Can someone give me examples of workgroups that are healthy and flexible ? There is a very good reason why Toyota did so much better than GM
1 Like
You can learn more about the story of āValveā.
https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/apps/valve/Valve_NewEmployeeHandbook.pdf
All of these are based on the āAgileā or āScrumā ideology which is based on a community-employee relationship. As Gabe has mentioned Valve belongs to the people working there he is just present and does not getting on the way of the highly productive people working there. Everybody is honest and self-motivated on doing their work so there is actually no need at all for a an elite managerial team to babysit others.
This translates to serving the community of users (aka clients) better by actually listening to their complaints and needs. Which is āagileā mindset at itās fullest (continuously and flexible adaptation to the changing aspects of the world).
While on the opposite case would be to have an elite management team to decide from their imagination what would be best, and then forcing and threatening users or employees to adapt to their own dystopian fantasy worlds on how things should be or how they should work.
1 Like
Im on page 14 of this handbook, very cool and interesting - Desk on wheels So that is really cool. now on page 17:
We believe those structures inevitably begin to serve their
own needs rather than those of Valveās customers. The
hierarchy will begin to reinforce its own structure by hiring
people who fit its shape, adding people to fill subordinate
support roles. Its members are also incented to engage in
rent-seeking behaviors that take advantage of the power
structure rather than focusing on simply delivering value
to customers.
This is so true. A person prone to be addicted to power will do so and when a person is addicted they will loose control themselves and so will the group they lead. What ever toxic traits they have, so will those they lead.
1 Like
I donāt know how I stumbled upon this one but Valveās workplace culture is really interesting. I was intrigued by their stack ranking.
Kinda like how you set stats for email, leads, or social media.
Not to mention their T-Shape model
3 Likes
I hope this isnāt too much a necro but I really donāt want this conversation to die so easily.
I too am very interested in healthier work cultures, because Iād rather work as equals with a bunch of competent adults instead of suffer at the hands of a privileged toddler given the power to coerce others.
All my previous employments (none of them art) have been an experience in misery and authoritarian posturing, and I know the game industry is particularly notorious for toxic and dogmatic practices.
Iād say the indie space is probably making a ton of strides in this area. Companies not big enough to need their own HR-secret-police and 10 tiers of progressively box-ticky minion managers who do nothing but write passive-aggressive emails.
ā¦But hopefully big enough to still pay you somewhat regularly instead of being a risky passion-project. 
Iāve seen a few dev houses pop up that operate as co-ops! I think thatās the future.
āIf I do better, we all do better.ā is so much more motivating than āIf I forget sleep and risk burnout maybe I wonāt get fired 6 months before release.ā
2 Likes
I generally find that NGOs or charitable entities typically engender a selfless/altruistic workplace.
eg: WWF (World Wildlife Fund)
and
RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)
ADMISSION - I regularly donate funds too both.
1 Like
This is true for sure. Iāve met some of the best people working for non-profit organizations. That being said, thereās also usually a culture of high stress, little time, and tight pockets. I enjoyed the work I did for NPOs, but I donāt know that I would go back anytime soon- youāre surrounded by good people and you get a lot of fulfillment, but itās definitely a high-intensity atmosphere with no room for mistakes. Good place for a college kid, in other words, not so much for a grown adult looking for stability 
2 Likes
Yes Iād agree in high tempo environments such as front line lifesaving voluntary roles, most definitely thereās an aspect of challenging responsibility however intensive thorough training will tend too mitigate individual errors of judgment but on the other hand overall itās really a team oriented effort so one essentially can rely on backup in most cases. When serving in the forces, I recall at times of peak bush fire hazard periods during high summer, weād be placed on standby for a number of weeks as a pool of additional manpower, backing up the CFA (Country Fire Authority) when conditions deteriorated to the extent that life and/or property were in immanent danger.
2 Likes
Iām sorry to hear this. If the leader is a positive person who understands how to lead in a positive way and [That Person] is also in a real position of power where TP does not have to answer to any board or other influence then there is a much higher chance that a workplace will happen where everyone can function at their highest. Any company that has [Dysfunctional People] in charge are never going to allow anyone to come in and show them up. Any kind hearted do good person will get their spirit shattered, and they will be made out to be some kind of evil thing worthy of only torment. I suppose we all know this but what can we do ?
1 Like
sadist
noun
saĀ·ādist ĖsÄ-dist Ėsa-
one characterized by sadism : a person who takes pleasure in inflicting pain, punishment, or humiliation on others
1 Like
So yes sadistic, we need to learn to hate peoples behavior but not people. It can make a huge difference. Not sure why Nurse Ratchet was the āfinest Nurse in the hospitalā but she ether had them all buffalowed or they were sadistic themselves.
People get put in positions of power and and most of us do not have very good self esteem and it makes us feel really good and that turns into an addiction fast.
It is so easy for the one up group to get to laughing at other peoples behaviors but it really creates a unproductive workplace.
No person wants to be reduced to a butt of a joke. Any person on top can end up being crippled by others scorn.
When I worked for Boeing they sent us to classes about a main focus and a main goal to get people to think about something other than power tripping.
You get a guy who likes power in charge and then cart goes before the horse. Everyone gets up in the morning and dreds going to work. Productivity is low and creativity is squished away.
A good leader will get the best out of everyone by allowing everyone creative ideas to flow. Things get ugly when only a few people are allowed to have ideas, only a few peoples jokes are funny only a few people are happy to go work. It only takes one sadistic heartless ass to ruin things for a lot of people.
Most of us are content with going to work and contributing, every person wants to add value to the workplace at the same time there needs to be a hierarchy a snake can not rattle its tail unless things are in order. You cant have 3 guys trying to be in charge for the snake to move across the ground. It probably would not matter who is in charge as long as there is order. Its like OK draw numbers out of a hat every 3 weeks and see what happens with a workplace. Keep doing it tell things work well then start over every 6 months. That would save a huge amount of energy spent on vying for control and all those crazy games people play ? It would keep everyone on the ball because they know soon they may be in charge so they had better know what is going on. It would also keep everyone from the feeling of being trapped in a situation they just can not bear for very long.
1 Like
You have no (!) idea, really, what it means to be even a simple(?) āmanagerā until you become one.
All of the sudden, you are officially responsible for āan outcome,ā but you are not among the persons who are directly doing the work. They are looking to your role āfor guidance,ā but not to ātell them what to do.ā Your role and your influence is not ādirect,ā but āindirect.ā You cannot (or, ācan no longer ā¦ā) grab the knobs and levers yourself.
Some people, when they come into such a position, flourish. But others āhit the wall.ā
1 Like
But not self-motivated nor productive enough for HL3 to be a realityā¦ what exactly does Valve do thatās even noteworthy lately? Seems like mostly they provide an app store (yeah, thatās revolutionary) and made a Gameboy for the new generation.
1 Like
Perhaps this delay in production of HL3, is about something that happens on the entire industry. Generally these late years (I assume the last 5 years) things are very ambiguous, and I donāt see them to get better.
Mostly because gaming companies are now very technology-centric and business-centric, and this leaves game production (as an art) somewhat like a very risky and in many ways non-profitable endeavour.
If you assume that games are intersection between business + technology + art.
Please donāt dump AI generated content here.
3 Likes
I am learning, I am a big possibility thinker - and I am seeing why I in particular need to be careful about how I communicate things.