I don’t attempt to coordinate. I just disengage until someone needs information.”
While cross-team collaboration is essential to tackle an organization's most pressing challenges, it is not enough to merely bring together team members from different functions and expect them to work together seamlessly and successfully. As evidenced by the above quote from a software engineer who was brought into a cross-functional team at a leading technology company, it's easy to group people together in a room or Slack channel, but it's an entirely different story to have them work together in effective ways that produce impactful outcomes.
Cross-functional teams often fail to live up to expectations without a clear vision paired with well-defined roles and responsibilities connected with consistent communication patterns in order to get the most out of these teams.
McChrystal Group was brought in to support the launch and execution of three new cross-functional project teams, which were tapped to play a crucial role in the company’s long-term strategic success.
Challenges
Teams Not aligned to the Organization's Wider Goals or Each Other
A year after formation, members of these teams did not feel like they were part of a well-functioning team but rather a loose assembly of people. Several workshops were held to understand the challenges faced by each of the three teams. Across all workshop participants, 43% reported not knowing basic information about the team they were on, such as purpose, strategy, timelines, or even who other team members were. This led to disengagement and a lack of productive activity.
Each of the three cross-functional teams had been created to drive forward a specific part of the company strategy, yet team members did not understand how each team aligned with that strategy. Approximately 70% of team members reported they did not feel like their team was aligned with the broader strategy – instead focusing on short-term “busy work” that didn’t contribute toward the stated long-term goals. Further, 36% said the three teams weren’t aligned with each other, often duplicating work or pursuing lines of effort that actively undermined the other teams.
Poorly Defined Responsibilities Slowed Decision Making
Slow decision making was identified as one of the most significant challenges facing each of the three teams. It was caused by a lack of clarity on who owned which decisions. Additionally, it was reported that decisions were often revisited, which led to delays sometimes lasting up to a year.
My greatest daily challenge is wondering if I own a decision, or when I’m supposed to escalate/delegate to someone else.”
Solutions
Clarified Team Structure, Strategy and Purpose
Two interactive “working sessions” were carried out for each group to clarify the purpose of each team, how that purpose aligned with the company’s broader strategy, and how each team was structured. Designed and facilitated by McChrystal Group, these sessions allowed team members to work alongside their leadership to understand each team's direction and strategy better while also providing space for them to share pressing issues with each other. At the end of these sessions, informed by team discussions, Team Charters were released to all members (and stored on knowledge management systems) as a one-stop resource on each team’s purpose, strategy, and current priorities.
Created Lasting Communications Process
A bespoke Communications Forum was created for each of the three teams to ensure they maintained adequate situational awareness. Each forum included dedicated time for updates from leadership, updates from team members on completed tasks, and culture-building moments (such as celebrating team promotions or personal achievements). Having aligned each team through the working sessions, these forums ensure that each team stays aligned going forward.
Trained Key Team Members to Ensure Continuity
While this tech company had exceptionally talented software developers in their teams, many expressed discomfort with public speaking or difficulty in explaining their projects in a way easily understood by those not on their immediate team. Training sessions were carried out with key team members – such as the Chiefs of Staff and the heads of each line of effort – to give them the tools needed to give impactful and relevant project updates. Additional coaching was provided after each Forum to allow continual honing of skills.
RESULTS
Greater Clarity
Thanks to the working sessions, team members were able to articulate the purpose, strategy, and timelines for each of the three teams. There was also a greater understanding of how team actions were aligned to the overall company’s strategy. In our end-of-engagement survey, 92% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were able to articulate what their team was doing and why.
We finally have clarity to the big picture, ownership and priorities, and I’m feeling more like I’m part of a team.”
Improved Situational Awareness
The Communications Forums were well received – particularly for their ability to provide real-time updates on progress on assorted lines of effort. All participants agreed or strongly agreed that they now know how their team is doing and whether it is "on track" or "off track.” With increased awareness of what team members were doing, there was less wasted time as team members did not accidentally duplicate efforts.
The forum has been very effective. There are so many threads going on, the forum has been very effective at bringing them to the larger group, discussing them and bringing everyone up to speed on the progress of those initiatives.”
More Confident Decision Making
While the working sessions clarified who owned what decisions, the Communications Forums ensured that team members had access to the information needed to make informed and timely decisions. More than 90% of survey respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the Forums enabled them to make more effective decisions.
This upfront work to teach and embed processes that will help these cross-functional teams, in the long run, may seem like a lot of work at the start, yet it will pay dividends throughout the team's lifespan. Instead of diving right into the work, pausing to discuss how the team will work has proved invaluable. Spending time developing these norms has ensured the work is performed well. These teams are now being asked to drive innovation by increasing the organization's ability to sense changes in the environment and respond quickly to them.
Resources
