Last
Friday, I had the privilege of getting a tour of Pixar Studios, the
company behind the movies Toy Story, Wall-E, and Cars. The campus is
based in Emeryville, California, near Oakland where I live. It's a
secluded little patch of green amidst a sea of overpasses, homeless
people and a Home Depot.
The company grounds are resplendent
with roses, soccer fields, a pool and all manner of fun things to keep
bodies and minds fresh. It's a refreshing workplace that made me wonder
if this is what Xerox Parc had been like back in the day.
At
Pixar, the whimsical and the fun are encouraged. The kid in every
employ is coaxed out through constant artistic renderings, radical
cubicle modifcations and a stimulating afterwork schedule of things to
do.
Of course, this is also the sort of workplace where people
spend days at a time, working their fingers to the bone to get movies
done in time for their theatrical release dates. It's also a company
that produces its own rendering and deisgn software, and has a history
of selling boxed products, such as Renderman and Typestyler. I actually
have a boxed copy of Typestyler.
With all of these different
folks smooshed together in this one magical place, it became clear to
me that the writers, artists, actors, directors and software developers
here all had something in common: they were all creative talents. Call
them no-collar workers.
I'm nnot exactly sure how they've done
it, but Pixar has fostered an environment where fun and hard work are
both acceptable. In fact, they're both mandated. It's more like a
college than a company.
Perhaps pulling out the beanbag chairs
and setting up the ping-pong table isn't enough. You must also get your
team into these acts of funness. Mandatory ping-pong tournaments, or
Friday beer-bashes might be on order. The Pixar folks seem to enjoy
these sorts of work-related activities. So much so that there are often
after-hours parties in work areas. Internal social interaction is good
for creative workers. Maybe it's not for the lawyers or accountants,
but when a team is trying to build something massive together, it can
only help to get everyone into the same psychic groove.
Oh, and it also helps to have good lunches made on campus every day. Tastey!