We all want to prove we are capable of performing our work duties. Actually, let's be honest. We all want to show we are beyond capable of performing our work duties and support the organizations we serve. At times it seems as if our teams work in their own silo, chomping at the bit and moving the needle closer to the top. When we are head down completing assignments and finishing projects we can forget there are other teams or departments in our organization. Often we hear about the great work they are doing once it is done and wonder how both of us could have benefited from communicating earlier.
Interdepartmental communication can be facilitated by team leads, managers, and organizational leaders who can see the big picture and how everyone's participation contributes to the whole. When everyone communicates it also ensures your organization is moving towards their collective goals and the teams can unite around one common goal – improving the business.
It's no secret your business can and will perform better when each team communicates more effectively with one another. Proactive interdepartmental collaboration also ensures organizations can respond more quickly to its customers and that business is more efficient.
How to Facilitate Interdepartmental Communication
Once every team member, business unit, and individual is clear about how their work contributes to the broader goals of the organization, it is easier for everyone to work together to achieve them. Clarifying the mission, vision, and goals of your organization unites everyone under a common umbrella so the collective pool of talent can create something more than what each individual was capable of.
There are many roadblocks to cross-collaboration and for some organizations, it seems easier to continue to work simply as singular teams. One such roadblock is when there is friction between the members of various teams and it feels as if it takes more effort to ensure everyone is on the same page than it is for people to simply do their job(s). Also, there can be a "tribal" effect at play where employees and leaders begin to view their department or team as the whole and neglect to see the value in others' work and contribution. These roadblocks can easily be mitigated by finding shared experiences and goals to unite around, allowing others to help and contribute, and creating a culture of inclusion and collaboration.
We typically focus on breaking down the silos which keep us all rotating in our own worlds separately, but what if instead we concentrated on building bridges between our worlds. Bridges allow for an open exchange of ideas, they create trust and they allow for candid conversations which help to build closer relationship within the teams and between the teams.
If the culture of your organization encourages and rewards collaboration, inevitably everyone will follow suit. New employees will understand this is how the company functions and existing employees will also respond to the shift. Usually individual achievements are encouraged but research shows that increasing the level of talent of a team member does not equate more team success. Research also found the success of a team increased when collaboration was encouraged because the members were more creative, willing to share, and saw the value of the work they were performing. This, in turn, led to greater outcomes.
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