'Maybe it’s too much to ask the rigid hierarchies at other development houses to drastically shift to this free-loving hippie way of conducting business, but it shouldn’t be too much for those companies to treat their employees like adults. 'When you’re an entertainment company that’s spent the last decade going out of its way to recruit the most intelligent, innovative, talented people on Earth, telling them to sit at a desk and do what they’re told obliterates 99 percent of their value. It simplifies planning and makes it easier to control a large group of people from the top down, which is why military organizations rely on it so heavily. “The Hierarchy is great for maintaining predictability and repeatability. Mainly, it’s about how not to freak out now that you’re here.” Hiring the right peopleĪspiring to greatness begins with hiring the right people and the handbook puts a huge emphasis on hiring right. This handbook is about the choices you’re going to be making and how to think about them.

Valve works in ways that might seem counterintuitive at first. “This book isn’t about fringe benefits or how to set up your workstation or where to find source code. Although the goals in this book are important, it's really your ideas, talent, and energy that will keep Valve shining in the years ahead. As Valve continues to grow, we hope that these principles will serve each new person joining our ranks. This book is an abbreviated encapsulation of our guiding principles. A place where incredibly talented individuals are empowered to put their best work into the hands of millions of people, with very little in their way. 'In 1996, we set out to make great games, but we knew back then that we had to first create a place that was designed to foster that greatness. The handbook is subtitled: 'A fearless adventure in knowing what to do when no one's there telling you what to do.' Valve’s culture and is built on the premise that there are no managers, with each member of staff able to choose the project he or she is working on. Jeff Grubb at GameBeat confirms the authenticity of the handbook and points to some important lessons.

The handbook suggests that there is a lot more going on at Valve. Valve’s success has been attributed in part to Gabe Newell, Valve’s founder and managing director.

Gabe newell these things take time