Cross-team collaboration is one of the most important parts of a healthy workplace. It's what helps us stay on top of our game, and what makes us more efficient. In today’s atmosphere, we're constantly competing with not just other companies – or in this instance associations – but also other people. The need to be able to work together in order to stay competitive is imperative.
We all know that one of the best ways to improve is with collaboration between departments, as it allows them to work together to create something bigger than any one of them could have done on their own. It's like LEGOs. You can't build anything with one block, but when you add more pieces, the possibilities become endless.
Think about it.
- An individual may be highly knowledgeable on a subject, but a group brings multiple ideas and experiences to the table.
- An individual may be a hard worker, but as the saying goes, "Many hands make light work."
- An individual may be naturally creative, but different ideas and perspectives lead to innovation and better outcomes.
Sounds great and all, but how do you get started?
The first step is figuring out your goals: What do you want your team to accomplish? Why are they collaborating in the first place? These are questions that need answers before you can move forward with any kind of collaboration.
Once you've got these details hammered out, it's time for some research. You must know what tools and processes will work best for your team – and even then, there's no guarantee that any one thing will be perfect for everyone involved.
After all this legwork, it's finally time to start working! Make sure everyone knows what they're supposed to do and how they're supposed to do it and keep an eye on progress as projects move forward. This is where active communication comes in handy:
- Set up a meeting area in an open space where people can easily talk with each other about their projects and ideas. Make sure they have a common goal. What is their ultimate goal? It should be something that everyone can relate to, like increasing revenue or getting new members.
- Make sure everyone knows what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done by. This will help them feel more accountable for their work, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Get them talking. You might think that this is obvious, but it's not always easy for people who have been working together for a long time to actually talk about what they're working on and how it fits into the overall mission.
- Encourage patience and positive thinking – when people are feeling frustrated or overwhelmed, it's easy for them to give up on collaboration altogether!
The benefits of cross-team collaboration are endless: it improves creativity and productivity, increases team morale (and therefore retention), and more. The best part about this, though? It’s not a one-size fits all approach. You don't even have to be in a large organization to experience these benefits by collaborating with different departments – or the entire staff if it’s small. And if you have a problem that needs solving and your team doesn't have all the pieces? You just bring in more perspectives so that you can continue building that LEGO masterpiece.
