Notes Day: Company-Wide Collective Problem Solving
Halt production for a day so every employee can propose solutions to real problems
Notes Day was Pixar's response to a convergence of three crises: rising production costs, external economic pressure, and the discovery that too many employees were self-censoring. Catmull recognized that no single big idea would solve these interconnected problems, so instead of imposing top-down solutions, Pixar shut down production for an entire day and invited every employee to participate in structured problem-solving sessions.
The premise was radical: halt all revenue-generating work and trust that the collective intelligence of 1,200 employees, when given permission and structure, would generate better solutions than leadership alone could devise. Employees at every level proposed session topics, facilitated discussions, and generated actionable recommendations. The event itself was a powerful signal that leadership genuinely valued input from everywhere.
Notes Day worked because it was built on the foundation of Pixar's existing cultural principles: candor, ownership, and the belief that good ideas can come from anywhere. But it also addressed the specific problem that those principles were eroding. As Pixar grew, newer employees were reluctant to suggest changes at a successful company, thinking 'who am I to call for change at the great Pixar?' Notes Day broke that hesitancy by making participation not just permitted but expected.
- Good ideas can come from anywhere; everyone must feel empowered to speak up
- There is no single big idea that solves complex interconnected problems; solutions emerge from many small contributions
- Shutting down production is itself a powerful signal that leadership values input over output
- Self-censoring is as dangerous as active suppression of ideas
- New crises test and demonstrate a company's values; the response to crisis bonds people and keeps culture current
- Fixing things is an ongoing incremental process, not a one-time event
- Identify the interconnected problems honestlyBefore the event, leadership must candidly articulate the problems the organization faces. At Pixar, this meant openly discussing rising costs, external pressures, and the erosion of candor. The problems must be stated without spin so employees understand the real stakes.
- Open topic proposals to the entire organizationLet employees at every level propose discussion topics and session ideas. Do not restrict proposals to management-approved subjects. The topics that employees want to discuss will reveal the real concerns that formal channels are failing to surface.
- Structure the day for productive dialogueOrganize sessions in small enough groups that everyone can speak. Assign facilitators who are trained to draw out quiet voices and prevent dominant personalities from monopolizing discussion. Provide clear prompts and time structures to keep sessions focused and generative.
- Stop all production to signal genuine commitmentThe act of halting revenue-generating work for an entire day sends an unmistakable message that this is not a PR exercise. Every employee's time is valuable, and dedicating it entirely to collective problem-solving proves that leadership believes in the process.
- Act on the results and communicate what changedThe most critical step is follow-through. If employees invest a day generating ideas and nothing changes, trust is destroyed. Leadership must review all recommendations, implement the viable ones, and clearly explain why others were not adopted. The feedback loop must close.
Pixar shut down all production for a full day in 2013. Every employee participated in small-group sessions addressing topics they themselves had proposed, ranging from reducing production costs to improving cross-departmental communication to rethinking how new hires were onboarded. Leadership attended as participants, not authorities. The event generated hundreds of concrete recommendations, many of which were implemented in the following months.
In January 2013, Pixar's leadership gathered at Cavallo Point near the Golden Gate Bridge to discuss rising costs and cultural erosion. They realized that many employees had begun self-censoring, feeling it was not safe or welcome to offer differing ideas. The leadership team, about thirty-five directors and producers, decided that an all-company event would break the logjam. They called it Notes Day, a reference to the film industry practice of giving 'notes' (feedback), and structured it as an entire day where production stopped and every employee engaged in facilitated problem-solving sessions.