What are the top strategies for managing a Gaming Industry team during rapid growth?

1 Hire smart and diversify

One of the most important steps to manage a gaming industry team during rapid growth is to hire smart and diversify your talent pool. You need to look for people who have the skills, experience, and passion for your genre, platform, and audience, but also who can bring fresh perspectives, ideas, and backgrounds to your team. Hiring smart means not only finding the right fit for your current needs, but also anticipating your future ones, and investing in training, mentoring, and career development for your employees. Diversifying your team means embracing diversity in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, culture, age, and ability, and creating an inclusive and respectful environment where everyone can thrive and contribute.

2 Communicate clearly and frequently

Another key strategy to manage a gaming industry team during rapid growth is to communicate clearly and frequently with your team members, stakeholders, and customers. You need to establish and share your vision, goals, and expectations, and align them with your team's roles, responsibilities, and performance indicators. You also need to provide regular feedback, recognition, and support, and encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing among your team members. Communicating frequently means not only using various channels and tools, such as email, chat, video calls, and project management software, but also creating opportunities for face-to-face interaction, such as team meetings, workshops, and social events.

3 Adapt and optimize your processes

A third strategy to manage a gaming industry team during rapid growth is to adapt and optimize your processes to suit your changing needs, challenges, and opportunities. You need to review and update your workflows, standards, and best practices, and ensure they are consistent, efficient, and scalable. You also need to adopt agile and flexible methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, that allow you to deliver value to your customers faster, more frequently, and with higher quality. Adapting and optimizing your processes means not only improving your productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction, but also fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement among your team members.

4 Balance creativity and discipline

A fourth strategy to manage a gaming industry team during rapid growth is to balance creativity and discipline in your team's work. You need to encourage and nurture your team's creativity, innovation, and experimentation, and give them the autonomy, resources, and feedback they need to express their ideas and talents. You also need to enforce discipline, accountability, and professionalism in your team's work, and ensure they follow the rules, deadlines, and quality standards you have set. Balancing creativity and discipline means not only creating games that are original, fun, and engaging, but also delivering them on time, on budget, and on scope.

5 Celebrate and reward your successes

A fifth strategy to manage a gaming industry team during rapid growth is to celebrate and reward your successes, both big and small. You need to acknowledge and appreciate your team's achievements, efforts, and contributions, and show them how their work impacts your customers, your company, and your industry. You also need to reward your team's performance, behavior, and loyalty, and offer them incentives, bonuses, and benefits that match their expectations and needs. Celebrating and rewarding your successes means not only boosting your team's morale, motivation, and retention, but also building a strong and positive reputation for your company and your games.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?