The Disney Company & Michael Eisner

The Disney Company has had two charismatic leaders in its history: Walt Disney and Michael Eisner. Disney's tenure was followed by lackluster performance at the company after his death, and none of the executives at the organization possessed a personality strong enough to bring the company out of its malaise. It took an outsider, from the movie industry, to help the company not only regain its former glory, but move forward to become one of the largest entertainment companies in the United States.

Michael Eisner accomplished this change in the company through charismatic leadership; it remains to be seen whether he has provided the company with the transformational leadership necessary to see it into the next century.

The Disney Company, which was built on the strength of an animated mouse, has had two leaders in its history: Walt Disney and Michael Eisner. There were other executives who tended the company after Walt Disney's death in the mid-1960s, but the company foundered without a strong leader until Eisner took over in the mid-1980s. Both Disney and Eisner used transformational leadership to provide direction to the company, but it was Eisner who led the company out of the doldrums and helped to shape it into a media giant. This research examines the leadership style of Eisner, and the factors which contribute to his success at Disney.

Charismatic leadership, in which the personality of the leader provides the moti

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ience which, like his movies, did not challenge his visitors, but offered them a reassuring and consistent entertainment experience (Flower, 1991, p. 21). Disneyland, which opened in 1955, changed the amusement park business and set the stage for a transformation in the entertainment industry. Walt Disney combined the studio's movie productions with television promotion through the Wonderful World of Disney, which also promoted color television. The television show also showcased the Disneyland park as well as upcoming feature films. The park featured rides based on Disney's films, such as Peter Pan and Snow White, and the animated films themselves were rereleased every five to seven years in order to market to the newest group of children (which comprised the target audience for the films). The result was a symbiotic marketing program which gave way to merchandising (made popular with the Davy Crockett cap) and which continues to this day (Flower, 1991, p. 22). Walt's contribution to this innovative marketing program was significant. It was his vision (and Roy's handling of the finances) which provided the impetus for the innovation. Imagineers created unique rides (called attractions) for the Disney parks, and animators

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