im always on about. The SHOW is the most important thing they have to offer (except of course the first two). Now that the SHOW knows its proper place. Its time that efficiency learned its place as well. Ei$ner has let it go before SHOW way too often lately.!!
Am I a little clearer?
