DIMG Memo and Org Structure

So by now most of you have probably seen the leaked memo put out by Steve Wadsworth the head of the newly created DIMG group.  If you haven't you can find it here.

So I whipped up a quick and dirty picture of what I think I can decipher from the new executive org chart and you can see it below.  I try to do this whenever I can, since TWDC is pretty protective of this type of information usually.  Just try to find an org chart on Google for any Disney LOB.  Hard! 

Besides, if I want to work there someday, it's good to know where the cards are.

The parts on the bottom left aren't really exact, as most of those folks are in a different business area focused around a regional area.  Some of them are specifically in Disney International, some are in other business units.  They no doubt serve as the internal 'voice of the customer and local marketplace trends' for the decision makers in multiple business units, not just DIMG. 

Likewise, I would expect that some of the people on the right are 'matrixed to' DIMG, vice working for them specifically.  For instance, Garry Randall no doubt is really in the HR organization functionally, but has internal customer responsibility for DIMG and the other affiliated HR folks assigned to DIMG.  DIMG no doubt pays for them too, they just have two bosses (one functional (HR) and one customer/project (DIMG)).

Likewise the memo lays out the general responsibilities for each LOB, which as Mr. Wadsworth notes in the memo directly, isn't all that far from where they are now.  It just gets everything digital related into one BU at the moment.

Interactive Studios:

• Games on console, PC, handhelds, and mobile gamers.
• Game development for the future

Disney Online

• Global web properties
• Virtual worlds development and ops (Toontown, PoC, etc.)
• Disney community and connectivity (domain management, global web site branding, etc.)

So as you can see, not too far from where they were before really. 

The last paragraph on the first page is the really only 'juicy bit' in the document beyond the above. 

"While we are moving to a more global structure, this does not remove the desire or willingness to develop local content. However, it does mean that these opportunities will now need to be balanced more directly with the global priorities of the DIMG organization. This is a step that I believe is critical for long-term success in the marketplace."

Warren Buffet once infamously wrote a brief blip that translated some overly difficult writing in a fund prospectus into what he called 'plain language'.  Here is my attempt at the same for the above quote:

"We MUST develop meaningful and useful content for our local markets, least we loose touch with what drives our brand and generates revenue in those places.  In the past we might not have managed these opportunities as well as we could have, so going forth we've put in place this new management structure to make sure we do a better job of watching out for our investment strategy.  We might still get it wrong but we will at least have had a plan and thought about it."

Good stuff, though I'm honestly surprised a little that being in a high tech part of the organization he still used a memo.  ;)

On that note, I'll be on vacation starting tomorrow, so I probably won't get around to updating the blog for better than a week or so.  Sure there will still be plenty to talk about when I return!

UPDATE:  Fixed a couple of typos and some sentence clarity.