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Collaborative working always seems like a good idea.
Innovative idea sharing, seamless communication, freeing employees from the friction of cross-department silos…what’s not to like?
Then comes the headache of making it work in practice. Most employers have historically well-defined employee hierarchies that entrench workers within their departments. It’s no surprise that per S&P Global’s Work Execution survey, 72% of employees say they struggle with collaboration. Many workers simply do not have the tools, temperament, or time to facilitate collaboration themselves.
Different types of cross-department collaboration
Provided you have decided that cross-department collaboration is something your organization would benefit from – keep in mind that for some companies, a flatter hierarchy isn’t necessarily the right option – consider there are different structures for collaboration to take place.
Agile or technology implementation teams
HR, like other departments, can turn to the technology department for inspiration on collaboration structures. Many employers have adopted agile teams across their businesses to bring people and processes from different departments together to complete work most effectively, often using technology to do so.
Given their origin, they are frequently used for collaboration on digital transformation projects. “These teams often are created for I.T. staff to design, test, and implement new or enhanced technology,” explains Tony Gigliotti, Senior Director, Talent Management & Organizational Development at UPMC. “However, implementing new technology often occurs in tandem with redesigning workflows, team interactions, roles, and even hierarchy.”
Best practices for agile collaboration include soliciting participation and feedback from non-technical staff and including cross-departmental end users. Fundamentally, it brings together technology, people, and processes around one specific task or project.
Collaboration networks or squads
Collaboration networks or squads comprise employees selected from across the business to consistently work through broader business issues or opportunities. Rather than being unique to one task or project, these networks or squads will consistently work together over time.
Gigliotti offers the example of an experience team, with individuals from multiple departments coming together to evaluate feedback from internal and or external stakeholders, such as employees and customers, based on their interactions and experiences with the organization.
“Participants have opportunities to enhance their understanding of the experience from multiple viewpoints and interactions; recommend approaches to sustain positive and value-added experiences; and identify interventions to mitigate negative experiences,” he explains.
Steering and governance teams
Steering and governance teams often sit above other forms of cross-department collaboration, and address cases where multiple teams are working on different components of an overall project or initiative.
“Governance teams provide opportunities for participants to oversee work teams, monitor their deliverables, and unify their efforts to meet overall project goals and objectives,” shares Gigliotti. “These teams provide cross-departmental participants with opportunities to apply strategic thinking to project and change management while focusing on high-quality outcomes.”
Autonomous, employee-led discussion or company-guided direction?
It can be tricky for employers to balance giving employees – who desire autonomy and flexibility - the freedom to collaborate across departments, with company-guided direction given their busy workloads.
However, regardless of the type of cross-collaboration, there are different strategies to get the balance right.
Firstly, select the right employees for the conversation, specifically those with the knowledge, experience, and expertise to add value and insight to the collaboration, and how their involvement would shape the collaboration. “Consider whether leader participation in the conversation will have a chilling effect on employee feedback,” suggests Gigliotti, adding that organizers must also ensure that employees have the right motivation for participating. “Do they view this conversation as an opportunity to improve the organization? Or, will they leverage this platform only to complain or advance their own agenda?”
Other recommendations from Gigliotti include setting clear expectations and goals for the conversation, establishing psychological safety, encouraging open dialogue that fosters diverse viewpoints and candid conversations, and intervening when confusion or conflict arises.
“Assure employees that all feedback is welcome, even if some is not actionable, explain how the feedback will be used, and allay any employee concerns about negative consequences for providing honest feedback,” he explains. “Identify an internal contact, such as HR, who can intervene and realign a team that drifts from their original charge or becomes mired in conflict.”
Cultural, organizational, developmental: The benefits of facilitating collaboration
Several benefits await HR teams able to create structured opportunities for employees to collaborate across departments or siloes.
Chiefly, identifying and executing the right form of cross-collaboration can help achieve cultural excellence. “When employees work across departments, they can increase their understanding, empathy, and compassion for others in the organization,” explains Gigliotti. “Plus, these employees may deepen their pride in and loyalty to one unified team, which combats the toxic us-versus-them mentality.”
Cross-departmental initiatives also bring developmental benefits and are effective approaches for growing talent. “These opportunities deepen an employee's understanding of the business and enhance an employee's skills, including strategic thinking, collaboration, conflict management, influence, and communications,” Gigliotti adds.
But the spoils don’t just go to employees, who are clamoring for greater collaboration opportunities, or to HR professionals concerned with culture and talent development. Organizations benefit from soliciting multiple and diverse insights from cross-departmental employees, especially in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) environment.
“Diverse perspectives paint a more accurate and holistic picture of the organization,” asserts Gigliotti. “These perspectives also generate a greater array of ideas and potential solutions to complex and challenging problems.”
