Section A - IV. IDENTIFY AND DISCUSS ANY TWO(2) REAL CASES (COMPANIES) THAT SUCCESSFULLY KEPT THEIR EMPLOYEES MOTIVATED. DREAMWORKS ANIMATION Figure (1) Logo that is displayed at the beginning of some of DreamWorks films. Section A - IV. (a) INTRODUCTION DreamWorks Animation is American entertainment company that focuses on producing animated movies, games, theme park animations and television shows. DreamWorks Animation is a sub division of DreamWorks SKG, a company founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen in California. (Robert Lewis, 2016) DreamWorks has managed to complete the production of many successful animations such as; “Spirit Riding Free”, “All Hail King Julien”, “The Adventures of Puss in Boots”, and The Emmy award titled series – “Troll Hunters””. (Universal Pictures, 2021) In this chapter, the effort displayed by DreamWorks Animation towards motivating their employees as one of the most successful animation companies will be discussed. The effect of motivation towards their employees is potentially seen as a significant factor in their success. Section A - IV. (b) DISCUSSION EARLY CAREER PROGRAMS As a constantly developing company that profits off of new ideas, trends and generally what people like watching on screen, DreamWorks Animation often recruit young, highly passionate individuals. DreamWorks Animation have put effort in many projects to immerse, tutor and prepare the talent for the next generation of storytellers, designers and creators to bring their animated characters and stories to life. Some of them are; DreamWorks Animation Internship Program, TV Story and Design Program, and Feature Animation Creative Production Program. (DreamWorks, 2021). These programs aim to motivate the confidence of young employees at the workplace. DreamWorks interns and trainees are given the chance to work with established professionals which directly links them to the actual work practices. The skill and experience gained would in turn motivate the employees by allowing them to dive deeper into professionalism and to make them comfortable working in their industry. A former DreamWorks trainee stated that it was an “amazing opportunity to learn from experienced directors and artists while on the job as well as enjoying field trips to stimulating workshops. It was an extremely rewarding, enriching experience.” (Dye, 2019) Her statement portrays how early career programs by DreamWorks Animation have an impact on motivating the future generation of their employees. CREATIVE CULTURE PRACTICES DreamWorks’ strategized to motivate employees by giving them an environment that makes spontaneous discussions seamlessly occur and allow room for risk taking in order to create brilliant ideas. DreamWorks motivates their employees to follow a self-driven workplace culture by offering perks aimed at reducing stress such as: a clinic, yoga, kickboxing classes and kitchens to keep employees comfortable. Movie screenings are also played to allow employees to attend and spend time with each other. Special locations such as Cabanas and picnic spots are also provided. All these initiatives were placed with the vision of producing brilliant ideas out of spontaneous conversations. This method also allows employees to seek out their own self of direction and enjoy work while on and off working hours. Dan Satterthwaite, DreamWorks Animation head of human resources stated that: “True innovation doesn’t happen in a conference room or in someone’s office, they happen in hallways or they happen outside. It’s the function of people running into each other that was really thought through in the layout of the campus.”. He explains that employees shouldn’t feel like they would be fired if they make a mistake because employees cannot exceed the highest levels of creativity in environment like that. (Henneman, 2012) DREAMWORK ANIMATION’S EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT As a company trying to optimize creative teamwork amongst their employees, DreamWorks does not just focus on the technical aspects such as programming and cloud computing but also on face-to-face meeting. This important engagement is believed by Dan Satterwhite – DreamWorks Head of HR, because in the era of technology and wireless communication, face to face interactions are considered very personal and critical to spawning creativity. To feel connected to the company and the people you work with, no matter what your role, is what motivates engagement between employees. In Maslow’s Heirarchy of needs, social needs are significant factor to keeping one motivated. The sense of belonging with an company would feed this need and increase motivation in employees working towards their goal. Employers are highly responsible to increase employee engagement from letting employees pitch ideas to letting them to fail to improve their craft. (Bruzesse, 2012) CONCLUSION Concluding this chapter, DreamWorks Animation shows a high level of focus on their employee’s energy and direction. They ensure employees are in an environment where they are free to be creative while allowing mistakes. Referring to Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, DreamWorks proves to be in the direction of optimizing employee satisfaction by motivating them and providing a comfortable environment where they are able to express themselves all while still allowing them to take risks and achieve their highest potentials possible. McGregor’s Theory Y is also practiced by DreamWorks’ management that maximizes the employee’s motivation through self-direction and enjoyment of the work environment. As a suggestion for improvement, DreamWorks animation should practice goalsetting and scheduled employee achievement acknowledgement sessions to further motivate their employees on reaching their goals. Compared to many other companies, it can be seen that DreamWorks uses a highly positive approach in employee engagement to gain positive feedback. REFERENCE BEAM – COMPANY THAT KEEPS THEIR EMPLOYEES MOTIVATED (REAL CASE) DREAMWORKS: Robert Lewis, 2016, DreamWorks Animation American company para 2, https://www.britannica.com/topic/DreamWorks-Animation) [Accessed 20 Feb 2021] Universal Pictures, 2021 (Official Website), https://www.universalpictures.com/leadershipteam/margiecohn#:~:text=Margie%20Cohn%20is%20President%20of,feature%20film%20and%20televis ion%20divisions [Accessed 20 Feb 2021] DreamWorks (Official Website), 2021, Early Career Programs, para 3 https://www.dreamworks.com/careers [Accessed 20 Feb 2021] DreamWorks (Official Website), 2021, DreamWorks Careers Early Careers at DreamWorks, para 6 https://www.dreamworks.com/careers/early-careers [Accessed 20 Feb 2021] T. Henneman, 2016, workforce - DreamWorks Animation Cultivates a Culture of Creativity, para 2-6 &14 https://www.workforce.com/news/dreamworks-animation-cultivates-a-cultureof-creativity [Accessed 21 Feb 2021] A. Bruzzese, 2012, Dreamworks is believer in every employee’s innovation, para 8-10 https://www.houmatoday.com/article/DA/20120719/News/608082575/HC [Accessed 22 Feb 2021]
