Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
Why do some project teams work well, while others just can’t seem to get it together? Why do some teams have a strong sense of culture while others feel like a group of strangers working on the same task? When a team comes together, whether it’s for a short-term project or ongoing long-term operations, a culture emerges: you can see it in how the team works toward common goals and how they interact with one another. Although you can’t force team culture, you can design for it. Through an enterprise project case study, we look at onboarding techniques and methods that can be used to deliberately build strong team cultures.
Key Insights
-
•
Poor onboarding and revolving temporary staff can cause high-profile projects to fragment and stall.
-
•
Designing the team member experience is as critical as designing user experience for project success.
-
•
Hiring for 'fit' should focus on skills and ability to ramp up quickly rather than cultural similarity.
-
•
Creating a newbie reading list with project history and business context helps new team members onboard faster and with clarity.
-
•
Telling project folklore orally and in one-on-ones solidifies shared understanding and avoids misinformation.
-
•
Clear, honest job titles discouraging heroism foster a collaborative, team-first mindset.
-
•
A simple, plain-language team code of conduct focusing on respectful, honest communication encourages productive behaviors.
-
•
Collaboration rituals like daily standups and co-working sessions sustain culture even in fully remote teams.
-
•
Allowing sufficient onboarding time (e.g., ~1 month) before expecting productivity improves integration and retention.
-
•
Even small teams can design their own culture and onboarding processes tailored to their context to offset larger organizational dysfunction.
Notable Quotes
"A conference is just a polished snapshot of a conversation that's really going on all year."
"The people working on difficult projects acted more like faceless individual contributors than a real team."
"There wasn't much attention paid to onboarding team members—not the clients or users, but the actual team."
"The project was staffed through a revolving door of panic hires who were expected to run from day one."
"Our team was the only thing you could describe as an actual team—because we deliberately built onboarding and culture."
"We herded all of our unicorns and named them appropriately with clear, meaningful titles."
"Although you can't force culture, you can design for it."
"Hiring for fit is dangerous if you don't do it carefully, so we looked at fit for purpose—skills and ramp-up ability."
"Speak plainly and simply. Say what you mean to say."
"We do a lot of unstuck meetings—where anyone stuck can bring the problem and get brain help without judgment."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"A kaleidoscope helps us see changing patterns to perceive new images and pursue new possibilities."
Etienne FangPower of Insights: Why sharing is better than silos with Uber’s Insights Platform
December 16, 2019
"Becoming a UX researcher is a process that will never end, not a fixed state you reach."
Victor M. GonzalezPracticing Learners and Learning Practitioners
March 10, 2021
"If we learn X, we will make decision Y, but if we learn Z, we’ll make the opposite decision."
Roberta Dombrowski Sam Duong WoloszynskiMaking Research a Team Sport
March 11, 2022
"Safety is your number one concern, privacy is your number two, and usability is number three."
Daniel J. RosenbergDigital Medicine Design
September 26, 2019
"Design system is basically an agreement that helps create a sense of consistency and familiarity in all the UIs that you create."
Jaime CreixemsBest Practices when Creating and Maintaining a Design System
June 7, 2023
"Shapers combine human and machine intelligence and amplify each other’s strengths."
Tricia WangFrom Users to Shapers of AI: The Future of Research
March 25, 2024
"Designers create value by making artifacts and experiences before fully understanding the space."
Shahrzad SamadzadehWhat Is My Value? Two Takes and Some Mistakes
January 8, 2024
"MacGuffins are design artifacts that catalyze collaboration and new ways of working rather than being valuable in themselves."
Jorge ArangoDesign as an Antidote to VUCA
May 9, 2019
"We do about a hundred free community sessions a year where anyone with membership can attend."
Louis RosenfeldThe Rosenbot and the Rosenverse: An AMA with Lou Rosenfeld
June 5, 2024
