Sharing a draft: A Lesson On Management From Lamplighters

[Jorge Rodriguez]

I guess everything is still down but I hope someone will still be willing to review an article that has nothing to do with game development specifically. It's about workplace autonomy and management styles.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uHOrwSGexZU-R7b1leUgt71c4jX3mL-36exoESIYYtM/edit?usp=sharing

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Jorge "Vino" Rodríguez
[ Tw | Fb | G+ | Ht ]

[Alex 'darbotron' Darby]

Hey Jorge

I like it & the point you're making, but I can't help feeling it lacks a little WRT to structure & punch.

I was taught a structure for writing when I was a kid and it has served me well - say what you're going to say; say it; say what you said.

I'd start by explaining that you've tried various approaches over the years and this has resulted in an insight into task management & autonomy, then tell the story, then reiterate what that insight was.

You are already reiterating what the insight was already, but I think you might make the point a bit more strongly so it feels more like a punchy summary - maybe a few suggestions about how to apply the insight or how it's helped since you had it?

Alex 

[Jorge Rodriguez]

Thanks Alex I appreciate you took the time to read it.

Regarding the specific essay structure that you mention I have a bone to pick - I think it's awful. I loathe redundancy in writing and saying the same thing three times makes me cringe. Writing paragraphs that everybody is going to skip anyway detracts from your message by making an essay sound formulaic or trite. Grade school teachers teach that structure because it's the simplest structure to teach to kids who need to structure their work, but then those kids grow up and become adults and never stop using that same dull structure as if it were the law.

That said, in spite of the above paragraph, I'm still glad you mentioned it because clearly the article needs some structure work. When I revise it I will definitely keep an eye on the structure. Thank you!

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[Alex 'darbotron' Darby]

Hey Jorge,

You're welcome dude - though I'd have to say I'm not sure that I'd agree with your verdict on the awfulness of the "say what you're going to say, say it, say what you said" structure  :)

I'm obviously not for one second suggesting that you should literally say the same thing three times. Redundancy is of course bad - just like code duplication. 

Personally, I'd argue that - though it's stated tritely in the form it's taught to children (and stated above by myself...) - the form that this is essentially shorthand for is in fact an incredibly effective way to communicate a point (or points) whether in written or spoken language.

I guess it might be more accurately stated something like: "Start with general sweep of the idea(s) and context for the reader to make sense of them; Tighten up the general sweep with specific points on both idea(s) and context hopefully leading them to draw the same conclusion as you did; and sum up to make sure they go away with the insight you intended them to."

...but that's nowhere near as easy to remember ;)

Alex

[Jorge Rodriguez]

Ah, well then I suppose I may have been straw manning a little bit. It doesn't sound so bad the way you put it there.

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[Oliver Franzke]

Nice article Jorge. I agree that autonomy can boost team morale and therefore improve productivity and quality of the work performed.

Regarding your example at Burning Man: I think it's also a good example that demonstrates that a organization needs some kind of structure. People want to know who they have to talk to if questions arise or in other words who is responsible for what. This is especially true if the employees (or volunteers) are new to the organization and therefore don't know constraints and workflows very well. Like you described this can quickly end in chaos.

In my experience the ideal amount of autonomy depends on the individual. Some people work best with a lot of creative freedom and others want more guidance. It takes time to figure out these preferences, but I think it's worth it in the long run.

[Francisco Tufró]

Oliver, do you think it makes sense for a company to keep people that need more guidance instead of looking for someone more independent?

My experience tells me that independent people always perform better and produce higher quality stuff than people that need guidance.

What is your thought about that?

Francisco Tufró
Indie Game Developer
in...@franciscotufro.com
http://franciscotufro.com
http://nastycloud.com
http://unluckygnome.com

[Oliver Franzke]

That is a good question. 

I'd say it depends on your organization. If you are running a distributed indie development team you definitely need people who can operate on their own and make decisions in favor of the project. 

If you are part of a big studio (e.g. Ubi Montreal, Bungie, ...) on the other hand it'll be hard to hire hundreds of experienced people who are aligned with the project. You won't get around hiring junior people (which is a good thing IMO), which will probably require more oversight.

Building up a team with motivated people that work well with each other and have the same (or at least a similar) vision for a project is very difficult, which is why the hiring process is such a crucial part of a business as far as I'm concerned.

[Alex 'darbotron' Darby]

Finding good people is super hard.

My ideal workmates are people who have plenty of initiative and are are capable of effective independent determination, but also have enough healthy self doubt & sense of responsibility to seek a little guidance.

In my experience, those who are very sure of themselves are often those who are least qualified to be ;) 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

Alex