B8. Managing Creative Teams

Getting the most of creative teams:

• good communication skills
• delegation skills
• leadership skills
• valuing and respecting the different styles, approaches, talents and skills of all team members

Important:

• formally agreeing roles and responsibilities
• matching the right people and personalities with the right project
• learning to be comfortable with certain level of imprecision

Detrimental:

• stifling creativity by micro-managing, controlling and dominating
• steering a solution in a particular direction before the design team has had the chance to fully uncover the problem and explore new ideas

The key words:

• freedom
  
• focus
• budget

Team-working
Combining:

• right people
• right personalities
• right skills

Design is more about team performance than individual achievement.
Every team member should retain equal responsibility for the outcome of the project and for completing his or her task on time.

To inspire positive team working:

• negotiating
• facilitating
• cooperating
• supporting
• looking for win-win solutions
• congratulating team members for a job well done

Structure, guidance and leadership
Design teams work best when:

• there is a structure
• guidance
• leadership

Structure is agreeing:

• roles
• responsibilities
• tasks
• the timing of design reviews
• decision-making process
• project goals
• deadlines
• milestones

If the structure, budget or timescale is detrimental to the creative process, clear communication with the client will be needed in order to negotiate the benefits of an extension.
To prevent individual tem members undermining the overall goals, design manager needs to excercise formal or informal disciplinary measures.

Guidance is:

• keeping the team informed of changes
• sharing information
• providing feedback
• offering constructive criticism of design ideas
• giving praise where praise is due
• encouraging initiative and responsibility
• drumming-up enthusiasm
• maintaining quality of creative solutions
• encouraging the team to communicate effectively and considerately with each other and those outside the immediate team

Design is a collective process and as such someone needs to be in charge. Design managers needs to provide leadership.

Leadership is:

• promoting the abilities of the design team
• taking responsibility when the situation so demands
• dealing with conflicts quickly and decisively

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For Major Project

All these points are for me to practice and keep in mind when leading the team during the project process.

• The choice of the team members was successful. We are doing well together.
• The team roles and responsibilities were agreed.
  
• Everyone is working within the time given without any special pressure needed.
• I'm trying to keep them inspired, happy and enjoying the project.
• Timing and deadlines were agreed.
• The goals and aims were chosen and agreed.
• We are sharing information, findings, ideas and helping each other where possible.