ABSTRACT
The death or departure of the founder of an organization always heralds a period of uncertainty and concern for those left behind (Schein, 1985). But the effect of the death of someone like Walt Disney, who was both a national institution and the fount of new ideas for the organization, was bound to be traumatic for the organization he created.1 Walt claimed that he was preparing for his departure by giving others ‘more responsibility’ and by ‘trying to organize them more strongly’ (de Roos, 1963:207). But the strategy did not result in anyone emerging as an obvious successor. In July 1967, a Forbes journalist wrote:
Walt, toward the end of his career, was encouraging others to take on more responsibility. He had given his seven top producers an opportunity to share financially in the success of their projects. He hoped that one of them would emerge as his clear successor. But it didn’t work. It couldn’t. As long as he was around, the force of his personality and his stormy insistence on perfection inhibited would-be successors from asserting themselves fully.
