Cirque du Soleil (Cirque) is a Montreal-based entertainment company recognized the world over for high-quality, artistic entertainment. About 150 million spectators have seen a Cirque show since 1984 and as of 2014, it ran 20 shows globally across five continents. Cirque redefined the circus industry by blending creative craft, dance, and street performances with magnificent costumes, music, and lighting to develop opera-styled shows and exclude animals from its acts.
From its modest beginnings as a small group of street performers, Cirque grew over the years into the world’s biggest theatrical performance company with over 4000 employees from over 50 different countries representing 25 nationalities. It fostered a culture of risk-taking and creativity and considered people an important asset of the company. The case discusses the global human resources practices of Cirque including recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation, etc. The case also describes the culture at Cirque and how it managed the cultural diversity of its workforce. Cirque provided its employees with a creative environment that encouraged them to express their ideas, challenged their limits, and allowed them to grow both professionally and personally. Employees were offered competitive salaries, bonuses and promotions, group insurance, paid holidays, and free meals. Cirque also encouraged artistic creativity among its employees by giving them an opportunity to showcase their artistic skills by holding exhibitions and cultural arts events. However, some analysts felt that going forward, one of the biggest issues for Cirque would be addressing challenges in its global HR practices and preserving its culture.

lEARNING OBJECTIVES

This case study is designed to enable students to:
1. Study the global HR practices at Cirque and examine its key elements.
2. Understand the importance of talent/people in gaining a competitive edge.
3. Analyze the challenges before Cirque in maintaining its creative culture.
4. Explore ways in which Cirque could manage the cultural diversity of its workforce.
5. Understand how a company can put in place an effective global talent management system.

Case Analysis Questions

1. Discuss the global human resource management practices of Cirque. Discuss the challenges faced by Cirque in managing its global employee base.

2. Critically analyze the culture at Cirque. How, according to you, has the culture fostered creativity and teamwork in the company?

3. People from five continents and more than 50 ­nationalities are represented within Cirque. How does the company manage such culturally diverse talent to gain a competitive advantage?