What is a cross-functional team?
Cross-functional teams in an organization comprise the members across all the departments, including finance, production, sales, marketing, and quality assurance. They all work in tandem to achieve a common goal for the organization. All of them perform specific projects which aim towards one primary purpose.
Every organization has various departments that, when they cooperate, can lead to improved decision-making and sustainable problem-solving. Instead of the departments being in conflict and competing for resources, they can all optimize on time, money, and effort invested. Failure to bring cohesion to all the departments can lead to the entity’s collapse. So, enhancing cross-functional teams integrates the actions and input of different departments, leading to faster achieving the organization’s goals.
Creating an Effective Cross-Functional Team
Ensure there is diversity in the team
The cornerstone for an effective cross-functional team is the diversity of its members. In this case, diversity means people of different ages, gender, race, background, viewpoint, statuses, and so on. Diversity is not based on expertise only.
Have clear goals for the team
For the team to be practical and functional, it must have clear goals for the project. Also, ensure the project is not too wide; otherwise, it might overwhelm the team. Set clear goals and workable milestones with deadlines.
Employ influencers
Team members from various departments should include influencers. Their role is to communicate the project’s progress, the how’s and why’s across the departments.
Promote healthy and positive conflict resolution
Conflicts in cross-functional teams are inevitable due to the contrast in expertise, viewpoints, and experience. The organization can conduct conflict resolution training and team-building for all members and avail an opportunity for interacting on a personal level.
Discourage hierarchies and assert the authority of the team
The organization should discourage a hierarchical approach for the cross-functional team to be effective and productive. All members need their viewpoints respected despite the level of expertise or experience.
Benefits of Cross-Functional Teams
Improved coordination across various departments in the organization
Coordination of departments such as production, marketing, and sales can make or break the business, especially in SaaS companies. For instance, if the goals of the sales teams and marketing teams’ goals cannot align, then the production team cannot make a product that satisfies both departments and answers client needs.
Improved process and innovation of the product
An organization operating in a silo cannot identify and implement improvements on the product. However, the cross-functional team can identify and apply best practices for various processes. The result would be an innovative product that satisfies the market.
Reducing Cycle Times
Cross-functional teams can help the organization identify and fix a recurring pain point, thus reducing the cycle times drastically. They recognize the cause of the inefficiency and work together to find a solution that works.
What are cross-functional teams? It is a team composed of experts from various departments in an organization that works together to achieve a company’s goals.
