What can you learn from leading a cross-functional team?

In my experience, leading cross-functionally requires an open mindset accepting diverse inputs, connecting horizontally to break down any silos, and building together across functions starting from a strategic strawman. Harnessing diverse perspectives and expertise of cross-functional team members with an open mindset can lead to more creative and innovative solutions. Connecting horizontally with effective communication skills helps integrate team members who may have different backgrounds and ways of working. Finally, inclusive leadership and adaptability help create an environment that fosters innovation and enables building solutions together to align the cross-functional team's efforts with broader organization goals.

Identify the right cross-functional team. Participants should reflect the stakeholders impacted by the teams objectives. If the right participants are gathered they inherently learn from each other and understand how they impact each other and will ultimately make the best collective decisions for the organization.

Something I learned at Netflix is a good cross-functional team isn’t about a pecking order of seniority, but the getting actual right people in the room. It’s not a flashy thing about who’s in the club, but about what’s best for the company. With this in mind, build your team with a clear purpose and a shared goal, anchored by a champion (your informed captain) and learn things outside your area of expertise. Finally, go into an XF team with the mindset that an actual meeting isn’t a data dump, but a chance to have meaningful conversation and help make those decisions.

Learnings from leading a cross-functional team: Set clear vision, role, dependencies are critical to help members contribute and make impact. Understand that every contributions are matter (incl. disagreement and conflict) Learn to listen deeply, patient, communication Deliverables are great by trusted, committed, dedicated members.

Kickoff is critical and is an opportunity for the leader to set the team up for success. Set the tone. Introduce the players and give everyone a chance to speak, especially to their strengths. This is an opportunity for the team to learn outside their silos and experience personal growth, as much as it is an opportunity to add business value. Make sure everyone has a role, but encourage them to reach beyond that role, when needed, and collaborate often.

leading a Cross-Functional team will provide valuable learning experiences that go beyond the scope of a traditional team leadership.

Lеading cross-functional tеams еxpands our ability to inspirе, motivatе, and dеvеlop divеrsе talеnt. Lеvеraging this еxpеriеncе will provе invaluablе throughout our lеadеrship journеy. Lеading a cross-functional tеam providеs a uniquе opportunity to bring togеthеr divеrsе pеrspеctivеs, skills, and еxpеriеncеs to achiеvе sharеd goals. As a lеadеr, wе must balancе compеting prioritiеs, managе diffеrеnt working stylеs, and align thе tеam with a common vision which rеquirеs еffеctivе communication, еmpathy, adaptability, and conflict-rеsolution skills.

I have found that conducting a kickoff meeting goes beyond being a mere procedure; it serves as a valuable instrument for enabling cross-functional teams to gain a profound understanding of the project's purpose. Furthermore, it allows team members to become acquainted with both internal and external stakeholders who will play pivotal roles in achieving that purpose. Additionally, it's crucial to share the project's multiple objectives during the meeting, giving everyone a clear understanding of what it aims to achieve. By explaining the reasons behind the project from different angles, considering the diverse perspectives of team members from various parts of the organization, we not only inform but also inspire the team.

This is the essence of a successful self-directed work group. It ensure engagement at the highest level and demonstrates the importance of the project or initiative to the stakeholders and their importance of their contribution.

Leading a cross-functional team offers invaluable lessons in embracing diversity, fostering effective communication, and resolving conflicts constructively. The experience enhances adaptability, sharpens project management skills, and cultivates strategic thinking. As a leader, you learn to build cohesive teams, navigate uncertainties with flexibility, and optimize resource allocation. Networking across various functions becomes a natural outcome, and the entire experience encourages a continuous improvement mindset. Overall, leading a cross-functional team provides a dynamic platform for developing a diverse skill set essential for navigating complex organizational landscapes.

Topics of defined RACI matrix, defined Role & Responsibilities (R&R), & established governance have become a personal pet peeve to illustrate regurgitated textbook materials from non-practitioners that don’t pass personal“sniff tests” as these members lack the depth of insightful experience called wisdom. The better questions become what happen when governance gets violated? Who is the governor to enforce the governance? Those who lack experience will say ESCALATION for sponsors to remove roadblocks. 🤦🏻 The professionals who are adept at becoming resourceful will begin to negotiate without escalation.🎉 People don’t like negotiation because it is stressful as most have never been trained like lawyers. I enjoy negotiations. It’s fun.👍

Leading a cross functional team is a very diverse experience where you have to coordinate and work with diverse skills, technology and mindset. Effective leadership with focus on communication and team building strategy is the key for success. This helps to over come the common pitfalls of miscommunication, silo working and conflicts.

Involve team as much as possible in this process. Some team member may be new to project type of work, methodology or type of work. Be patient in explaining roles and expectations. Clarify if all people have same understanding of roles. It could be that somebody worked on project that had role with same name but different 'job description'.

Many times people come onto a cross-functional team and don't appreciate that their role as a team member is not the same as their role in their everyday job. I've seen a lot of people join teams and think their role on that team is only to share what they know, from their perspective of their position in the organization (i.e., their job title). They miss the importance of their role on the cross-functional team as (1) representing their entire function and functional position on the topics/decisions and (2) sharing the team decision with their function and ensuring compliance to it. The team leader should gain agreement from the team member and their functional leader (if different) on these aspects of the role.

Working backward helps. Start with identifying what you are hoping to accomplish, identify the gaps, and then fill them in with the skills/resources at hand. Agree as a group and allow each team member to define their own details. Don't only settle on RACI; MUST create a DACI & and escalation process. DACI allows you to know who has decision power and will make the call when conflict arises. Some organizational hierarchy makes it easier to escalate than others. Find your way of reaching a consensus and quickly moving forward.

Being in or leading a cross functional team , -makes one appreciate the wisdom of the crowd. - The leader could be able to identify the best person for the job for each of the activity/critical task and make another person buddy with him/her to make the team learn from each other . -the leader could get the opportunity to cross skill people and make resources fungible -leader could also get hands on with swarming techniques (kanban)to move people from one swim lane to another to avoid wait time in any particular swim lane and also to eliminate the idle time of resources.

Because of the varied skillsets found in a cross functional team, having a RACI chart that shows who is responsible for what on a project (based on their skillsets) aids in collaboration and engagement. People can be kept accountable by ensuring constant communication between members. This can lead to quicker deadlines.

Communication and collaboration: Cross-Functional teams consists of members with diverse skills, background and expertise. leading such team teaches as how to communicate effectively across disciplines and bridge the gap between different perspectives.

Meet with the team and individual employees to understand their current role and workplace reality. You cannot do any of the above in terms of assigning roles until you understand this. Remember employees are not starting from the same place.

I was involved in setting up "Self-Directed Work Teams" at a large company a few years ago. This was an empowering way for small groups to work together. But we did find that that making sure we had all the individual tasks covered by a team member, and had collective responsibility and pragmatic metrics, made all the difference. Ensuring alignment for all team members on these agreements are an important element of success.

Working with team members from diverse backgrounds and functions requires a common understanding and alignment on team mission and objectives, as well as the KPIs. The leader should provide a supportive and constructive environment, and foster fact-based, open communication. Through cross-functional leadership, the leader must know the team members' personalities and capabilities, develop strong partnerships, encourage cooperation among the team, and leverage the diverse strengths of team members to achieve collective goals.

One thing I add is to hire better executive teams. If the management culture is built on back-stabs and lack of trust, that will circulate down to all levels.

Enhancing team trust and collaboration involves several key elements. Begin by defining clear roles and responsibilities to prevent overlaps and conflicts. Implement "Freedom within a Framework" to balance guidance and autonomy. Hold regular stakeholder ceremonies to provide progress updates and conflict resolution. Embrace conflicts transparently within the well-defined roles and responsibilities, fostering innovation. When possible, in-person events help strengthen team bonds. This holistic approach ensures a cohesive, innovative, and collaborative cross-functional team.

Leading a cross-functional team can teach you how to build trust and motivate individuals from different departments who may have different priorities and goals. You can learn strategies to foster a sense of collective purpose and enthusiasm among team members.

Adaptability and Flexibility: Will learn how to adapt management style to accommodate different work style, priorities and ways of thinking.

I recommend 2 things to create a strong team culture of trust and collaboration: 1) Get the team to get to know each other. CliftonStrengths (by Gallup) or other personality assessments facilitated by a trained coach can help team members learn about how each person shows up, what they are good at and what they need to succeed. The right session can create immediate results of engagement and inclusion. 2) Create "rules of engagement" that establish how all team members are expected to behave and treat each other. Examples are "assume best intentions" or "discuss conflicts privately" or "allow questions before closing discussion." Create these norms by gathering ideas together as a team, then summarize into 5-10 norms that are enforced.

I would balance the team norms vs person norms. For example, some people are more reserved and others are more outgoing. By letting everyone one how best to collaborate with the person, the team will naturally work better too.

Trust is established by clearly communicating motive and intent. Not just at leadership level but across all roles and functions. Collaboration is a learnt skill set that must have space for trialling so think about how you want to do this cross teams as project lead. Final point change the language to change mindset and outcome. Replace conflict and focus on solutions and resolution. Conflict makes people fearful and hesitant so avoid the 'c' word.

Nurturing team trust and collaboration is akin to nurturing the growth of a successful labeling strategy. Much like the symbiotic relationship between labeling compliance and patient safety, team cohesion hinges on mutual respect and shared understanding. Open lines of communication, frequent information sharing, and constructive feedback create a strong team culture. Addressing conflicts with a problem-solving mindset enhances collaboration. Techniques such as icebreakers, regular check-ins, and agreed-upon team norms facilitate the building of trust. By embracing diversity and fostering a culture of open dialogue, we harness the collective creativity of the team, resonating with the precision required in labeling endeavors.

Diverse viewpoints can lead to conflicts and disagreements. leading a cross-functional team teaches how to manage and resolve conflicts constructively with the solution that consider all the perspectives.

Leading cross-functional teams often involves dealing with complex problems and environments that require flexibility and adaptability to altering conditions and requirements. In such cases, the new conditions or changing requirements should be very well understood and shared among the team. The leader needs to convey the new expectations and requirements very clearly and openly; but on the other hand should be open to receiving team's concerns, questions, and address them at max level applicable, so as to restore the momentum and collaboration, mitigate potential risks of frustration or unclarity, and move the team for the new set of objectives.

Know how you want to respond to challenge and change cross teams before it happens. This needs to be clearly defined and agreed to before commencing a project. Without the communication rules of team engagement and enjoyment you will be flying blind. Set up regular team check ins to talk about gaps, threats and risks and the solutions. Make sure you have clear agendas and actions when doing this work. It needs to be fair and equitable across all roles and functions

Either you are leading the team or are a member of the team, it is crucial to understand that one key to cross-functional success is understanding the difference between yours and any other function. Other teams may have different: working style, communication style, goals, pace, etc. Be open to build the relationship and adapt to different dynamics. You're collaborating to join efforts and reach common goals.

Cross functional teams can have conflict. That is a growth opportunity for you as a leader. How do you handle it? Can you handle it continuously?

If possible, introduce agile way of working, but be aware that it takes some time for team to adjust to such way of working if there is no previous experience. Take care of communication. Organize frequent brief calls and encourage team members to set up their calls as needed. Show by example how to communicate in open and respectful way. If you see that there is misunderstanding on calls, help to clarify it.

Adapting to changes in our team has been eye-opening in my role as a Labeling Project Manager. It's like fine-tuning labeling details to fit evolving regulations. We've found that embracing feedback and tackling challenges head-on makes us stronger. Learning from both successes and setbacks keeps us moving forward. Just as agile methods boost efficiency, staying flexible helps us navigate changes, delivering great results every time.

Project/Program Managers have to own up to the heavy lifting to keep the team(s) moving towards the goal line. After years of managing several types of teams for a variety of projects, teams always transition to "Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing".

The best way is just listen. Take a step back and talk to your team. One by one. They will tell you everything you need to know and how to adjust the approach if needed.

Communication is essential. How you convey to team members that changes are inevitable, helps them to cope, learn, and improve to be a more dynamic team.

We regularly set ourselves ambitious goals or, in the case of start-ups, are given them by VCs, for example. So there is enormous pressure, but it also enables us to make enormous progress. In my experience, high pressure - from whatever direction - can only be withstood if successes are duly celebrated. Celebrating success is important for one's own motivation and the motivation of the whole team. The famous expression "work hard, party hard" is not used without good reason.

Diversity in expertise and viewpoints often leads to innovative solutions. leading a cross-functional team exposes you to creative problem-solving techniques that draw on the collective intelligence of the team

Celebrate team achievements if you need to reengage the team in the future. The higher the effort and grit required the bigger the reward.

I love leading cross-functional teams. It is always a learning experience for me. I get to learn about multiple departments, their successes, their challenges, and I know about the people. Usually, I work with managers, SMEs, and individual contributors. These are the best people to learn from. I hear directly from the front line about what is happening and what they need. I get to introduce solutions just by introducing people. Companies that work in silos have problems that can be easily fixed by fostering communication. These types of projects help the overall company exponentially if handled correctly.

Leading cross-functional teams reveals critical insights into effective collaboration. A key lesson is leveraging team members' strengths by assigning tasks aligned with their abilities, and optimizing overall performance. Clear communication is pivotal—ensuring everyone comprehends project objectives and has essential resources fosters shared goals. Acknowledging each team member's value is crucial for morale and team dynamics. Recognition inspires a collaborative environment, motivating individuals to contribute their best. Creating a space for open communication encourages idea-sharing and innovation, fostering a culture where diverse perspectives are valued.

Some takeaways from working in a cross functional leadership are: 1. You get better at decision making because you have inputs from other departments and leaders 2. Your collaboration skills improve because you have to work with people from other backgrounds and responsibilities but are all trying to hit the same organizational goal(s) 3. You will learn to delegate because you understand the value that the other teams bring including knowing their strengths. 4. You will get opportunities to help other teams achieve their goals and in turn meet or exceed the company's goals

💡Learn to WIN BIG Together💡 Leading a cross-functional team teaches you to harness diverse skills and perspectives, fostering collaboration and innovation. Together, you learn to tackle complex challenges, achieve greater results, and celebrate collective victories. It's about winning big, not alone, but as a united team!

The most I learnt about is People, perspectives and how you direct them towards a common objective. Cross-functional leadership gives best opportunity to truly appreciate the power of diversity.

As a marketing & communications expert I have made the experience that one of the key success factors in leading cross functional teams / projects is to structure communications well. Some thoughts: - Set up regular check-ins / reviews with a recurring structure (e.g. successes, status quo, next steps) - Enable anonymous feedback (for the introverts) and discuss it with the team - Set up meeting moderation, ideally with rotating moderators (not only managers) - Start the project with talking about strengths of each individual as a person, not only job-related roles and competences. I've made good experiences with Gallupp Strength Finder. It is also fun to get to know your colleagues as people and it fosters trust.

Always take the opportunity to lead cross functional teams. I've had the pleasure of working with and leading global teams where I've learned patience, better decision making and conflict resolution, and been able to give/gain trust. Leading from the front is key - identify and improve roadblocks and processes and recognize/reward progress. The teams will love you for it!

All teams excel when the team members have a good understanding of what the other team members do and how they are expected to contribute. The most important thing to do when managing a cross-functional team is to build a common understanding of the process, problem, new invention that the team is working on. This is best accomplished through working sessions where you as the leader ensure that the team is discussing this opportunity at hand and making sure everyone is contributing. As a leader you must call on people to add value when their expertise is needed. Especially in our new world of working remotely it is critical that you specifically call out and engage individuals to ensure noone controls the narrative.

What comes to my mind competition, as we knows , I manage and coordinate projects with different countries and then it becomes a competitive approach by the participants and each one contradicts the other because their agendas are different , focusing on the goal , was the permanent solution, if I would follow agendas of others the work will be stagnated. In a diverse project Hard to work on different agendas but one agenda ghat reaches the desired goals. Keep focus on how ethically you can get where you want to get to reach your goals , but keep your ethical standard.

My favorite shorthand for this team leader ship model is GRPI - goals, roles, process, and interpersonal. Each level builds from the layer above and problems in one layer are generally a function of a lack of clarity in the previous. For instance, if there is interpersonal conflict among team members, it may be because process is not clear. The process may not be clear because the roles of each team member are ill-defined. And the necessary roles may be unclear if the goal is not clearly articulated. Working through this model together, and creating a written working agreement, collaboratively authored by the group, is one of the fastest ways to build high-performing teams.