Organizational Readiness: Culturally Mediated Learning Through Disney Animation

Griffin, M.; Learmonth, M.; Piper, N.

Abstract

This article develops the notion of organizational readiness, a construct that describes the anticipatory expectations about future organizational life that children develop as they imbibe the cultural influences to which they are exposed. We conduct our analyses through an exploration of the depictions of work in Disney's 56 'Classic' feature-length animations (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs [1937] to Moana [2016]). We can, of course, make no direct cause and effect claims about the effects of the animations. However, we argue that Disney animations are likely to shape children's learning about organizations significantly. This is because the Disney animated canon regularly provides children with consistent and vivid impressions of the nature of working life; impressions that will have important implications for them, and the staff who teach them, when they eventually enter business schools as undergraduates.

Citation

Griffin, M., Learmonth, M., & Piper, N. (2018). Organizational Readiness: Culturally Mediated Learning Through Disney Animation. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 17(1), 4-23. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2016.0073

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 13, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Aug 24, 2017
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Aug 17, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 24, 2018
• Journal: Academy of Management Learning and Education
• Print ISSN: 1537-260X
• Electronic ISSN: 1944-9585
• Publisher: Academy of Management
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 4-23
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2016.0073
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1349576