Rounding out our case study series, let’s take a look at Pixar and Belief-Behavior Conversations (what I have often referred to as the Deep Ocean of Belief and Behavior).
Pixar Animation Studios, renowned for producing beloved films like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, thrives in a highly creative, collaborative environment. Yet even the most innovative teams face challenges. During the production of Toy Story 2, Pixar encountered significant tension and communication breakdowns. The pressure to meet tight deadlines while maintaining the studio’s high-quality standards led to frustration, misalignment, and resentment among team members.
Leadership quickly realized that these tensions ran deeper than just missed deadlines or personality clashes. They stemmed from underlying beliefs about roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Simple behavior corrections were not enough. To effectively address these issues, Pixar’s leadership introduced belief-behavior conversations, a communication strategy that focuses on uncovering and shifting the core beliefs driving problematic behaviors.
Belief-behavior conversations, as we discussed in our e-book: Revitalize and Retain Staff, aim to address the root causes behind actions, rather than merely correcting surface-level behavior. Pixar’s leadership used this approach to facilitate open, meaningful dialogues, helping the team uncover the underlying beliefs fueling their actions. Once these beliefs were identified, leaders guided team members toward reframing them, creating lasting behavioral change.
Here’s how Pixar effectively applied belief-behavior conversations during Toy Story 2's production to foster a more collaborative environment:
1. Uncovering Core Beliefs
Leaders initiated both one-on-one and team discussions, encouraging employees to openly express their frustrations. These conversations revealed that many employees felt unheard and undervalued.
Junior team members believed their creative input was being dismissed, which led to disengagement and decreased motivation.
Senior team members felt they were carrying most of the workload, leading to frustration, burnout, and resentment.
These underlying beliefs drove behaviors such as withdrawing from collaboration, poor communication, and increased tension between team members.
2. Connecting Beliefs to Behaviors
Once these beliefs were uncovered, Pixar’s leaders helped the team connect those beliefs to the negative behaviors they were exhibiting.
For example:
The belief, “My ideas don’t matter,” led junior members to disengage from creative discussions.
The belief, “I’m the only one who can fix this,” caused senior members to micromanage tasks, adding stress and stifling collaboration.
By helping employees see the connection between their internal beliefs and their external behaviors, leadership made the team more self-aware of how their thoughts were shaping their actions.
3. Shifting Limiting Beliefs
With the connection between beliefs and behaviors established, leaders facilitated conversations to challenge and reframe limiting beliefs.
For instance:
Junior members were asked to adopt the belief that, “Everyone’s contribution is valuable.”
Senior members were encouraged to believe that, “Delegating empowers others and lightens my load.”
This mental shift empowered junior employees to actively participate in creative discussions, while senior team members felt more comfortable delegating tasks. The result was a more balanced, engaged, and collaborative environment.
4. Establishing New Behaviors
As beliefs shifted, behaviors naturally followed.
Senior members became more open to feedback and allowed junior members to take ownership of tasks.
Junior members grew more proactive in contributing to projects, knowing their ideas would be heard and valued.
To support these new behaviors, Pixar instituted regular feedback sessions where team members could raise concerns early, preventing small issues from escalating. Leadership also emphasized the importance of clear communication and mutual respect to embed these behaviors into the team’s culture.
The Results: A More Collaborative and Creative Culture
By addressing the beliefs driving problematic behaviors, Pixar dramatically improved team dynamics during the production of Toy Story 2. The result was a more collaborative and supportive work environment where everyone felt heard and valued. This shift not only boosted morale but also unlocked greater creativity, allowing the team to meet their production deadlines while maintaining Pixar’s high standards.
The benefits of belief-behavior conversations extended beyond the immediate project. Pixar developed a culture of open communication and early conflict resolution, fostering better collaboration across future projects.
Consistent Innovation: Teams felt empowered to explore new ideas, resulting in groundbreaking films that captivated audiences worldwide.
Leadership Development: Employees grew more comfortable giving and receiving feedback, strengthening the studio’s leadership pipeline.
Improved Retention: A culture that valued collaboration and mutual respect kept employees engaged and motivated, reducing turnover.
This communication strategy became a cornerstone of Pixar’s creative process, contributing to its long-standing reputation for producing critically acclaimed films.
Pixar’s use of belief-behavior conversations offers a valuable lesson for any organization: To foster a thriving, collaborative culture, you must address the beliefs beneath the behaviors. This strategy doesn’t just resolve immediate conflicts—it builds a foundation for long-term success.
By shifting mindsets and establishing healthier behaviors, Pixar created an environment where employees felt valued, empowered, and inspired to do their best work. The result was not just a smoother production process but also a creative culture that has kept Pixar at the forefront of the film industry for decades.
