What Wu-Tang can teach us about functional teams

Matt Northam @mattnortham

Wu-Tang Forever 1997

Matt Northam @mattnortham

Matt Northam @mattnortham Da Mystery of Chessboxin’ Squad goals with the Wu-Tang Clan

RZA GZA / Genius Ol’ Dirty Bastard Method Man Inspectah Deck Raekwon Ghostface Killah Masta Killa U-God Cappadonna

“ Back in the day, the members didn’t all know each other well, because we didn’t mess with people from different projects. RZA was the middleman. Brought them all to the table because he knew them all from living around NY. – Raekwon

“ At this initial stage, the team is essentially a collection of individuals beginning to think about the project and the role they’ll fill. Each person is operating from their personal vantage point, focused on the “what’s in it for me” reasons for joining the team. – Leah Ryder (Trello)

“ Since everyone is off on their own island, it's up to the team leader to kick off the team direction and paint a picture of the work to be done. Opportunities and challenges are discussed, and goals are laid out. What everyone needs most is a clear understanding of their part in the journey. – Leah Ryder (Trello)

“ “If y’all give me five years of your life, I promise you in five years I’m going to take us to the top.” And so we gave each other our word. The Wu-Tang Clan was born. – RZA

“ A team is the evolution of the workgroup. You need a team when you need a multi-disciplinary group to act in a coordinated manner over time toward a shared goal. – Christina Wodtke

“ A team is the evolution of the workgroup. You need a team when you need a multi-disciplinary group to act in a coordinated manner over time toward a shared goal. – Christina Wodtke Team Vs Workgroup

Enter The Wu-Tang 1993

“ We reinvented the way hip hop was structured, and what I mean is, you have a group signed to a label, yet … we still could negotiate with any label we wanted. – RZA

Aug 1994 Sep 1995 Oct 1996

Maintain a shared approach Working on sub tasks

Share your workings Working on sub tasks

“ I went to get Cappa because I knew he had what we needed to complete that record. There’s certain songs that you just can’t get that rhythm to, no matter how much time you put in. Then you bring the right person in and bam – that’s exactly what it needed! –U-God

Give & ask for feedback Working on sub tasks

Have a focal point Working on sub tasks

Stay in touch Working on sub tasks

“ Everyday we’d link up and talk about what steps we were taking that day to carry out the master plan. – U-God

Venture outside Working on sub tasks

Inclusive decision making Working on sub tasks

Wu-Tang Forever 1997

“ In what I’m calling a collective, you see shared decision making and shared responsibility for goals. All members have a clear vision for what they want their results to be, and they both help each other and hold each other responsible. – Christina Wodtke

“ Wu-Tang started out as a dictatorship. Then it went to something like a democracy … They can all function independently, although they’re organised under one umbrella, one family. – RZA

“ A way is to look at it as someone who creates the foundations to support their teams growth and development. Create conditions for individuals to thrive and reach their potential. Those individuals can then provide that support to others. – Alicia Liu

“ A way is to look at it as someone who creates the foundations to support their teams growth and development. Create conditions for individuals to thrive and reach their potential. Those individuals can then provide that support to others. – Alicia Liu Leader Team Team Leader

The W 2000 Iron Flag 2001

“ .. that kind of window makes you right and stressed. You cant get loose with that deadline hanging over your head. When you’re rushing to complete something , often you don’t bring your A-game with you, and more often than not that’ll be revealed on the final track. – U-God

Anxiety Inferiority Avoidance Desperation Resentment Time urgency

“ It’s like being a coach and you won rings back in the day, but now your team is in ninth place. – Raekwon The winning formula was lost, the focus on production of the music took a nosedive, the guys spent less and less time together recording, thus the music was flawed.. this subsequently created a domino effect on the group. – U-God We haven't been on the same page in years. It is what it is. Sometimes that match burns out. – GZA

8 Diagrams 2007 A Better Tomorrow 2014

“ My thing is … we’re on different pages when it comes to being creative because RZA, you’re not in the field no more. I’m still paying attention to what’s going on and an amazing group that’s got so much potential to be bigger than what they are if they just focus. – Raekwon

“ I said, ‘Y’all have been making records without me for 6 years, and they didn’t go anywhere. They didn’t sell nothing.’ And then they’re saying, ‘Your ish has been weak’. – RZA

“ It sounded real horrible. – Ghostface Killah

Handling conflict

See something? Say something. Handling conflict

Deferred ≠ Avoided Handling conflict

Be aware of people’s intentions Handling conflict

Have empathy Handling conflict

Identify the nature of conflict Model good communication Identify shared goals Encourage difficult conversations Handling conflict

“ It was just business, nothing personal. –U-God

The Saga Continues 2017

“ Form Storm Norm Perform – Bruce Tuckman

“ Form Storm Norm Perform Adjourn – Bruce Tuckman

“ Never let go of your cream, never let go of your dream / Players retire, but they never let go of the team – Method Man

“ Even with all our confidence, ability, and drive, we could never see the future with 100% clarity - no-one can. We just had to do the best we could, bringing it every single time, every single day. – U-God

👐 @mattnortham