Pixar

Creativity INC

Part One:

Does Pixar have a distinctive competence? Yes, PIXAR and Creativity, INC. both follow Fearless Innovation, as a leading competence that has driven their success. He states in his book to “Fail Early, Fail Fast, and Fail Fearlessly”. Every time Catmull’s team failed early on, it prevented them from wasting time and putting more time into new opportunities. The success that Ed Catmull has brought his company is due to strategic planning. Distinctive competencies shape the strategies that PIXAR followed, which lead to competitive advantage and superior profitability. Innovation was fearless by trusting in teams or, by creating great teams of people, and moving them from project to project rather then

Great people lead to great ideas. “If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better (Catmull, 101)”. This policy is important to Pixar’s success by creating an unbeatable team. Time after time creating amazing films, the teams were able to not break under the pressure. This was not by accident. Pixar did not settle for less than they needed, they only hired the best of the best. This policy leads from great people to great ideas. Catmull stated, “Find, develop, and support good people, and they in turn will find, develop, and own good ideas (Catmull, 2).” Unlike other company’s that typically hire freelance for a single project just to drop the team for the next project. Pixar hired great people to work multiple projects, and entrusting in their

The company’s success was due to their fearless innovation, and their dedication to provide high quality family entertainment. Looking at the policies discussed earlier, Pixar’s management format could also work in industries where creativity is less central. An example would be the Performance Apparel Industry, and applying creative designs to attract a larger audience. Pixar’s use of Braintrust could be ideal for when analyzing a new line before its launch. An example Under Armor, uses star athletes are representatives of their line. A team could use the Braintrust method to identify good candidates for Under Armor. Also Braintrust can critic certain line launches before they are distributed to the public. That way, if a line/representative could be dropped before going to the public eye or given a contract. At Pixar, braintrust critique the story is being told while for Under Armor they can critique how a new apparel line will be perceived or a star athlete will represent their brand. This method may not necessarily need as much creativity, but it does resolve around honest insight in a trusted