Owner: Jordan Peister
Est. 2008
Designing since 2000
Hey Jordan, We’ve been learning this week about Teams and I love that you have the unique perspective of regularly leading teams to get your design projects made, and operating as a part of teams when working on large events. I also know you do an incredible amount of outside work as well contributing your efforts to other organizations too! I still don’t know how you get it all done!
I wanted to see if you wouldn’t mind answering a few questions about your experience working on the variety of teams that you do – feel free to use any professional, volunteer, or personal experience working with teams and feel free to change names and companies!
We’re learning about what works well with teams, what doesn’t work well, how they’re structured and what contributes to all of these scenarios.
Please tell us a bit about what you do from the point of view of the teams that you work with (Here are some suggestions of how to explain the teams – take as much room as you want):
Are you leading the team or part of the team?
I frequently work in both capacities, I am either leading the team or part of the team.
How big is the team? Or share what is the largest team you’ve led and the usual team you lead.
In my professional projects, I have a lead a team of five. A typical team for my projects include a web developer, copywriter, printer, photographer and assistant.
As a former Chair of a committee, the team (or Board) was a team of 15.
Are the teams formally established or informally develop? Are the common roles assigned?
The teams are formally established, I hire each member based on their professional capacities.
When leading a Board, the roles are assigned and sometimes common roles are assigned to spread the work around.
How does job description play into the interaction? Does it create unspoken hierarchies/dynamics? Or does everyone communicate openly?
Everyone communicates openly, though I only allow my web developer and copywriter access to open communication with the client.
Please share the process:
When you’re leading your team or when you’re part of an event planner’s team.
- Event Planner’s team: I interact with the planner and receive direction from them. This is less stressful because they have fielded comments and design critiques to save time on my end.
- Complete Branding project: I am leading the team, or part of the team if a Marketing person is involved. I interact with the client with the designs and delegate to the photographer for shots for the marketing brochure or website, and delegate to the developer for programming of the site I designed.
How does that differ from your role on volunteer committees where you are part of a team?
- Rotary International: I contributed as the designer for the annual fundraiser to raise over $100k. This included the program, tickets, advertising, auction paddles and silent auction certificates, etc.
- Manhattan Beach Young Professionals: I contributed as the Marketing Chair to develop the marketing materials/flyers and advertising for upcoming events.
How do you plan your lead times based on when you’re driving the team vs. when you’re a part of the team?
I coordinate with each team member on their schedule and work accordingly. It’s best to work backwards from the deadline.
We are learning that some traits important to a well-functioning team are a shared understanding, common vision, unity of effort, integration of technology.
Do you have any traits that you feel are equally important, but not mentioned here?
My teams are usually comprised of other motivated professionals, we all understand that a failed project is not an option since the client could easily find someone else to work with.
What were the characteristics of your most successful team – not the most fun team, but the one that most easily or successfully reached their goal?
The teams mentioned above.
Have you been on any teams where any of the key traits were not present? Did the team achieve their goal? On time?
Yes, this happens a lot on volunteer Boards. Team members skip deadlines, don’t communicate, disappear, etc. The team achieved the goal, but only because other members stepped in to cover the person that failed their duties.
Was your personal work on this particular team affected? Did you have to change your methods or fortunately not affected?
I feel the designer gets stuck with accelerated deadlines when the deadlines aren’t met. We are the last to receive content yet still need to deliver on time for an event or project to the client. My methods were changed in that I had to rearrange my schedule of other deadlines to complete the project on time.
Here are some examples of challenges that come up with teams. How do you tweak your approach and planning of your teamwork when dealing with these issues?
One person who prefers to just do it all themselves:
This is fine, if they are communicating what they’re doing and doing it properly.
Difference in creative vision:
Approach needs to be tweaked. A discussion is necessary so we are on the same page, compromise is necessary.
Distance:
Never been a problem.
What do you feel are the advantages of technology?
My web developer is in Canada, so the time difference works for us. Almost as if the team is working 24 hours in the day.
What do you think may be lost by not working face-to-face.
I only find the distance a challenge if my client and I are brainstorming on ideas, it’s easier to do that face to face.
Do you have an approach when looking for new team members?
I have a solid team right now. When I first started, it was unfortunate, but I had developers that didn’t communicate, didn’t translate my designs properly to the web, and repeatedly missed deadlines. I no longer work with these types. Since my teams are all comprised of solopreneurs and self-employed professionals, there is a level of respect we all share for meeting deadlines, proper communication and follow-through to completion.
Any personal advice on working with teams since you now have the attention of the USC Masters of Communication Management audience?
I have found that the most successful teams have a diverse member base. Each team member contributes qualities to the team that they are best at, and a successful team explores all solutions before deciding on the best path.
Don’t ever skip over the brainstorming phase or make a member feel that their voice isn’t heard since that is the phase that paves the way for success or failure of the project.
Thank you Jordan for agreeing to this email interview! I truly appreciate it and wish you much continued success!
Sarah Harris
Wk 09 Application Assignment
CMGT 500
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteGood interview. I get the sense that these are project based teams that are fairly short term in nature. How does knowing that the team is short term affect the dynamics within the team?
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! Jordan's work experience parallels much of what I do for the hospital so I could really relate to the interview. I would completely agree with her comments about technology assisting distance working relationships. Since I am in a rural area finding graphic designers is hard to do so many of those that I work with are out of the area. Most of our communication is by email and occasionally phone. However, she makes a good point about brainstorming sometimes email and even a phone call cannot replace a face-to-face interaction. Although, I have to say that it is rare to have that happen if you have the right composition of team members. She was spot on in her responses.
Ramona
DR. SHIPLEY, I believe the dynamics would remain more on a skills and task-based level. To reiterate Hill's (1995) description, everyone is playing on the same team but with their individual roles and skill sets. Her projects pass from the designer (Jordan) to a letterpress mold maker, to the letterpresser, to the production team, to the calligrapher, and so on. Every person has a specific role in the process and sticks with it, doing it well. For the most part they don't overlap so they don't have to worry much about how their personalities will mesh together or how interactions will be. I feel that the team knows who they want on the team because they respect their talent, and probably their work ethic. It's more important on short-term positions to know that the person you are relying on will come through on time and under budget whereas for long-term jobs, one must focus more deeply on how well people will work together.
ReplyDeleteRAMONA, do you feel that google+ hangout could be a step closer to having face-to-face interaction?
Thank you both for the feedback!