Let me start this out with a bit of a disclaimer: I am just a student and all of my advice is based on my experiences I acquired from my time as a GAM2XX producer. Every team's culture is going to be different due to a variety of factors (e.g. team composition).
A team is a collection of individuals working towards a common goal, but what makes a great team? Is it the size of the team? The tools at their disposal? The goal to which they strive towards?
No. A great team is one that has developed and maintained a distinct culture.
What's a culture? It's the core beliefs that the team holds; it's the environment that the team works in; it's the soul of the team that can be found throughout their products. A team's culture is something that is inherently unique and must be nurtured by all. It is what the team turns to in times of turmoil; what they relate back to in every step they make; it is what makes a team great.
That seems like a lot, huh? Well, it is, but let's break it down into more manageable chunks.
The Creation of Culture
A team's culture first develops off of the reason that the team was created. If a team formed out of the need for a project, the culture would begin as a work-centric one which prioritizes the product above all. If a team formed out of the want to work together, the culture would start off as a collaborative one.
At this stage in the process, the culture of the team is very malleable. Starting off with a clear and concise reason for the team's formation will give the culture a clearer definition. A culture will form regardless, but the sooner you can detect it and understand its nuances, the sooner you can begin to adapt and nurture it.
In my own experience, my GAM200 team didn't form from a game concept. Our biggest want was to work on building a team dynamic centered around being comfortable with one another. We saw GAM200 as a team building class which got to do a cool project on the side. Thus, our culture was one built off of interpersonal relationships. With this clear definition, we were able to make strides towards growing and maintaining what made our team great.
The Growth of Culture
Naturally, after the creation you have to give the team's culture time to grow and truly come into its own. Unlike in the forming section, at this stage the team can take an active role in shaping the culture since they can begin to see its effects.
Maybe someone on your team is really great at animation and does a lot of fan projects. Have a channel for them in the team Discord to show off what they've been doing! Perhaps another person did something really amazing in the engine and deserves some kudos. Have a call outs channel dedicated to sharing and celebrating everyone's achievements. Starting these outlets of expression and appreciation early will serve to develop the team's dynamic in a way that is productive and comfortable.
For example, my GAM200 team was fascinated by the Wordle phenomenon that had taken hold of our classmates. So, we started a channel where we would post our Wordle results and talk about how insane the word was. Even with no relation to the project, this small commonality between multiple members on the team served as an enforcement for the culture that we were building.
The Maintenance of Culture
This is a tricky stage purely because it is something that everyone will experience differently. This stage is the longest because it never truly stops. Just because you have grown a beautiful flower doesn't mean that you get to neglect it without it starting to wilt. The team's dynamic and culture can be seen in this way.
The easiest way to maintain the culture is to keep your teammates interacting and talking; the best way is to get them talking about something other than the project. It may seem counter-intuitive at first, but having your teammates interact outside of the compass of the project will increase their morale, encourage healthy communication, and help relieve stress for all involved. This can be done in a lot of ways but I have found the following two techniques to work the best:
1) Eating a meal together - whether this is going to the local ramen restaurant or chipping in for a big potluck, there is something about eating a meal with your teammates that does wonders. Everyone can relax, enjoy the experience, and get to know someone over an amazing meal.
2) Participating in an engaging activity - this could be going on a hiking adventure for the artists to get inspired or tossing on cryptid videos from the old days on YouTube. As long as it is an activity that everyone can enjoy and experience together, it is always a great way to maintain those interpersonal ties.
The long and short is that maintaining a culture basically comes down to meeting the needs of the people. If your people are content and comfortable, the team dynamic and culture will be as well.
The Collapse and Infection of Culture
Unfortunately things can happen that result in the culture of the team becoming infected or, worst case, collapsing entirely. This usually happens due to a compounding of little mistakes or stressors that go overlooked or unacknowledged until finally reaching a breaking point. That isn't to say that every team will experience this, it is just something that should be briefly addressed.
The collapse of a team's culture, although a hard experience to go through, is the best foundation for building a new culture. The first step is looking back to see what went wrong, communicating to those around you to get their perspective, and taking that feedback to get a clearer picture of what not to do. Don't see the collapse as a point of failure; see it as a point of learning and growth.
Conclusion
Overall, just know that the culture of a team reflects the members involved and can be a very powerful source of motivation and morale. There are methods to adapt it to what you need it to do; there are strategies to maintain it without that maintenance feeling like a chore; and there are ways to cause it to collapse. At the end of the day, try to enjoy being part of making and maintaining a culture. Have fun going through the process and learning from it.
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