The Pixar Way

"The core skill of innovators is error recovery, not failure avoidance." - Randy Nelson
(Taken from Learning and Working in the Collaborative Age: A New Model for the Workplace)Someone at Animation Mentor recently showed me this video clip of Pixar University's dean, Randy Nelson, giving a brief 10-minute talk to an audience. In it, he discusses new hiring methods and team collaborative tactics that are currently being used at innovative companies like Pixar. With numerous awards and worldwide respect from animators and audiences alike, Pixar's unconventional take on the workplace has garnered attention. At Pixar, the people behind the ideas are far more important than the ideas themselves.

"We've made the leap from an idea-centered business to a people-centered business. Instead of developing ideas, we develop people. Instead of investing in ideas, we invest in people."
-Randy Nelson
(Taken from the article "How Pixar Adds a New School of Thought to Disney")

Pixar has designed a culture of innovation in order to provide their employees with the opportunity to learn and grow as creative thinkers. At Pixar University, employees can improve their skill sets by taking classes on drawing, filmmaking, and even business management. A vital part of this learning process is being able to take risks, make mistakes, and trust that constructive feedback and collaborative teamwork will help to solve the challenges.

You can learn more about Pixar's workplace philosophy in these articles...
How Pixar Adds a New School of Thought to Disney
Innovation, Inc.
Wired: Welcome to Planet Pixar
Brainstorm Zone
Chris Spagnuolo's Blog: Pixar's Randy Nelson on Learning...
How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity