Alrighty Matt! Let me say first of all that I like the ‘idea’ of pursuing team dynamics. Some questions that I have that were raised from your posting. You mentioned you want to focus on the personalities that make up a creative persona in a team dynamic that is successful. Are there specific skills or variables that make them better? Is a visual learner a better team player? Someone who is quiet and reserve may have some great ideas, but isn’t too willing to speak up — just type it in an email. Do opposites attract and make a great product? You mentioned looking into Google/Apple/IDEO; perhaps they are willing to share some of their ideas on team dynamics. That can help you get a direction to follow.

Team Dynamics appears to be a complex, and multi-layer idea on what makes up just not only one team,but individuals as well. Perhaps there are correlations in skill sets, learning styles, type of person at home, etc that contribute. Several variables to work out. Maybe conducting a survey or interviews on finding out about different designers in the companies mentioned can shed some light?

Rob

I’ve made note of Kantor’s Four-Player Model. It might be exactly what I was in search of. As of today, I’m leaning more toward focusing on interaction in “team dynamics” and ideally, if it’s possible to visually depict this. The problem that I keep experiencing is the tendency with how to fulfill a visual thesis, when in fact I’ve been advised to not put the cart before the horse. Wise advice, I might add.

Let’s plan to keep in touch. Our topics seem to be closely related, and we might find that it helps for both of us to collaborate in order to form our own path.

Very impressive. I believe you have raised a discussion on a topic that is definitely well needed in the design industry. You have done a great job framing out your initial process in this matter of “Team Dynamics”. You have made the direction very clear and I look forward to seeing how things formulate.

Marvin

I am currently reading “The Necessary Revolution. Working Together to Create a Sustainable World” by Peter Senge. He has a chapter on collaboration and he mentions David Kantor’s Four-Player Model. The idea is that people tend to play certain roles when working with other people, some tend to dominate the conversation, otehrs tend to stand by), and a successful collaboration depends on the presence of 4 action roles – move, oppose, follow and by-stand. What I find interesting, however, is that he proposes that in a healthy team “individuals (should be) fluid in their ability to take on different roles”. In other words when the team gets stuck, people should assess the presence or absence of each role and consider switching roles to defy behavior patterns and listening without hearing. Just an idea you might add to your research.

Also, I don’t remember seeing if you thought about considering the presence or lack of competition, or overprotectiveness of one’s ideas, or envy among creatives. I think there is a special sensitivity in creative people about how their work is perceived or valued and that might influence the way they collaborate. This is not a positive scenario, but you might find something here.

Looking forward to reading some more!

I believe that’s exactly what I want to explore – when does this type of indifference occur? We may know exactly why it occurs when viewing the other, but neither individual walks away from the moment learning (gaining) about themselves and the other person. I’m hoping that my goal is to present this type of learning dynamic in the form of a visual system, so that design individuals can see (not hear, nor read, nor feel) how this type of moment occurs within team dynamics.

It is a giant task, which is why I’m struggling to narrow down my focus. For one, I don’t know if taking something that can be deemed subjective and presenting it as objective, will result in anything worthwhile. I think that it’s possible, but would tracking the intangible factors (such as learning styles, personality traits, level and type of experience, age, gender, socio-economic background) empower individuals to understand their barriers, preferences, reactions, etc.?

I’m currently building a mind map on a wall with these topics and questions in place. It needs to simmer for a bit, but I love your feedback!

– Matt

I had a hunch that you’d have insights into this topic, having heard you mention about your past experience during our collaboration session. Thank you very much for pointing me in the right direction… and yes, I would love to hear your ideas about improving organizational performance.

– Matt

Mariska

I have to say, your topic stirs excitement for me. I had this course (one of many) during my senior year in undergrad on organizational psychology with a focus on team dynamics. Here are some insights I have into your topic that may (or may not help). I find that in our corporate world, we experience as creative, a competitive and frequently changing business marketplace.

I think that teams (or perhaps the team leader?) needs to have a basis for understanding the behavioral patterns of his or her team. By doing this, he/she can create a strong creative/company culture based on the team’s combined strengths and in turn facilitate continued achievement. The success or failure of any team-based initiative depends on the synchronized efforts of its team members. The behavioral and communication style of the team members both internal and external affect the client’s perception of ability to meet their needs effectively. If you look more into the role of organizational psychology, I think you may find valuable info regarding you topic. O.P. empowers teams within larger companies to achieve greater productivity and financial attainment. The agency can in turn benefit in multiple ways.

Perhaps you can research the following: understanding organizational psychology, the role of research and statistical analysis, and in what manner to employ this practice. The first step to properly applying organizational psychology is to understand what it entails. Hope this helps! Also, I have some thoughts and ideas regarding improving organizational performance that may be of use. Let me know.

Thanks for the feedback! It’s difficult for me to think otherwise about the problems we (globally) face with over-consumption, being a minimalist at heart. I love Hara’s ethos and I’m also in need of exploring more on this very topic. Off-topic, but somewhat related to conservation and technology, is Thomas Friedman’s “Hot, Flat & Crowded.” From time to time, I look back at some of the concepts he presented in 2007 and most of which are still considered “buzzwords” or recurring topics today. He discusses consumption in terms of how much energy generated during production compared to shelf life.

Another excellent source is William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.” The concept of “downcycling” is when we end up recycling higher quality products to produce cheaply made products that eventually are thrown away. In other words, it’s an attempt to merely slow the process of recycling to gain a profit. It also touches on constructing products that are 100% biodegradeable.

Ohhh, I could go on and on. I wrote a paper on this in regard to Bauhaus design and its misrepresentation of ethics in today’s consumer market. Plenty of resources if you’re curious!

Thanks again, Justin,
– Matt