Pixar stories and other insights on innovation from ‘Collective Genius’

Executives Bob Iger, Steve Jobs, and John Lasseter briefly even considered shutting down Disney Animation, Brandeau said, but decided they had to try to fix it to preserve an icon of the movie world.

It's no secret that they succeeded. Both studios of 700-800 people survived the merger, only about 10 people were let go, and Disney Animation endured to thrive again, eventually producing some of its biggest hits, including Zootopia and Frozen.

How did they do it?

Part of the magic was in their discovery of key differences in the way the two studios were organized and how people there were able to spontaneously interact (or not).

Pixar's success stories, and similar achievements in other industries (including pharmaceuticals, automotive, high-tech companies, and others) and geographies where innovation saved the day, are among those retold in Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, an award-winning book Brandeau reseached and co-wrote with Harvard Business School Professor Linda Hill and two others to discover and document the secrets behind organizations able to innovate again and again.

Their book is the foundation for a new interactive simulation and learning journey available from Advantage Performance Group through our thought leader partners at Paradox Strategies, a company Dr. Hill and Brandeau founded to apply their research in the corporate world.

During an exclusive preview of the Collective Genius simulation, Brandeau shared Pixar stories and participants got a taste of how their decisions as leaders can contribute to or reduce their chances for successful innovation.

In the Collective Genius simulation ...

In the Collective Genius simulation, leaders learn a framework for innovation that provides practical ways they can nurture an environment in which people are both willing and able to do the hard work that innovation requires, starting with shared values, a shared sense of purpose, and rules of engagement. They must also foster opportunities for teams to experience creative abrasion, creative agility, and creative resolution, the catalysts for innovation that are supported by 9 imperatives, while also navigating a continuum of paradoxes to both harness and unleash collective genius.

Watch our replay

Register below to immediately access the replay from our preview event hosted by Advantage strategist and senior partner Richard Hodge, who also teamed up with Paradox to lead the simulation design. Please note the replay does not include the decision scenarios discussed in breakout sessions, but an Advantage partner would be happy to walk through those with you if you are considering bringing Collective Genius to your organization.