What are the best ways to create creative superteams? These are teams that are able to effectively communicate and collaborate to create even better solutions to huge challenges. In this talk presented at HOW Design Live 2014, I shared different tools that I use as part of how I lead project teams to build trust, create shared norms, and encourage dialogue in the service of creating more powerful design work.

1. Image 12916031 by Wok on Flickr / CC Attribution 2.0 License
creating creative
SUPERTEAMS
David Sherwin | @changeorder | davidsherwin.com
©2014 David Sherwin. All rights reserved.

3. the world’s
largest
air guitar
ensemble

4. 2,377 performers
at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino's
annual Rock n' Roll Bingo event
more info at http://bit.ly/1v0XxV

5. the world’s
largest designer
air guitar
ensemble

6. This Is It - Beat It (Solo) - Michael Jackson & Orianthi / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3C-xpkyK_o

7. you all rock!

8. was that easy?
was that hard?
why?

9. what superteams need:
trust
shared norms
dialogue
adaptive learning

10. what tools
do I use to
create creative
superteams?

11. the constraints:
multidisciplinary teams
cross-location talent
build the brief as you go
extreme collaboration

12. form norm storm perform
Framework from Bruce Tuckman’s article “Developmental sequence in small groups.” Psychological Bulletin 63.

13. form
norm
storm
perform
Framework from Bruce Tuckman’s article “Developmental sequence in small groups.” Psychological Bulletin 63.

14. form norm storm perform
Skill Share Team Norms The Four-
Player Model
Timeboxing
Framework from Bruce Tuckman’s article “Developmental sequence in small groups.” Psychological Bulletin 63.

15. form norm storm perform
Skill Share Team Norms TimeboxingThe Four-
Player Model

16. how you work
values
interests
hobbies
skills
learning
style
habits

17. these things
are rarely
communicated.

18. conversation
about how
a team works?
it works!

19. here’s how
you can do it.

20. fill out a sheet
of paper with
this information.

21. who am I? (name, hometown, position on the team)
my work style
my skills my hobbies/interests
my goals for this project/collaboration

22. who am I? (name, hometown, position on the team)
my work style
my skills my hobbies/interests
my goals for this project/collaboration
David Fairfax ,VA creative lead
user research
information architecture
wireframing
motion prototyping
visual design
drumming
rock climbing
yoga
dark chocolate eating
create structures to improvise, work hrs 9-6 PM
learn how to model responsive content for smart watches

23. share your info
with the group.
everyone else
listens.

24. “I’d rather
get to work
than do a
skill share…”

25. form norm
Skill Share Team Norms
storm perform
The Four-
Player Model
Timeboxing

26. get a bigger
sheet of paper
(or whiteboard).

27. team name & members
team normsteam skills
team hobbies/interests

28. team name & members
team skills
team hobbies/interests
David, Fred, Amy, Jen, Alice
user research**
info arch
wireframing
motion prototyping
visual design***
PM’ing
front end dev**
database dev
back-end dev
volunteering****
foosball
running**
painting
pour-over coffee
field trips to art galleries***
team norms

29. when you want to work
how long? how often? for what durations?
how you want to work
collaboratively? alone? balancing the two?
encouraging growth
what goals and skills do you want to learn?
team life/work balance
what activities encourage individual/group reflection?
types of team norms

30. team name & members
team skills
team hobbies/interests
David, Fred, Amy, Jen, AliceDavid, Fred, Amy, Jen, Alice
user research**
info arch
wireframing
motion prototyping
visual design***
PM’ing
front end dev**
database dev
back-end dev
volunteering****
foosball
running**
painting
pour-over coffee
field trips to art galleries***
1. Work 10 AM-7 PM
2. Need 3 hrs heads down
time every day
3. Open critiques required
every morning
4. All of us learn CSS
5. Friday field trips
for inspiration
6. Telework Tuesdays
7. Client meetings only
Tuesday through Thursday
team norms

31. post it publicly
so you hold
yourself to
your norms.

32. revise this
every time
your team
changes.

33. form norm perform
Skill Share Team Norms Timeboxing
storm
The Four-
Player Model

34. storming
happens when
teams avoid
dialogue

35. productive
dialogue
requires
four stances

36. “here’s a
direction I think
we can take…”
MOVE

37. “I’m going
to help make
that idea
happen…”
FOLLOW

38. (I need to
think… is this
the right thing
to do next?)
BYSTAND

39. “I don’t think
that’s a good
idea, for these
reasons…”
OPPOSE

40. MOVE
without movers,
there is no direction
FOLLOWBYSTAND
OPPOSE
without followers,
there is no completion
without opposers,
there is no correction
without bystanders,
there is no perspective
The Four-Player Model
Four-Player Framework by David Kantor

41. be aware of
your stance.

42. shift stances
to advance
team goals
(not agendas).

43. “Hey, you’ve been quiet.
What do you think?”
“So, what I’m hearing is…”
“Yes, and…”
“Want to help lead this?”
Four-Player Framework by David Kantor
Cues to Shift A Person’s Stance
MOVE
FOLLOWBYSTAND
OPPOSE

44. “structure
determines
behavior”
—Peter Senge

45. collaboration structures
expand or limit team dialogue
working
individually
MOVE
(OPPOSE)
working
in parallel
MOVE
(OPPOSE)
working in
the round
MOVE
FOLLOW
(OPPOSE)
design
improv
MOVE
FOLLOW
BYSTAND
(OPPOSE)

46. design critique
is challenging
FOLLOWBYSTAND
OPPOSE

47. moving beyond the crap sandwich
of design critique
1. Ask if someone would like to enter into a critique,
and when to start (right now? later?)
2. Set a time limit + goal for what you want to accomplish
in the critique: refine? combine? extend? downselect?
3. Capture the criteria for excellence as you go
(it varies based on what you’re critiquing)
4. Know where you are on the “ladder of abstraction”
5. Capture in writing every new idea that’s created
during the critique

48. form norm storm
Skill Share Team Norms The Four-
Player Model
perform
Timeboxing

49. timeboxing:
short structured
sprints to reach
stated goals

50. when should I
use timeboxing?
1. you need to align and motivate your team
2. deadline is only a few hours away
3. challenge seems too big to tackle
4. it's hard to focus on getting things done

51. types of timeboxes
what to do
how long you’ll do it
required output
desired fidelity
ACT ARTICULATE
what else needs to be done?
how much time will it take?
what output is needed?
what fidelity is required?
EVALUATE
did you do it?
do you need more time?
was the output appropriate?
should the fidelity be changed?

52. types of timeboxes
generate low-fi design ideas
do it for 10 minutes
at least 8 ideas
sketches on Post-Its
created low-fi design ideas
did it for 10 minutes
created 10 ideas!!
sketches on Post-Its
want to go deeper on
3 topics discovered
in previous timebox
write names of 3 topics
create 10 ideas for each
sketches on Post-Its
ACT ARTICULATEEVALUATE

53. example:
technoyoga

54. first action:
planning
how to use
your time

60. be willing to
adapt based
on new
information

62. increase
the fidelity?
increase the
challenge.

63. why timeboxing works

64. why timeboxing works

65. why timeboxing works

66. form norm storm perform
Skill Share Team Norms The Four-
Player Model
Timeboxing

67. Retrospectives
storm perform
ms The Four-
Player Model
Timeboxing
adjourn

69. how did it feel?
what did
you learn?

70. the emotional seismograph

71. HAPPY
UNHAPPY
TIME
Couldn’t think
of ideas
Excited to
get started
We settled
on an idea
John and I
argued over
the typeface
Made up!
Push to
finish
Strong final
presentation!

72. lessons
learned

73. what worked well for us?
what could be improved next time?
what didn’t work so well?

74. write down
your personal
lessons learned
individually

75. share your
lessons learned
+ merge them
onto one sheet.
as a group

76. what worked well for us?
what could be improved next time?
what didn’t work so well?
We didn’t manage internal client expectations on the time
necessary to make some big changes at the last minute
Team had great energy, critiques were awesome
Happy with the end product that we shipped
Clearly communicate timelines to internal clients
Hold fast to what team’s capable of under time constraints
***
*

77. so, how
do you create
creative
superteams?

78. our teams have to:
1. create explicit trust
2. agree to shared norms
3. foster open dialogue
4. learn from failure

79. be systematic
about how teams
communicate
& collaborate

80. teams need
(just enough)
structure
to perform

81. superteams work
best when they
feel the rhythm

82. Photo 377872266 by Kevin Delaney on Flickr Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
leading from the front?

83. Photo 377872266 by Kevin Delaney on Flickr Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
providing
the feel

84. THANK YOU
©2014 David Sherwin. All rights reserved.
and keep on rocking!
david@changeorderblog.com
@changeorder
changeorderblog.com
get the slides for this talk at
slideshare.net/changeorder