Decisions and Hierarchy

“Everyone must have the freedom to communicate with anyone. This means recognizing that the decision-making hierarchy and communication structure in organizations are two different things” 

This comes from Ed Catmull, the co-founder of Pixar. 

At Pixar, they open up early screenings of their movies to anyone in the company. Janitors, social media people, and receptionists can all watch Pixar movies while they’re still being developed and offer feedback. 

Looking at Pixar’s track record, I’d say this has worked pretty well. 

The difference between a decision-making hierarchy and a communication structure is massively important. People with decision-making power sometimes use that power to close off communication, making them feel more important. But smart leaders consider as much information as possible, even from unlikely sources, in order to make the best decision. 

The film industry is built on hierarchy, and since I’ve been producing more commercial work, I try to open up lines of communication with my team as quick as possible. As soon as my lighting and audio teams show up with their gear, I make sure to help them carry a few things in the door. If I do something helpful that isn’t my job, then when I need them to do something helpful that might not be their job in a crucial moment, they’ll step to it no problem. 

Egos bottleneck the creative process, and make content worse. Collaboration opens the door to the best creative possible. And everyone has a great time too.