How to Improve Collaboration Across Teams for Effective Communication

07 June 2023

In increasing cross-team collaboration, a company often finds it difficult to communicate thoughts or opinions. This can be triggered by companies that do not have a systematic approach. Lack of accountability and less specific goals will be detrimental for a team.

Collaboration across teams drives continuous improvement of the company. However, building trust in a team is also not an easy thing. When you are in a team that collaborates with multiple departments, communication will be a challenge.

How to Improve Collaboration Across Teams

Collaboration across teams requires a lot of trust. Through this collaboration, employees can tap into the organization's collective knowledge base and benefit from a much greater range of skills and abilities.

This can avoid overlapping work, speed problem solving, and spark innovation. To give you an idea of how to improve cross-team collaboration in your company, here are some ways to build a collaborative work environment:

1. Build a culture of collaboration

Cross-team collaboration is only possible if you make it a habit. Therefore, invite your team members to work together across teams. Apply a culture of mutual respect, so that the team will respect and respect each other.

2. Technology combination

To get the job done, different teams often use a variety of different tools. This can easily hinder collaboration across teams. Therefore, by combining tools and making everyone use the same technology, you will improve communication and simplify logistics and resources.

3. Choose the right team members

Growing companies have learned that putting the right people in the right positions can do the job and generate positive opportunities. Cross-team collaboration works best when team members have complementary skills needed to complete a project. This is the reason many teams prefer to build team members first, rather than ideas. Because not only do teams create good projects, teams can also destroy work that has already been built.

4. Provide open space

Collaboration across teams can happen spontaneously. However, this will be easier if you are working in an open space. Because of this, many companies are implementing open space offices, so it is expected that employees can collaborate.

However, it is undeniable that open space can also make it difficult for employees to stay focused. To overcome this, find a balance that suits collaboration and employee focus. Make sure your office design is functional for working alone or across teams.

5. Limit meetings

When working with cross-teams, it takes a lot of time to equalize meeting schedules. In addition, meetings also take time to do their own personal tasks. Therefore, it's a good idea to limit the number of meetings and make sure there is a clear agenda and method so that meetings can be documented, so that tasks are not forgotten.

6. Set goals

To manage a project requires strong leadership, so you must know the direction the team is headed. Therefore, a clear focus is essential when promoting successful collaboration in the workplace.

When starting a project, start by identifying common challenges facing the company and gathering solutions that team members provide. After all members have recognized a problem that needs to be solved, set goals and ways that will be done to make it happen.

7. Measure the impact

Measuring the work of each team can help you understand ROI across your business and increase transparency within your organization. This is also done so that team members know the results of their work. These results will show the contribution of employees to the success of the team and the company. Later, this will give employees motivation and create a better work environment in the team.

8. Build creativity

Make creativity a focal point of your company culture. The trick, encourage employees to develop ideas, especially in a cross-team environment. By involving all team members, prepare regular brainstorming sessions.

9. Problem identification

Working across teams allows bigger problems to arise than the team itself. Therefore, it is very important that you identify the problem from the start. In this way, you will make the problem easier to solve. This means you'll save time, money, and resources.

10. Test things

Every team and organization is different. Therefore, what works for another team may not work for yours. However, don't be afraid to try new strategies. Not in the long term, at least positive changes will be felt in the short term. Especially if the idea comes from within.

Building collaboration across teams takes time and effort. However, the collaboration you will get many benefits. Teams that prioritize cross-team collaboration will pave the way for smoother integration of systems and processes.

In increasing cross-team collaboration, a company often finds it difficult to communicate thoughts or opinions. This can be triggered by companies that do not have a systematic approach. Lack of accountability and less specific goals will be detrimental for a team.

Collaboration across teams drives continuous improvement of the company. However, building trust in a team is also not an easy thing. When you are in a team that collaborates with multiple departments, communication will be a challenge.

How to Improve Collaboration Across Teams

Collaboration across teams requires a lot of trust. Through this collaboration, employees can tap into the organization's collective knowledge base and benefit from a much greater range of skills and abilities.

This can avoid overlapping work, speed problem solving, and spark innovation. To give you an idea of how to improve cross-team collaboration in your company, here are some ways to build a collaborative work environment:

1. Build a culture of collaboration

Cross-team collaboration is only possible if you make it a habit. Therefore, invite your team members to work together across teams. Apply a culture of mutual respect, so that the team will respect and respect each other.

2. Technology combination

To get the job done, different teams often use a variety of different tools. This can easily hinder collaboration across teams. Therefore, by combining tools and making everyone use the same technology, you will improve communication and simplify logistics and resources.

3. Choose the right team members

Growing companies have learned that putting the right people in the right positions can do the job and generate positive opportunities. Cross-team collaboration works best when team members have complementary skills needed to complete a project. This is the reason many teams prefer to build team members first, rather than ideas. Because not only do teams create good projects, teams can also destroy work that has already been built.

4. Provide open space

Collaboration across teams can happen spontaneously. However, this will be easier if you are working in an open space. Because of this, many companies are implementing open space offices, so it is expected that employees can collaborate.

However, it is undeniable that open space can also make it difficult for employees to stay focused. To overcome this, find a balance that suits collaboration and employee focus. Make sure your office design is functional for working alone or across teams.

5. Limit meetings

When working with cross-teams, it takes a lot of time to equalize meeting schedules. In addition, meetings also take time to do their own personal tasks. Therefore, it's a good idea to limit the number of meetings and make sure there is a clear agenda and method so that meetings can be documented, so that tasks are not forgotten.

6. Set goals

To manage a project requires strong leadership, so you must know the direction the team is headed. Therefore, a clear focus is essential when promoting successful collaboration in the workplace.

When starting a project, start by identifying common challenges facing the company and gathering solutions that team members provide. After all members have recognized a problem that needs to be solved, set goals and ways that will be done to make it happen.

7. Measure the impact

Measuring the work of each team can help you understand ROI across your business and increase transparency within your organization. This is also done so that team members know the results of their work. These results will show the contribution of employees to the success of the team and the company. Later, this will give employees motivation and create a better work environment in the team.

8. Build creativity

Make creativity a focal point of your company culture. The trick, encourage employees to develop ideas, especially in a cross-team environment. By involving all team members, prepare regular brainstorming sessions.

9. Problem identification

Working across teams allows bigger problems to arise than the team itself. Therefore, it is very important that you identify the problem from the start. In this way, you will make the problem easier to solve. This means you'll save time, money, and resources.

10. Test things

Every team and organization is different. Therefore, what works for another team may not work for yours. However, don't be afraid to try new strategies. Not in the long term, at least positive changes will be felt in the short term. Especially if the idea comes from within.

Building collaboration across teams takes time and effort. However, the collaboration you will get many benefits. Teams that prioritize cross-team collaboration will pave the way for smoother integration of systems and processes.

Prasetiya Mulya Executive Learning Institute
Prasetiya Mulya Cilandak Campus, Building 2, #2203
Jl. R.A Kartini (TB. Simatupang), Cilandak Barat, Jakarta 12430
Indonesia
Prasetiya Mulya Executive Learning Institute
Prasetiya Mulya Cilandak Campus, Building 2, #2203
Jl. R.A Kartini (TB. Simatupang), Cilandak Barat,
Jakarta 12430
Indonesia