Failure of Disneyland in France
...uropean people in advance before making decisions. Secondly, national cultural difference is deep-seated, having been laid down in early childhood socialization. It is absurd to think that exhortation could cause staff to change fundamental aspects of their identity and orientation to the world. Managers and staffs can behave and respond similarly in some respects, yet differ in many other respects. Common corporate culture can be commitment to learning, stronger belief in importance of both formal and informal communication or the commitment to quality of service. Besides common or standardized corporate culture, Disney should establish the sub-culture on top of it through discussion, understanding and sharing of knowledge between managers and staffs to get a compromise. On the other hand, local or expatriate managers can even gain experience from managers in other continents like Japan or executives of other multinational company (MNC) operated in France. As a result, if all parties have meaningful contributions towards new value and cultural systems, it should be more efficient and harmonized. Finally and to be most important, the French treated Disney as “cultural invader”, posing much threat to their culture and corrupt France’s prized national identity. It was evidenced by the dress code to be like an American, the intention to not following the labor laws and social rules, etc. Besides, there was nothing European about the theme park, not giving them a sense of belongings. Therefore, Disney should adapt to local culture and eliminate the sense of “invasion”, to meet deeper cultural values instead of simply matching cultural norms. It can be increasing more parks using European as main theme, decreasing language barriers with multilingual employees, fulfilling the labor requirements or making the park more French. American business leaders often assume that physical distance is the only gulf that needs to be bridged in international enterprise. Disney is just trying to duplicate the formula that has been successful in California, Florida and Tokyo without adaptability and flexibility, with a hope to standardize its organizational procedures. However, this clashed with the tendency present in French culture to protect its own. As a consequence, Disney executives adhered to American philosophies that they did not investigate all aspects of the European environment, especially culture. They should in fact comprehend the laws, traditions, ...