Our AI policy is a shrug wearing a lanyard
The studio has approved experimentation. Nobody has defined the experiment.
Office politics
Our agency is now a collective of people who share a spreadsheet
New structure. Same urgent question about who owns the client call.
Imagine a studio announcing its exciting new collaborative model. The manifesto is elegant. The invoicing tab is on fire.
A smaller or looser team can be a good fit for the work. But changing the company description does not assign responsibility. Someone still has to estimate the project, approve expenses and tell the client that Wednesday has become impossible.
Before assembling the dream team, agree who makes decisions and how the fee is split. Discuss what happens when feedback changes the work or one contributor becomes unavailable. Put the boring parts somewhere everyone can find them.
Creative autonomy is easier to enjoy when you know which decisions are yours. A vague promise that everybody owns everything tends to leave the least assertive person doing the administration.
A useful experiment is a small project with explicit roles. Review how it worked before announcing that you have reinvented the agency forever.
The spreadsheet may remain. That is fine. A spreadsheet with an owner is a surprisingly advanced organisational philosophy.
Your revision is next. Keep rolling
See all dispatches
Collaboration: a group project with better chairs
Shared ownership works better when somebody knows who is sending the file.
Office politics
Your out-of-office reply needs a bouncer
A holiday is difficult to enjoy when your inbox has packed itself into your suitcase.
Office politics