Collaboration in cross-functional teams

Collaboration in cross-functional teams isn’t anything new; but when it comes to establishing good interpersonal relationships within a team, the designers have a lot to offer. Cross-functional teams prove to be very beneficial since people’s skill sets get increasingly specialized and we as professionals need to seek the expertise of others in order to achieve our project goals. The synergy and partnership of a team makes cross collaboration possible. They rely on shared responsibility, awareness of the overall goals, and self-management.

Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. Cross-collaboration doesn’t happen naturally — it takes time and mutual effort. According to research by Behnam Tabrizi, 75% of cross-functional teams in 25 leading corporations can’t jump over the “dysfunctionality” void and fail. To understand the reason “why”, we can start by understanding what collaboration really means and represents.

Any kind of collaboration requires two or more people, who are working together in order to create something or achieve a mutual goal.

Good collaboration is based on partnership and collective impact. Simply put — teammates have to work together, rather merely next to each other. Collaboration is also a learned skill. It is something that we can get better at with time, if we put in the effort. Good collaboration is vastly tied to our soft skills. Investing time and energy in them will improve our overall interaction with others and will greatly impact the outcome of the group project. What is more, good collaboration most of the time goes hand in hand with good communication. If we can’t express ourselves, speak up our project goals, timeframes and priorities, we can’t work together.

Here are some key aspects of good team collaboration and insights on how to achieve them:

1. Meet the team

“We are so cross-functional, that everyone does a bit of everything.”

It all starts with the right people at the table. Sometimes, especially in start up companies, the team roles might overlap. Cross-functional teams might consist of professionals from the client and contractor side, as well as third party stakeholders. A designer’s job is to solve business problems and communicate all UX strategies to reflect best on the users or customer needs. Some teams wrongly perceive what a designer is supposed to do, or simply haven’t worked with a designer before. In such cases it is vital to introduce your role to the team and explain how your expertise will positively impact the project. Not all team members you encounter in tech take the design role seriously from the beginning (and this is ok). To truly establish your legitimacy every statement should always be backed up with proof and the impact of your propositions should be explained. Clients and team members want to hear and see ideas that make sense. What’s more, you should present your ideas and design decisions differently to technical and non-technical audiences. In the end, everybody on your team must get on the same page in order to collaborate properly.

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits.” — Jim Stovall

TIP: By observing you can learn a lot about your teammates and your clients. This usually happens during project kick-offs. Paying attention how your fellow teammates interact, express themselves, and participate in conversations tells a lot about their working style and personality. You can use that information later on to build trust and lay out the foundation for good collaboration.

2. Trust issues

“If you don’t like it and if you think you know better than me, make it better!”

Successful partnerships are built on trust. In order to establish a collaborative working style within the cross-functionал team, team-members need to trust each other. People won’t take guidance, nor professional opinion from someone they don’t believe in. The best way to tackle this is by trial and error. Trust is a precious commodity. Proving your trustworthiness to the team will only benefit the work environment and the project. Don’t forget working on a project is a group effort. There are experts with various backgrounds within the cross-functional team whose expertise you can rely on. A teammate from another area of expertise provides you with valuable insight from another perspective. Group discussions enable the team and the client making an informed decision.

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” — Ernest Hemingway

TIP: There are certain ways you can win your teammates’ trust:

• Show competence and back it up
• Empathize with their problems and try solving them
• Deliver the unexpected — as a designer you can add something extra to your work, when presenting it to the client and the team. This will show your dedication and interest in their business.
• Keep your promises — especially deadlines and workload.
• Show them the human side of you — you aren’t all about your work. If the audience and the environment allows it, share a bit about yourself. Your colleagues and clients might be easier to work with, if they relate with you on a personal level.

3. We need to talk

“I need some help with this, so that I can understand the situation better.”

Any team should practice open communication. Not limited to problems or negative matters, open communication includes encouragements, tasks and compliments for a job well done. Teammates must share their opinions and talk freely about blockers, improvements, and what could have been done better if given the chance. Being silent or waiting for someone else to take a stand is an opportunity lost. Adopting an open communication policy in your cross-functional team will only boost the overall performance.

“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.” — Robert Frost

TIP: This is how you can encourage open communication in your team:

• Be respectful when expressing your opinion
• Advocate for a safe environment
• Describe instead of judging
• Always praise and recognize your teammates for their input
• Engage on a personal level

4. Goals? Priorities?

“I know we’ve agreed on this and you’ve worked very hard, but…something else came up.”

Having your plan outlined ahead of you and knowing the steps you need to make in order to achieve the final goal is the best case scenario. In practice, the picture might look a bit different. Sometimes priorities aren’t that clear or tend to change a lot. This is perfectly fine, as long as it isn’t going out of control. Projects hardly ever go by the book, but maintaining a healthy balance is something that we, as designers can help with. In cases of not-so-well-defined goals and priorities it’s best to sit down with your clients and team and try clearing out the project vision. A designer can help gather, visualize and interpret the requirements. Can also present more human point of view to the complicated business problems and propose a user-centered approach to solve them. Cross-functional teams are prone to going off track, if not managed right, or if they don’t follow some kind of a plan. By nature, humans need a purpose or a target in order to stay motivated. Working on having jointly defined goals and priorities will eliminate the tension inside the team and will improve the working environment, by keeping everyone motivated and at ease.

“Once you have a clear picture of your priorities that is values, goals, and high leverage activities organize around them.”— Stephen Covey

TIP: Defining the project’s goals and priorities might not necessarily fall on us alone, but here are some tips how we as individuals can contribute to the working balance:

• Aim for an achievable goal
• Small steps — dissect bigger goals into smaller tasks to use as a guide during the work day and keep you motivated. Seeing plenty of crossed-out tasks at the end of the day feels great.
• Realistic deadlines — avoid promising something you can’t deliver.
• Avoid unnecessary tasks — always prioritize importance. Too much work might be a sign you can’t delegate your time properly.
• Note responsibilities — knowing what you need to do for the day or during the week brings more clarity and makes the workday less stressful. A task list is a good option. I recommend Notion or Evernote

5. Shared resources & knowledge

“Everything you need is under one roof.”

Sharing is caring. If you have a skill that would help your teammates — share it with them. It is also a good practice to have a place where you and your team can store information, working files and useful resources. In that way you and your fellow designers and other team members can keep track of your work and be on the same page about tools and knowledge. By sharing, you also exchange ideas and experience new working styles. Adopting critique sessions in your work style will boost your confidence and expression. It would also help back up your arguments with logical explanation and let your team make an informed decision. Remember that everyone you meet knows something you don’t. By keeping an open mind and enabling someone to share knowledge with you, you will gain more respect.

“Knowledge was meant to be shared.” — Louis L’Amour

TIP: Here are some tips you could use to boost your sharing:

• Decide on a repository to store data with your team.
• Plugins — here are great plugins to help you and your fellow designers work collectively without leaving a huge trail of working files behind you. Plant is a good option.
• Libraries — such as a shared components library for all designers in your teams to use.
• Knowledge Sharing Sessions — short presentations explaining skills and tools.

6. Follow the leader

“We can make something great out of this. Let’s do it!”

A leader motivates you to move forward and helps you unleash your potential. They provide help and guidance, shows competence and have vision for what needs to happen next. Leadership is not a post, it’s a drive that comes from within. It shows in the passion of solving a complex problem, it reflects in our daily achievements, or even in mistakes done in the past. You don’t necessarily need to have a managerial role to practice leadership. You can be a leader even if you are in a junior position in a company. Leaders are proactive. And just like collaboration, leadership is a learned skill. Its qualities are something we can emphasize and improve with time and practice.

“Leadership is action, not position.” — Donald McGannon

TIP: Here are some ways to practice leadership from where you are:

• Spot opportunities and grab them
• Lead from where you are
• Be proactive
• Be passionate
• Be confident
• Take accountability