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Managing the legal issues surrounding workers should be addressed within the context of managing people. Development is a knowledge-based industry, knowledge that is in the heads of employees, so success is far more contingent on managerial skills than in many other industries.
Managing morale at a game development company is a full- throttle challenge for several reasons:
It is a creative venture that answers to corporate demands.
Milestone deadlines, often requiring round-the-clock work, can create an atmosphere of intense pressure.
Frequently, the employees are very young.
Work and personal boundaries tend to blur and can add a layer of complexity.
The work is full of interdependencies (e.g. programming can't do its job until the assets from art are completed) and very communication- intensive .
Because manpower to actually build the games is so expensive, there is almost never much of a managerial layer, leaving more management responsibility in fewer hands (hands that are usually full with other responsibilities).
Many development houses experience periodic "do-or-die" financial straits, leading to significant employee anxiety.
The most common problems that developer CEOs cite are
Facilitating communication between groups
Keeping an eye on morale before flare-ups
Managing the overlap between boss and friend
Staffing up without risking layoffs
Every manager must find the style that works with a given group of employees, but there are certain constants:
Short weekly status meetings among individual teams , team leaders , and the entire staff were cited by many developers as key to staying on schedule and maintaining a sense of cohesion. Another trick to good communication: clear e-mail protocols. See the contrast between disciplined and undisciplined e-mail in this exchange between Jim and Micky.
GOOD E-MAIL | BAD E-MAIL |
---|---|
To: Necessary Person(s) Only Re: Art Schedule Revision Micky, Looks like we were optimistic. Please get me the revised asset production schedule we discussed in the meeting for level 4 by Friday. Thanks, Jim | To: Entire Art Team Re: RE: RE: FWD: FWD [6] bowling? Micky, Can you handle that thing we talked about in the meeting yesterday ? Sooner=better. Thanks, Jim |
To: Jim Re: Asset Pdxn Schedule-Delay to Monday CC: Phil Jim, I'll try for Friday, but can guarantee Monday. p | No Reply |
Defining expectations is key to accountability, the bedrock of an ordered workplace. How can someone do a job correctly if she doesn't know precisely what that job is? And how can you discipline someone if you haven't communicated his responsibilities in a permanent, fixed medium? Roles, responsibilities, and consequences must be clearly articulated , publicized, and enforced (the latter making "the difference between a clubhouse and a company," as one CEO put it). This means having a central organization chart for the company, available to employees, as well as organization charts for every major project outlining resource allocation ( especially important where two or more teams will be sharing), roles and responsibilities, and reporting structure.
Technically, this fits under the category of communication, but it is important enough to merit a separate heading. Employees complain about management, no matter how great the company. It's a fact of work; I'm sure even the angels have beers and talk smack about management. Good management understands this, doesn't take it personally , and takes steps to prevent normal healthy whining from spiraling into a morale problem. When there is an unpleasant flavor in the air at a company and workers are displeased, the temptation is to want to put your head down, be silent and ride the problem out, especially if the displeasure is due to management action (or inaction). Management can feel resentful of employees, believing that the stresses and efforts of managing the company go unnoticed. This is the worst strategy, as it allows the spiral to continue. Two good defenses against a poisonous atmosphere:
Have a complaint valve. Create a structure through which employees may comfortably raise concerns. This structure can be the boss, another person, an internal board, or even a suggestion boxthe core requirement is that the employees feel uninhibited with the process or person and that the complaints receive acknowledgment, if not solution or explanation, from management.
Be visible. Where possible, leave doors open . Humans process much information visually, men more so than women, and developers exponentially so. A visual representation of management's availability and openness goes a long way toward preventing employee alienation.
See-Joe FridaysJoe Minton of Cyberlore Studios has lunch every Friday in the company lounge at a set time for what is now known as "See-Joe Friday." Employees know that he will be there every week with no other purpose than to answer questions, field concerns, or just catch up on personal events. |
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