Army paying Disney $800,000 to help revamp attitudes at Walter Reed, required training

[babylonsister]

Trying Some Disney Attitude to Help Cure Walter Reed

By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 25, 2008; Page B01


Fifty medical workers -- doctors, nurses, therapists and administrators among them -- sat in a room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center gazing at a slide of Donald Duck on a screen.

The oft-cranky Disney cartoon character, wearing his blue sailor jacket and cap, was in a palpable rage. His webbed feet had lifted off the ground, his beak was gaping, and his white-gloved hands were tightly clutching an old-fashioned two-piece telephone.

"We can clearly see he's frustrated," said Kris Lafferty, a trainer for the Disney Institute who was leading workers at the Northwest Washington hospital last week in a four-hour seminar on customer service. "Why do we think he's frustrated?"

A year after a scandal erupted over the long-term treatment of soldiers at the hospital, the Army has turned to Disney for help. "Service, Disney Style" is newly required for all military and other government employees at Walter Reed.

Lafferty and her fellow Disney trainer, Mike Donnelly, handed out little plastic Goofy and Mickey Mouse figurines as they led Wednesday afternoon's discussion with the workers -- some in uniform, some in scrubs, some in civilian clothes.

more...:wtf:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022401993.html

[DainBramaged]

1. "Why do we think he's frustrated?"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[MilesColtrane]

8. Because he was ordered into an illegal, immoral, and unwinnable war...

...only to find on his return that the VA won't even spring for a pair of pants for him.

[DainBramaged]

14. I was talking about Donald Duck, and the absurdity of it all.

[MilesColtrane]

15. As was I, perhaps a little obliquely.

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Obviously the Army considers its workers to be mental age 2-8

I second the :wtf:

[havocmom]

3. Maybe Dise can just whip up some Stepford Employees for Walter Reed

Wanna get to the root of many problems in America? MARKETING. It's all marketing and no reality. All image and no substance. Managers who are so busy marketing and spinning they never really manage to get much done in the way of making sure their subordinates have what they need to do the work.

I'm havocmom, and I approve of this post.

[tanyev]

4. Some of the best trainers in the business.

[enlightenment]

6. Only for certain personality types.

Using cartoon characters and and phrases like "why do WE think . . ." would cause my brain to go into emergency lock-down, as I attempted to restrain myself from leaping over the table and strangling the "trainer." Condescending twits do not impress me at all, particularly when I am being forced to listen to them.

Some people find the process of "group think" attractive and positive, others do not. People who work in jobs that require them to self-motivate - i.e., who have to best decide how to get their jobs done rather than wait for someone to tell them how and when to do it - are not precisely the sort that are best served by this kind of "motivation."

These folks may be some of the best trainers in the business - but their business is not Walter Reed's business. What is good for the people who go to work for Disney (all areas) is not necessarily good for people who work in a field that is light-years from what Disney does (unless Disney has opened some hospitals and rehab centers lately).

[tanyev]

7. I was referring to Cruella De Ville.

And being sarcastic.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. Oh, I didn't think you were being sarcastic.

Having been through Disneyland on high-attendance days in 100+ heat and having enough baby stroller-to-ankle injuries to consider amputation, I'd bet there are people who work at Disney who really do know about this sort of thing.

[tanyev]

13. Oh, I'm sure they have their ruthlessly efficient yet still warm and fuzzy methods

of people management down pat, but I'd rather stick pins in myself than have to sit there and listen to it for four hours. That's just me; I hate going to training classes at my own job, too.

[enlightenment]

16. Ah. The hazards of misreading posts.

Many pardons! I thought perhaps you were a trainer of some sort (not necessarily a Disney person).

[tanyev]

20. No prob--sarcasm is difficult online.

Heck, lots of people don't "get" me even when we're face to face.

:toast:

[flor de jasmim]

5. After 911 Bush said we should all go to Disneyland...now he takes it to Walter Reed

Sounds like pretty coherent policy to me (SARCASM), but it's true that Disney has a strong training program so that everyone knows how to serve the customers.

[Rex]

9. We lose, because we continue to suck ass, goofy keychain anyone?

Donald said it best, 'fuck the government they will be the death of us all one day'.

[sakabatou]

11. "Oh, your beds haven't been changed in weeks?"

"Here, have a Mickey key-chain."

[dflprincess]

18. Actually the cleanliness thing is what makes me wonder how they're going to provide Disney service

It's been years since I went to DisneyWorld but how clean the place was, especially the bathrooms. Given the crowds they handle (though I was there on what's supposed to be one of the slowest weeks of the year) it seemed almost "magical" :evilgrin:

I know the Disney workers don't make much, but the company must spend quite a lot to keep up the park's appearance. The Pentagon may say they want to provide Disney service, but I doubt that they'll spend Disney money to do it.

[CabalPowered]

12. Why not just move them to Celebration for recovery

:eyes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration,_Florida

[Fire Walk With Me]

17. How about some Disney soup kitchens for all of the homeless Iraq vets?

It's said that 1/4 of homeless persons are veterans. Perhaps they'd feel better if people in Mickey costumes ladled out their food every day.

[AnnieBW]

19. They're making the wounded guys remove their pants?

[jmowreader]

21. Why Disney agreed to this, I'll never know

Walter Reed's biggest problem is that they've got enough money to properly care for x number of soldiers, but they're receiving twice to thrice that many. Which leads to broken facilities and broken morale on the part of the caregivers, which leads to broken care.

Now...the shit care will continue at Walter Reed, and it will damage Disney's brand. "Didn't Disney train these people? God, that training must suck and it's expensive as hell; why should I buy it for my company?"