87b357fbbb2a5fb9c17f257e4cdae8f9_1

7/30/2019 87b357fbbb2a5fb9c17f257e4cdae8f9_1

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To Make Better Games

Session

Game Development Seminar

Team Management Skills

WOLFGANG HAMANNRadical Entertainment


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What We Will Learn

Finding your own personal managementstyle

Hire Character not just Skills

Developing Core Values for yourcompany and your team

Retaining your best employees

You can never have enough

Soft Skills

The importance of team and companybuilding skills


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Two Short Movies

Movie #1:

Movie #2:


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1. Determining Your Own PersonalManagement Style

Self Analysis


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A B

Commander Facilitator

C D

Bureaucrat Entrepreneur

Directive Facilitative

Relational

Independent

Management Style Matrix


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Management Style Matrix (contd)

Commander: Captain Kirk of the Enterprise

Decisive, controlling, competitive, highly demanding,

perfectionist, confrontational, results oriented, powerconscious, dominating.

Combine the directive interpersonal style with a strongrelationships orientation. Commanders like being incontrol and thrive on using legitimate power to achieveexcellent results.


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Facilitator:

Characterized by people-pleasing, spontaneous, informal,

sharing and participative, sensitive, accommodating,

non emotional, conflict-avoiding.

Are relational like commanders, but they preferto facilitate (guide, encourage, equip) team members

rather than to overtly direct them.




Bureaucrats:

Like to be: organized, efficient, politically

sensitive, closure-oriented, concern for routine, planner,formal, detached, information-focused, detail oriented.

Like to use formal, official policies andprocedures to efficiently direct ministry activities in a waythat permits independent action and decision-making,

minimizing the need for group deliberation and groupmanagement. Bureaucrats favour orderly, routine

operations run "by the book."




Entrepreneurs:Characterized as: change-oriented, innovative,

persuasive, visionary, non traditional,

questioning, long term focus, experimental,

activist, controversial.Prefer to operate independently of

organizational bureaucracy with an eye toward

facilitating change and innovation. They yearn to startprojects with visions of making great games that no one

has made before!




Which one are you?

The best managers adapt to the situationand use the right technique at the right

time or a combination of techniquesYou will not always succeed

Takes time and a great deal of practise

and patience!



Situational Management

Effective managers manage the situation

Reading the situation quickly isimportant

Flexibility is importantListening is important

Communicating effectively is important


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Situational Management Examples

Simpsons:a) Communication problems

b) Team motivation problems

c) Conflict management problems

The Hulk:a) Conflict management problems

b) Team casting problems


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Situational Management Examples (contd)

CSA Critical Stage Analysis

This process

a. Discovered these problems and others early

before they became major issuesb. Facilitated team input to solve these

problems

c. Acted as a feed back loop and team

building mechanism

d. Does away with Postmortems


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2. Hire the Right Team Members

Important to have team members who are selfactualized

Even when the going gets tough, team memberswith character will do whatever it takes to make

the team successful Important to have an extensive interviewing

process

Both you and the prospective team member must

have a clear and thorough understanding of eachother before an offer is made


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Hiring (cont d)

If you cant wait to hire the right teammember, hire the best talent on contractto get the job done

And keep on looking until you find theright fit

It may cost a bit more in the short termbut save you plenty in the long run


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3. Developing Core Values

Important to have a company and teammission statement

Make sure these are marketed internally

on a regular basisEveryone must understand these

Everyone must support these

Those that don

t should be encouraged toleave the ship


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Mission Statement Examples

Company:a) Work hard

b) Have fun

c) Balance personal life with work

d) Respect each other

e) Share your knowledge

Teama) Help your team mates become better artists,

programmers, designerspeople!

b) Make the best RPG game ever

Important to have participation indeveloping these from all relevantparties


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4. Soft Skills

Such as Conflict Management, TimeManagement, etc..

These are not just for managers

Internal and external courses to raise thelevel of learning


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5. Employee Retention

Is not about paying the most $$$$$It is about constantly getting feedback

about what your employees deem themost important

It is about making these changes in apositive way

You will not be able to make everyone

happy all of the timeBut it is important to show that you aretrying


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6. Company and Team Building

For your team and company to grow, theymust grow together as a team and as acompany

This means the company/team must growas a learning unit

Important to set a unified direction

Important to have buy in from all

Individuals learning on their own is notsufficient


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Team Player (contd)

A team member must effectively

manage:

a) Themselves

b) Their team matesc) Their boss!

A good technique is to treat everyone

.like your boss

Even if you are The Boss!


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Team Player (contd)

Communication style is important

Effective communication is made up of:

a) Listening

b) Understanding andc) Speaking effectively

Feelings ARE important and should

always be dealt with first


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Team Player (contd)

Techniques for better communication

include:

a. Blending - any behaviour by which you reduce

the differences between yourselves to find

common ground ie. I understand you are also a

football fan!

b. Backtrack repeat what the other person said ie.

in other words.

c. Redirecting - any behaviour to change the direction ofthe interaction to something positive

ie. From conflict to cooperation


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Team Player (contd)

Very Important!

Blend before you redirect


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Team Player (contd)

Five step action plan for better

communication:

a) Blend verbally and non verbally

b) Backtrack some of the other persons wordsc) Clarify their meaning and intent

d) Summarize what you have heard

e) Confirm how the other person felt


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Team Player (contd)

Artists Think differently than

Programmers who Think differently than

Designers who Think differently than

Sound artists

All have their own language and ways ofcommunicating verbally and non verbally


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Team Player (contd)

To work better together, each should try

to learn each others language, style and

way of doing things


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Famous Quote

Treat people as if they were what they o

ught to be and you will help them

become what they are capable ofbecoming.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe


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Team Management Summary

In creating great games it is our job to

help everyone we work with become the

great person we know they can become If we can do this successfully there is no

telling what kind of great games we can

develop


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Finally

Great game concepts developedby great people in great teamsmake even better games!


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To Make Better Games

Session


Team Management Skills

WOLFGANG HAMANN

Project Manager/Manager Sound Depart

Thank You!

Documents

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