I had really hoped that the dismissal of Stockton would change some of the major issues facing Mattel. First, that would we dissolve the nightmare that is the NAD. The roles across every discipline are duplicitous-strat, finance, marketing. The organization does not work yet we are continuing to build it up while decreasing headcount in GBT. Product innovation anyone? Here's a reco for HR. Move all the stale GBT marketing people who haven't had an original thought in years to NAD and make sure you promote them all because they dress nice and drive fancy cars. Second, Mattel leadership continues to reward/promote bad behavior boys club and those who haven't added any value in years. the more complaints a director, sr. Director or VP has received through our awesome HR dept the more likely they will get promoted. HR views lack of leadership skills as managing your career. May Alan will add it to MATPICs this year. Third, invest more in consultants and strat planning. The ROI has been great! Mattel has probably paid as much to consultants as they did on the MGA debacle and look at all the great things that have resulted. The NAD, Project Propel, need I say more. And someone needs to let strat planning know that their strategies are not based on consumer needs and in general suck. But keep spitting out all those great decks which are just regurgitated information you received from the people actually doing the work. Mattel is not dead. There are still many smart talented people who can turn the biz around. All it would take is for Tim and Richard to buck the system. Promote people who are good leaders, willing to take chances and will infuse fun back into the culture. Who don't say the same lame Mattel jargon just to hear themselves talk and who don't constantly self promote. Sadly, I don't hold out much hope. If the movement from the last few weeks and months is any indication. It's business as usual which means more of the same.
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As long as there are multiple layers to GBT marketing and design and then multiple layers in NAD marketing (who don't talk to customer Marketing in sales, but why should they?) Mattel is screwed.
NAD should be combined with Sales Customer Marketing. You don't need that many people. Get rid of people who don't know marketing or are just not value added. Get rid of the shitty managers that have people fleeing the NAD like the plague. It's not that hard.
GBT - if you still need 4 layers of marketing and design to have a barbie meeting, you're doing it wrong...
Listen there are clowns in the office who have no people skills whatsoever but because they show their "type A" personalities upper management gets fooled into thinking that they're "go getters" and "result orientated" when in reality they cannot manage a team because most people on their team either quit, or transfer. Look at the piece of work in the ES NAD who has lost more people over the years and still continues to be looked upon as a value to the company. This is why I never leave the design center. I can't stand interacting with most of these clowns. I'm in the process of moving to Burbank. As awful as Disney is to work for it's got to be better run than this abortion of a company. Besides, ES is a slum.
Hah! I could of written that last line. Work your a$$ off to really try to make a difference and remove dead weight, and you find yourself pruned as those above you protect the "network" and are threatened.
I can speak from experience; when you try to speak the truth, it gets you laid off.
Nothing's going to change there and it's just going to get worse. Promote incompetent no talent kiss butt Designers but who how know how to present/talk to managers, then promote them to Directors, then to VP's. That the ticket, fail forward........That's exactly the MO there as I've seen it happen through the years which is why the Company is in the terrible state it's in now. If you're in the baked sweets/pie eating club you're in & protected even if you under perform. If you are talented, hard working, but not a bootlicker, just there to do the best job you can which is why you've survived you are viewed as a threat to the insanely insecure so called leaders there. It's so hard to believe so people on the outside don't believe but perhaps this blog will open some eyes but it won't make difference. The cancer is there, it's malignant, & it has spread company wide.