A Solid Team is Built On a Solid Manifesto

By Arthur Mebius

Built on a solid foundation of product teams, ustwo, the makers of the monumentally successful mobile game Monument Valley, has had to figure out what makes group work tick in order to continue thriving. The agency has delivered pixel-perfect work for clients as wide-ranging as Spotify, Sony, Google and American Express. 

They recently held a retrospective to figure out the fundamentals of what makes their teams function so effectively. The result? A distillation of seven principles, a manifesto of sorts for creating and maintaining a blue-ribbon team. A taste:

HAPPINESS OVER STRESS

While we value the rigidity and reliability of timelines and defined deliverables, we value the overall effect of personal happiness more. Positivity, clarity, and a shared purpose are stronger motivators for us than deadlines and feature lists. Stress is not a bad thing, but without happiness, stress is hurtful and not productive.

FLEXIBILITY OVER STRUCTURE

While we value the dependability of rules and guidelines, we value the imagination and freedom to change more. Team structure (contracts, rules, process) is only as effective as it is flexible. Structure is itself a tool and should be allowed to quickly change as the work evolves and the team grows.

COLLABORATION OVER HIERARCHY

While we value the simplicity and clarity of group hierarchy, we value team trust more. Hierarchy can be used as a cheap way to build trust. That said, we believe a hierarchical system that highlights our different levels of expertise can empower team members. In order for a team to be truly collaborative, it needs to value what each member brings to the table and trust the authority of what they contribute.

PRINCIPLES OVER OUTPUT

While we value the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing the best possible work, we value the principles which guide us as a team more.

That’s really the kernel of truth right there. No matter what best practices you instill in your team or what teamwork philosophy you subscribe to, it’s the very existence of those practices and that philosophy on which your team’s success hinges.

Awareness of and commitment to shared values are more important to a team than its collective skills, talents, and experience. Output that we can be proud of and which reflects who we are is impossible to create without team principles.

There’s a truckload of research on how to optimize teams, so you can cherry-pick your favored tactics and techniques, whether those include some of ustwo’s findings or not. But if you’re the founder, leader, or a member of a team—and if you work in a creative field, odds are you are—take the time and mental energy to establish some guidelines and standards. As ustwo puts it:

Is there some magical mountain spring where good teams come from? Probably not.

That magical source is your brain.

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