The Unified Theory Of Product Development: Part 6
The right people and the right structure
If you want to be in my gang
Stand up with me
We’ll start a revolution
We’ll make the streets free
We’ll never weaken
We’ll give it our best
Can’t be defeated
We’re better than the rest
We Can’t be Beaten — Rose Tattoo
Product development is innately a human endeavor. We are humans trying to solve human problems. Your team, your company is merely the intersection of all the talent you have. For the talent to thrive you must understand the strengths and weaknesses of each person and how they best operate, both as an individual and as part of a team. Without an understanding of the talents of your individuals you will struggle to get the best out of them. And without an intuition of the best structures to surround them with, you will not be able to divine the alchemy that is at the heart of product development.
Have you read the Netflix culture document? Much like the Air bnb pitch deck, it has taken on something of a mythical status in the digital economy. A clear articulation of what Netflix expects of its employees and what employees can expect of Netflix it is a wonderful example of company culture in written form. It frames success at Netflix in a very particular way. They use the term ’team’ 36 times throughout the document. The explanation of Netflix culture the document constantly comes back to is the idea of Dream Team.
We model ourselves on being a team, not a family. A family is about unconditional love, despite your siblings’ unusual behavior. A dream team is about pushing yourself to be the best teammate you can be, caring intensely about your teammates, and knowing that you may not be on the team forever.
Netflix Culture Document
I like to think of this document as not only an expression of the Netflix company culture but also as a expression of their People Strategy. The first five parts of this Unified Theory of Product Development really touched on how to arrive at your product strategy. The why, the how, the models. The next five parts are really about the People Strategy that underpins the any successful product development. Remember that product development is an innately human endeavor. The quality of the humans you have and the quality of support you give them will ultimately decide the success of what they are doing.
The right people and the right structure. The adverb “right” here is the important modifier. It implies correctness and suggests talent. Certainly in a team context as described above, talent is important. The dictionary definition of talent is a natural skill or aptitude. I’m a sports fan. As such, I have seen on many, many players of average talent (average here is a relative term, anyone playing professional sports is obviously in possession of extraordinary talent) move from team x to team y and all of a sudden seem to become a better player. Conversely, we have all seen the superstar on team y that all of a sudden can’t do anything right after the big, expensive transfer to team z. In these circumstances it easy to understand that there is more to talent than just aptitude or skill. In terms of product development aptitude is just one, important part of the success. The right support systems as well as the right situation also helps as does the right accountability and the right measurements for success. Combine all these? Now you got talent.
To extend the sports metaphor to its breaking point, it’s helpful to think of the work you and your team have done on this project to date as the preseason workout. The team should have used the process of working out what you are doing and how to get mentally fitter and sharper and also work on their teamwork. Get to know each other better, understand the team dynamics and the personalities that make up the team. You should be looking at how people have performed to date and sized them up knowing what it is going to take to succeed in this project moving forward. Look for signs as to what motivates people and what they like to do. Because just like with sports there is a big difference between the preseason and the actual season. People respond differently when real pressure, deadlines and expectations are applied. You can ask and people will often give you good answers as to what they like to do and what they are good at but an ounce of observation is equal to a pound of explanation. Keep your eyes and ears open. At this point focus on strengths and not so much weaknesses. You need to get moving and you need what people can bring.
Happy teams, like happy families, are all alike. In my experience the four qualities of a high functioning team are:
- Complimentary skills. You don’t want a team of exactly the same folks. You need variety of skills, backgrounds and experiences. But you need to understand these differences and put people in the best position to use the most of their talents.
- People skills. People need to get along. This doesn’t mean that there is always agreement but when there isn’t agreement it is resolved in a way that respects everyones input and no one one stews or sulks.
- Engagement. Look for engagement. Watch the team as you have been working through the first part of this process. Who is the first to pick up the phone ion a moment of distraction. Who is constantly late to meetings? You need to be able to match these up.
- Willingness to listen and learn. A good team will have a collective growth mindset. They will not hide mistakes of set backs but use them to improve. They will seek feedback, listen to it openly and honestly and change where needed.
Conversely there are three things that can be death sentences to a team if not dealt with. Look for these signs and make adjustments accordingly.
- Different appetite for uncertainty. back of a napkin versus 93 page requirements documents. Make sure all folks have the same view, this is understood and acknowledged.
- Different approach to conflict. Look for this. You need directness and openness. But if only small part of the team practices this you need to get everyone on board. Talk behind peoples backs can be a killer. Deal with this professional, consistently and quickly. This is hard but can be taught. But if members off the team deal with conflict in a different way this can kill you.
- Different approach to quality. Good enough or pixel perfect? Everyone needs to be on the same page.
There is no one size fits all to the right structure. But there are some first order principles to think about. My experience is that good structure should be simple. The fewer moving parts there are, the less likely it is to break. Complexity is a warning sign of poor structure. As soon as the word matrix is mentioned you know you are in trouble. My experience is that smaller is better. My experience is that everyone in the team is important, there are some folks that are more important that others. Accept this. You need to understand these Critical Roles and do everything you can to organize the group in a manner that gives these folks the best chance off succeeding. Good teams have an energy and a focus that is both obvious and infectious. A good team will become self organizing, using tools and strategies that have worked for them before. Good teams will exhibit wise judgment and disagree openly. Good teams will deal with conflict quickly and fairly. Resist the urge to impose overly restrictive structures on teams but allow some time for the organic form to take shape but be prepared to offer expertise and help when required.
