What a Gamer Taught Me About Organizational Success

Inspired lessons about organizations can materialize when we least expect them. I was given a quick primer in organizational effectiveness from an unlikely source last week — my son — home on holiday from college. The topic? An enthusiastic endorsement of gaming developer Valve's, highly evolved distribution channel Steam.

You might be familiar with Valve — the uber innovative gaming company that has turned organizational psychology on its proverbial ear. With the release of their Employee Handbook, Valve gave us a glimpse into their flat organizational structure, innovative teaming practices and desks on wheels. Valve flung many of our preconceived notions about organizational structure directly in the face of conventional wisdom. It left me breathless and intrigued.

Steam is equally as exciting, but for reasons that might be considered a bit more mainstream. Here, their success is rooted in nearly flawless execution. Developers by trade, Valve seems uniquely positioned to craft a distribution channel. With gaming in their DNA, they have an uncanny understanding of what their customers really want — never ending challenge, control over their gaming experiences and a developed player community. It a lesson in success, from which we all could borrow.

More of what Steam is doing right:

• They are disruptive. Steam helped change the course of how games are distributed, moving away from boxed items and turning toward a purely digital, downloadable format. Their model is flexible and extremely responsive to changes in the gaming world — a must for gamers who want the "latest and greatest" experience.
• They really, really love what they do. High quality gaming experiences are clearly a passion for Steam. Whether it is their own offerings (through Valve), or those of another developer, excitement rules — and this is felt in every nook and cranny of their website.
• They know the customer. In many ways they are their own customers (40 million +). This keen understanding puts them ahead of the sales equation - where they have the ability to build a set of options they would want to use. Once you download a game, it's yours - and generally there are no additional fees. You can even pre-order and pre-load an upcoming title, so upon release you are among the first to play.
• They encourage community. The importance of a strong online community is becoming quite clear and Steam is firmly on board with this notion. Steam serves as a social network for players, where they can link with like-minded gamers who play what you play, through friend "requests". At any time you can see who is on-line, and what is popular. Steam also crowd sources enhanced game content from community members, to augment the gaming experience. This is accomplished through posted questions and challenges.
• They are sustainable. Organizations need to remain relevant to succeed. Steam does this through the development of new titles — offering exposure to Indie developers (and their beta platforms) through their accelerator program Steam Greenlight. For a negligible fee early versions can be exposed to Steam's extensive online community - where they decide if they would like to see the title as a permanent offering. Sweet.

What else can we learn from the gaming industry? Your ideas (even in beta form) welcome here.

Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. She is the Director of Thought Leadership at Kilberry Leadership Advisors, Toronto. She is also writes The Office Blend.