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[In this article, HR veteran Marc Mencher follows up on his "Nailing the Interview" articles on building the perfect team, and discusses what to watch out for now that you have assembled the group you intend to move forward with, with many common pitfalls -- and their solutions -- outlined. To read the prior two articles, click here for part 1 and here for part 2.]
The most
basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. Pieces of the PieA very successful manager at a major entertainment company explains communication this way: "Count the number of people at the table. Now imagine a pie divided into that many pieces and adjust the amount you talk accordingly." It's a smart, simple way to gauge your participation in conversations and could make the difference between being seen as a facilitator instead of a tyrant. One of your most important jobs as team leader is to keep everyone talking to each other. Good communication is vital to a team's success. (Even the lone programmer in a room needs to share information at some point.) How your team communicates depends on its size, its physical location and the random factor of individual personalities. Strong positive information links between a team, the rest of the organization and the client are vital. Some of the most effective communication occurs naturally -- for example, in casual conversation -- but teamwork doesn't happen if one person consistently puts out (and shoots down) ideas or doesn't let others speak.
Using this social dynamic, players need to act communally to achieve their goals and enhance game play. The key to a successful guild is figuring out how to get the most contribution from each individual and encouraging them to be an active and vocal participant. The only way for a team member to be successful is to learn to relate and adapt to other players within the guild and work effectively as a team. That is not to say that everyone who plays WoW heeds this advice (or needs to if they prefer to play solo). Some players are successful taking the lone wolf approach, but to experience what high end content the MMO has to offer, a player needs to build and/or participate in building an effective guild (team); that starts with good communication. You can't stop the internal gossip, or "grapevine" from working, thanks to email; the message often gets cut up and distorted. Be accessible for face-to-face meetings and conversations. Create an intranet and establish "netiquette" rules. Don't overlook traditional communication like regularly scheduled meetings, status reports and corporate memos but tailor them to meet your team's needs and the environment in which you work. Remember that all communication methods are a supplement rather than a substitute for face-to-face communication. Ideally, team members should have easy access to each other without encroaching on personal space that the setting provides. If some team members are off-site, establish efficient communication systems (phone, fax, e-mail, video conferencing, etc.). No matter the size of your office area, try to provide an open space for brainstorming with at least one electronic white board. If your budget doesn't support high-tech equipment, lots of white paper and markers and access to a fax/scanner can work too. The point is having the ability to share ideas (more or less) instantaneously. In a game company, video conferencing is crucial, especially with artists, developers and publishers. This is one of those times where a picture is worth 1,000 words and way more than $1,000! On Email Email is the most pervasive mode of communication in the business world. However, as we know all too well, confidentiality is never assured (even when the header says so) and misinterpretation is a very real problem. Email can pave a pretty solid road to factionalism, which is the kiss of death for a team. If you're going to monitor team emails, be honest about it at the beginning. Make sure everyone knows the rules, whether they are mandated by corporate or by you. The game business is hugely competitive but not everyone honors the NDA. Sadly, some people seem to feel compelled to get around the rules, even on the best teams. If you've got a zero-tolerance policy, don't be afraid to enforce it. Choosing a Location for Your Team
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A good example of team communication is the guild
system in World of Warcraft. Online
games, and in particular MMORPGs, promote communication.
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Comments
People keep writing about how to manage a team better, but since I'm not a manager myself, I could really use an article on how to be managed. Especially: how to deal with my personal perception of my managers doing a poor job. The most important question is, in my opinion: how do I tell whether I'm a reformer or a troublemaker?
Assume I'm right in a given situation -- how do I make my boss listen to me at all, let alone agree with me? How do I deal with "false agreement", when manager agrees to introduce certain solution, but then sabotages the actual implementation thereof, either by inaction or contradictory decisions?
What do I do when my boss complains about overall quality of my work but refuses to give actual qualification (e.g. he keeps saying "your concept art is ugly", but never says "there's too much red in this picture")?
How do I confront a boss who's clearly doing a bad job? I used to have a boss who would come to the office at 2pm. There was a weekly meeting scheduled for 12:30pm, but it was never held, because the boss was never present. Clearly, someone should have talked to him about it, but how do you do that without getting fired?
How do I deal with coworkers who complain about their superiors in private, but refuse to speak openly about their issues, because they "don't want to lose their jobs"? How do I make my coworkers more active without appearing to be trying to take over?
What do I do when there's a genuinely good idea that requires every single person on the team to change their habits just a little? What if I'm tasked with making sure the idea works as intended, but I'm not allowed to require anyone to do their part?
How do I get around my superior's quirks? I mean, managers are just people, and people are never perfect. I used to have a boss who was some 190cm tall, with low, loud voice and intimidating personality. He almost never answered e-mail. And he was perfectly capable of mocking his employees publicly when they failed to meet his expectations. How do you deal with issues like this in a civilized manner that doesn't turn the team into a powder keg?
Most people I've worked with so far have a simple solution: they just don't care about their work. At least that's what they say. I would send them a link to some good article on the matter, but I don't have any.
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