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PEPPERDINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION LAW JOURNAL
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largely be due to the fact that the Company has a long-standing training
program that every Disney CM undergoes.
108
All CMs participate in
Traditions, a “mix of company legend, behavioral guidelines, and psycho-
social bonding.”
109
Traditions begins with an explanation of Disney’s
corporate values and traditions, and proceeds to on-the-job training.
110
Through Traditions and the rest of the Disney University experience, CMs
learn Disney’s approach to serving the public and about preserving the
integrity of the WDW experience.
111
Cast Members are instructed to smile,
to make eye contact, and to seek out guests
112
in a manner Disney terms
“aggressively friendly.”
113
A CM who shows exceptional customer service
is rewarded with the title “Guest Service Fanatic.”
114
Ensuring that all CMs
are proficient in guest service is crucial for Disney because guests average
sixty CM contact opportunities while at WDW, and any of these
negotiations could be what a guest remembers after leaving the Resort.
115
An intriguing aspect of Disney’s training and CM guidelines is the
requirement that CMs display appropriate body language at all times.
116
108. This applies unilaterally to everyone employed at WDW; even the security officers are
recruited and trained by Disney. See supra text accompanying note 95.
109. WASKO, supra note 46, at 92 (internal quotations omitted).
110. CAPODAGLI & JACKSON, supra note 32, at 133-34.
111. See id.
112. WASKO, supra note 46, at 92. These guidelines are similar to those utilized by the airline
industry for their flight attendants. See ARLIE RUSSELL HOCHSCHILD, THE MANAGED HEART:
COMMERCIALIZATION OF HUMAN FEELING 95-97 (1983) (noting that flight attendants are instructed
to be outgoing, smile, make eye contact, have sincere and unaffected facial expressions, and project
a friendly personality). Further parallels between the work performed by flight attendants and CMs
are discussed infra.
113. CONNELLAN, supra note 64, at 40 (internal quotations omitted). Being aggressively
friendly involves stopping whatever the CM is doing and helping a guest in any way possible. Id.
114. WASKO, supra note 46, at 93 (citing literature distributed by the Walt Disney Company).
Four main elements contribute to the making of a Guest Service Fanatic: (1) Service (making eye
contact, smiling, exceeding guest expectations, seeking out guest contact, greeting every guest,
giving outstanding quality service, and maintaining a high personal standard of quality in one’s
work); (2) Teamwork (going beyond the call of duty, displaying a strong team initiative,
communicating actively with guests and fellow CMs, and preserving the “magical” guest
experience); (3) Attitude (giving 100% performance, being extremely courteous and friendly,
exemplifying the Disney Look, thanking every guest, and maintaining appropriate body language);
and (4) Recovery (providing immediate service recovery, aggressively seeking opportunities to
satisfy guests fully, solving guests’ problems before guests become dissatisfied, demonstrating
patience and honesty in handling complaints, and preserving the integrity of the show). Id. See infra
Appendix A; see also infra Appendix C.
115. CONNELLAN, supra note 64, at 41.
116. WASKO, supra note 46, at 92, 93.