In the world of work, teams must work together. That seems like a no-brainer, but the reality is that most teams work siloed and in competition with each other. I hear from the organizations I work with that this is where the most tension arises. Functional teams tend to work very well together, but when it comes to working together with other functional teams there is a tendency to fight against each other rather than rallying toward a common goal.
Whether advocating rather than inquiring, blaming rather than being curious, teams that work toward independent agendas will not ultimately help the organization achieve its goals. So what is the answer to get every team rowing in the same direction and working with each other?
The answer can be as simple as communicating clarity in order to minimize agendas and confusion. Decisions made at the executive level are communicated in a cascading fashion that inculcates the entire organization, but the work doesn’t stop there. There must be trust, healthy conflict, commitment, and everyone on the team must hold each other accountable to the decision and to working together.
None of this will work however without clarity around:
- Why the organization exists
- How the organization behaves (those in the organization)
- What the organization does
- How the organization will succeed through Strategic Anchors
A leadership team that has done the hard work of defining these questions, will insist that every decision is made in order to prove this framework is true and worthy of everything they do. Decisions made in isolation will always lead to sideways energy and marginal results at best. And this leads to cross-functional team tension and in-fighting. Everything rolls downhill from the CEO and leadership team.
If you’ve discovered your teams are not playing well together, take a look at the organization from their optics. Maybe you’ve communicated the answer to your clarity questions or the decisions that have been made, but people don’t really remember unless they’ve heard it 7 times. Eliminate cross-functional team tension by eliminating confusion. Communicate often, in multiple ways and means and through repetition.
Be the CRO, Chief Reminding Officer. Clarity is kind and strong as garlic!