And if you have members across different locations, your communications tools will be the primary way you collaborate. You will probably not see one another every day, so you'll be using these tools a lot. Does everyone weigh in on everything? When can the team leader act unilaterally?Īnother fundamental step for building a successful cross-functional team is choosing the right communications tools. But you can't reach those solutions unless you can effectively navigate your differences.įinally, everyone should be clear on how your team will make decisions. Cross-functional teams are all about finding better solutions by bringing together diverse people. Team members must feel safe speaking up, even if they are disagreeing. In addition to clear expectations on contributions, your team also needs a clear sense of how everyone is expected to behave. Each member needs to do their share so that no one feels overburdened. Again, this is something really valuable to do when a team is launching, but it’s never too late to do on an existing team.įirst, get super clear about what's expected of everyone. Once a leader is in place, one of the first things they should do is work with the rest of the team to establish ground rules about how things will get done. Setting the ground rules for a cross-functional team That creates stress, pressure and frustration, especially if some on the team are falling short.īut even if a team is working efficiently and professionally, it can end up being ineffective if it lacks the authority to take action and gets hung up waiting on approvals or decisions from organization leaders. When a team includes members with at different levels, power dynamics can get tricky.Īnd then there's the simple fact that cross-functional teams are extra work for members who are also part of a departmental team. That's not the only personnel issue that can derail cross-functional teams. They focus on looking after their own interests or their department's interests instead of the team goal. With no clear goal and no path to get there, a team gets stuck spinning its wheels.Īnother big reason that cross-functional teams get off track is that members have competing priorities or obligations. The team may not be given (or may fail to quickly decide) key parameters, such as how long they have to achieve their goal and how much they can spend. Sometimes a cross-functional team is tasked with a fuzzy or ill-defined mission. What are the challenges of cross-functional teams?Īll that said, it might surprise you to learn that about 75% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional. So how can you help make any cross-functional team that you're a part of – or even leading – more, well, functional? We've got your complete guide. When they work well, these teams speed innovation and enhance members' skills and job satisfaction.Īnd when they don't? There's nothing like wasting a bunch of time and energy without getting results (unless increased stress and animosity is what you’re seeking). The truth is that cross-functional teams can go either way. Cringe! You're having flashbacks to those group projects you hated in school: misunderstandings, disagreements, procrastination, that one guy who spaced on everything.They're like "The Avengers"! Everyone brings together their unique super powers to conquer a challenge.When you think about cross-functional teams, which one of these scenarios most closely matches your first reaction? It typically includes employees from all levels of an organization. What is a cross-functional team? A cross-functional team is a group of people with a variety of expertise who come together to achieve a common goal.
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