There is inherent chaos in bringing a vision together when juggling technical, architectural, time, cost and client concerns. That’s why you need to set your team up like The Wu-Tang Clan

National Public Radio (NPR) ran a story the other day about The Wu-Tang Clan and their business and team architecture, so-to-speak. I never really put NPR and Wu-Tang together in my head before, but I was happy for the story and found it interesting. Parts of it were even relevant to my job.

For those not versed in New York Hip-Hop:

“The Wu-Tang Clan (pronounced /’wu?tæ?/) is a highly influential hip hop group from New York City … They have introduced and launched the careers of affiliated artists and groups, often collectively known as the Wu-Tang Killa Bees. In 2007, MTV ranked Wu-Tang the fifth greatest hip hop group of all time, and in 2008, About.com ranked them the number one greatest hip hop group of all time, and stated “No weapon in hip-hop history can rival the chaotic cohesion of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Clan had so many characters, each with his own eccentricities. They were fearless in their approach. There’s a good reason no group has been able to successfully recreate their sound.” – Wikipedia

Teams & Chaotic Cohesion

It’s the “chaotic cohesion” in the quote above that stands out to me as a Creative/UX/UI Designer. The ability to bring an ephemeral vision of a brand, site or product into being requires the cohesion of a smart and solid creative team. But there is inherent chaos in bringing that vision together when juggling technical, architectural, time,cost and client concerns.

That’s why you need to set your team up like The Wu-Tang Clan. A quote from the group’s 36 Chambers album that stands out to me:

“We form like Voltron and GZA happen to be the head You know what I’m sayin?”

And here’s where Voltron comes in. Voltron was (and is):

“A team of five young pilots commanding five robot lions which could be combined to form Voltron. In this undefined future era,the Voltron Force was in charge of protecting the planet Arus (ruled by Princess Allura) from the evil King Zarkon (from planet Doom), his son Lotor, and the witch Haggar, who would create huge Robeasts to terrorize the people of Arus.”

Each Voltron member had its own robot-lion spaceship and special power that helped it defeat enemies of the galaxy. However, whenever one of those threats was too great for one member to overcome, the team would form into Voltron and defeat the attacker, bringing peace and tranquility to the galaxy once more… or something like that. The point is: each individual on a team was incredible, but it was the dynamic of the team together that got the job done.

Form Like Voltron

Think of the great teams you’ve worked on over the years. So often, it wasn’t the pay or even the project that was necessarily the best part of working; it was the team around you who pushed you, “encouraged” you to work faster and better, made you more awesome —and got your back. Of course, there are times when working together can cause disagreements, but forming like Voltron is the only way big, revolutionary projects come to fruition.

Earlier we learned that GZA is the head of the Wu-Voltron. GZA is “The Genius,” the one with the vision. He, along with RZA, the Wu’s producer-extraordinaire, lay the roadmap but rely on the other 7 core members to be The Wu-Tang Clan proper.

Individually, each member of Wu can stand alone and produce brilliant work — and they do. However, it’s when there’s strong leadership and cohesion between team members that each member is pushed to shine to his fullest.

In the world of the Web, it takes Information Architects, Production Designers, Art Directors, and all the members of a team to produce brilliance in much the same manner. And often with the same soundtrack.

When you’re building a team, hiring or choosing how to staff a project, who do you bring on? What skills and personalities are necessary to build that core team? How do you form Voltron? Let us know by leaving a comment and be sure to follow MIX Online on Twitter @mixonline, and me @systim.