Best Practices for Cross-Department Collaboration

Over the years, I've discovered the truth: Game-changing products won't succeed unless they have a unified vision across sales, marketing, and product teams. When these key functions pull in different directions, it's a death knell for go-to-market execution. Without alignment on positioning and buyer messaging, we fail to communicate value and create disjointed experiences. So, how do I foster collaboration across these functions? 1) Set shared goals and incentivize unity towards that North Star metric, be it revenue, activations, or retention. 2) Encourage team members to work closely together, building empathy rather than skepticism of other groups' intentions and contributions. 3) Regularly conduct cross-functional roadmapping sessions to cascade priorities across departments and highlight dependencies. 4) Create an environment where teams can constructively debate assumptions and strategies without politics or blame. 5) Provide clarity for sales on target personas and value propositions to equip them for deal conversations. 6) Involve all functions early in establishing positioning and messaging frameworks. Co-create when possible. By rallying together around customers’ needs, we block and tackle as one team towards product-market fit. The magic truly happens when teams unite towards a shared mission to delight users!

Every time you draw an org chart, you're picking sides in battles that haven't started yet. That's just human wiring. Social identity theory shows people quickly form in-groups and out-groups, even on trivial distinctions. Any structure you choose will naturally create "us vs. them" dynamics. Without intentional design, you get the classic blame cycles: Sales says Marketing sends bad leads, Marketing says Sales doesn't follow up, and Engineering blames both teams for changing requirements mid-sprint. But you can architect your organization so those tribal instincts work for you instead of against you. Here's how: Design for the Work --------------------- ↳ Organize around the work. Map how value flows to the customer and align teams to that flow. Don't organize around internal convenience—and definitely don't design around specific people. Organize around the critical path from idea to customer value. ↳ Clarify decision authority. Ambiguity breeds conflict and delays. Be explicit about who decides, who's consulted, and who's informed. Unclear authority creates either turf wars or decision paralysis. ↳ Define cross-team handoffs. Wherever work passes between groups, nail down who owns what, what "done" looks like, and how problems get escalated. The real risk isn't within teams; it's in the transitions between them. Align the Incentives --------------------- ↳ Set common goals. Give cross-functional groups a small set of shared outcomes—revenue growth, customer retention, cost savings or any other collectively important target. Use cascading goals and KPI trees to show how individual work connects to the bigger picture. This keeps everyone pointed in the same direction instead of optimizing their own corner. ↳ Align rewards with cooperation. If bonuses are based only on silo performance, you'll get silo behavior. Shared metrics and joint outcomes encourage people to actually help each other succeed. Enable the Collaboration -------------------------- ↳ Support cross-functional work. Make sure teams have the data, tools, and forums needed to work together effectively. If those supports aren't intentional, collaboration erodes under daily pressures and competing priorities. You can't eliminate tribal instincts; they're hardwired. But you can architect your organization so those instincts work for you instead of against you. You probably can’t eliminate "us vs. them" entirely. But you can design so the structure channels natural group dynamics toward shared execution. #strategy #execution #orgdesign #teamwork

Too often, I’ve been in a meeting where everyone agreed collaboration was essential—yet when it came to execution, things stalled. Silos persisted, friction rose, and progress felt painfully slow. A recent Harvard Business Review article highlights a frustrating truth: even the best-intentioned leaders struggle to work across functions. Why? Because traditional leadership development focuses on vertical leadership (managing teams) rather than lateral leadership (influencing peers across the business). The best cross-functional leaders operate differently. They don’t just lead their teams—they master LATERAL AGILITY: the ability to move side to side, collaborate effectively, and drive results without authority. The article suggests three strategies on how to do this: (1) Think Enterprise-First. Instead of fighting for their department, top leaders prioritize company-wide success. They ask: “What does the business need from our collaboration?” rather than “How does this benefit my team?” (2) Use "Paradoxical Questions" to Avoid Stalemates. Instead of arguing over priorities, they find a way to win together by asking: “How can we achieve my objective AND help you meet yours?” This shifts the conversation from turf battles to solutions. (3) “Make Purple” Instead of Pushing a Plan. One leader in the article put it best: “I bring red, you bring blue, and together we create purple.” The best collaborators don’t show up with a fully baked plan—they co-create with others to build trust and alignment. In my research, I’ve found that curiosity is so helpful in breaking down silos. Leaders who ask more questions—genuinely, not just performatively—build deeper trust, uncover hidden constraints, and unlock creative solutions. - Instead of assuming resistance, ask: “What constraints are you facing?” - Instead of pushing a plan, ask: “How might we build this together?” - Instead of guarding your function’s priorities, ask: “What’s the bigger picture we’re missing?” Great collaboration isn’t about power—it’s about perspective. And the leaders who master it create workplaces where innovation thrives. Which of these strategies resonates with you most? #collaboration #leadership #learning #skills https://lnkd.in/esC4cfjS

Let's be honest: extensive cross-team coordination is often a symptom of a larger problem, not an inevitable challenge that needs solving. When teams spend more time in alignment than on building, it's time to reconsider your organizational design. Conway's Law tells us that our systems inevitably mirror our communication structures. When I see teams drowning in coordination overhead, I look at these structural factors: - Team boundaries that cut across frequent workflows: If a single user journey requires six different teams to coordinate, your org structure might be optimized for technical specialization at the expense of delivery flow. - Mismatched team autonomy and system architecture: Microservices architecture with monolithic teams (or vice versa) creates natural friction points that no amount of coordination rituals can fully resolve. - Implicit dependencies that become visible too late: Teams discover they're blocking each other only during integration, indicating boundaries were drawn without understanding the full system dynamics. Rather than adding more coordination mechanisms, consider these structural approaches: - Domain-oriented teams over technology-oriented teams: Align team boundaries with business domains rather than technical layers to reduce cross-team handoffs. - Team topologies that acknowledge different types of teams: Platform teams, enabling teams, stream-aligned teams, and complicated subsystem teams each have different alignment needs. - Deliberate discovery of dependencies: Map the invisible structures in your organization before drawing team boundaries, not after. Dependencies are inevitable and systems are increasingly interconnected, so some cross-team alignment will always be necessary. When structural changes aren't immediately possible, here's what I've learned works to keep things on the right track: 1️⃣ Shared mental models matter more than shared documentation. When teams understand not just what other teams are building, but why and how it fits into the bigger picture, collaboration becomes fluid rather than forced. 2️⃣ Interface-first development creates clear contracts between systems, allowing teams to work autonomously while maintaining confidence in integration. 3️⃣ Regular alignment rituals prevent drift. Monthly tech radar sessions, quarterly architecture reviews, and cross-team demonstrations create the rhythm of alignment. 4️⃣ Technical decisions need business context. When engineers understand user and business outcomes, they make better architectural choices that transcend team boundaries. 5️⃣ Optimize for psychological safety across teams. The ability to raise concerns outside your immediate team hierarchy is what prevents organizational blind spots. The best engineering leaders recognize that excessive coordination is a tax on productivity. You can work to improve coordination, or you can work to reduce the need for coordination in the first place.

A top-tier professional services firm we advised had decided 4 years earlier to ditch its sector-based strategy (mostly for political reasons – a long story). Since then, clients were increasingly dissatisfied with generic advice, partners felt disconnected from their “community” of like-minded peers, the firm lost its edge in generating eye-catching thought leadership, and the firm was losing market share. Ouch. The challenge underscored a key lesson: success in PSFs demands engaging with clients on the dimension they care about – how to win in their own industry. Inside the firm, this requires true cross-silo collaboration. We worked with leaders to re-envision their sector strategy and implement process changes, leadership changes, and skill development to successfully relaunch. Here are five essentials to build true cross-silo collaboration, to serve sector-specific needs: 1. Appoint sector heads who can actually lead. Industry expertise should be a given. Sector heads need to shape the strategy, motivate peers and hold them accountable, and engage with the market.  2. Create community. Sector leaders should organize regular, dual-purpose interactions to (1) expand/build knowledge of industry trends and client needs while (2) enhancing bonds and trust between community members. Get people involved – don’t drone on with “updates” but rather spark debates, ask Associates to do mini-presentations, have fun. 3. Embrace a matrix. Practice groups remain essential units for innovation and building technical expertise. Sector leads need to work directly with peer practice group leaders to create an integrated strategy and product offerings that address what the market needs. 4. Create shared goals. Align the sector and practice groups on shared objectives and metrics that reward collaboration. For example, instead of solely incentivizing individual sales, focus on overall client satisfaction and revenue growth. We explore these ideas in our HBR article “Performance Management Shouldn't Kill Collaboration.” 5. Celebrate collaborative success – and stop heroizing individuals. Recognize and reward examples of effective cross-silo collaboration (rewards don’t have to be money – we find that creative prizes can go a long way). Highlight team success stories to inspire others to break down silos and generate real innovation. 💡 Your turn: How has your organization tackled the challenge of aligning teams for sector success? Share your thoughts below. (And stay tuned for our next post on how to overcome barriers to sector collaboration – grounded in Chapter 7 of our best-selling book "Smarter Collaboration: A New Approach to Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work.") #SmarterCollaboration #Sectors

We assume our managers know everything we’re doing and the value we’re creating. They don’t. Years ago, I faced a challenge with a department that consistently missed deliverables. The frustration was building on both sides—they felt overwhelmed by competing priorities, and we felt let down by promises unfulfilled. That’s when I developed what I call “Three-Point Landings” - a simple but powerful approach to cross-functional collaboration: 1. WHAT are you going to deliver? 2. HOW are you going to deliver it? 3. WHEN will it be delivered? It sounds basic, but I’ve found that most breakdowns in trust happen not because people don’t want to deliver, but because expectations were assumed rather than explicitly stated. With one particularly challenged IT department, we got to the point where we would actually write these three points on paper and have their leader sign it. When deliverables were met, we’d celebrate by posting them above their office door with a “Way to Go” sign. When expectations weren’t met, the rule was simple: come back and renegotiate before the deadline. This approach transformed our working relationship, created accountability, and built trust between departments—which is really important when navigating matrix environments. I’ve since used it with finance teams, marketing partners, and even in conversations with my own leaders. The next time you’re collaborating across departments, try this approach. You might be surprised how something so simple can be so transformative. #Leadership #CrossFunctionalTeams #ExpectationSetting #TransformativeLeadership

Collaboration died six meetings ago 7 Ways to Bring it Back to Life It faded, conversation by conversation. Not from bad intentions. But from missed signals like: ❌ “They don’t listen to us.” ❌ “We weren’t looped in.” ❌ “They always take the credit.” These aren’t just frustrations.  They’re signs that collaboration isn’t happening. And when people feel excluded,  they stop offering what makes teams thrive:  ideas, effort, initiative, perspective. 📌 Visual by the brilliant Jill Avey Thank you for capturing this so clearly! Here are 7 Habits That Make Collaboration the Culture (before silos quietly take root): 1️⃣ Turn tension into a conversation  → Ask: “What did that feel like for you?”  → You’ll learn more by listening to what’s not said. → Seek clarity over being right. 2️⃣Create space to stay connected → Schedule 30-min monthly cross-team check-ins → Rotate who leads to share ownership → Focus on what’s evolving, not just what’s done 3️⃣ Share early, not just when it’s perfect → Say: “This is still in draft, what’s missing?” → Invite contribution before decisions are final → Trust grows when feedback is welcomed, not avoided 4️⃣ Recognize how collaboration happens  → Call out those who pulled people together  → Highlight unseen effort, not just outcomes  → Culture shifts when we value how things come together 5️⃣ Align on what success looks like, together  → Define what “good” looks like across teams  → Choose shared outcomes, not isolated metrics  → When teams win together, they stay together 6️⃣ Make it easier to stay in sync  → One tracker. One owner. One clear update  → Keep timelines and owners visible to all  → Simplify so people can focus, not scramble 7️⃣ Ask who else should be involved, early  → “Who else will be impacted by this?”  → Pause until those voices are heard  → Inclusion isn’t a checkbox, it’s a leadership move Collaboration doesn’t just “happen.”  It’s led. And the best leaders don’t wait for it to fail. They invest in it before anything breaks. What’s one way you build collaboration in your team? Let’s share what’s working ↓ ————————— ♻️ Repost to inspire more collaborative leadership 🔔 Follow Justin Hills for practical leadership insights

Cross-Functional Collaboration is NOT a Given. It’s a Choice. Most companies don’t really do cross-functional collaboration. Here’s what actually happens: 👉 You stick to your area of influence. 👉 You go through your line manager. 👉 You follow the organizational hierarchy to define communication channels. And that’s exactly what’s encouraged. Because it’s efficient—until it’s not. Until you realize that your best projects don’t fit neatly into one function. Until your team is stuck in endless handoffs, approvals, and misalignments. Until the best ideas never make it past departmental silos. I recently worked with a company that struggled with this. - Big goals. Big vision. But slow progress because each department worked in isolation. In just two days of structured cross-functional collaboration, they: - Identified roadblocks that were in a way - Developed feasible solutions together - Left with alignment and momentum they didn’t think was possible. Their reaction? “I can’t believe how much we got done in just two days.” SO WHAT LEADERS CAN DO? 1️⃣ Design for Collaboration, Not Just Efficiency Make cross-functional meetings a part of how work gets done—not just an afterthought when things go wrong. 2️⃣ Shift from Approval to Co-Creation Instead of waiting for decisions to move up and down the chain, create spaces where teams build solutions together from the start. 3️⃣ Rewire Incentives Stop rewarding teams for optimizing their piece of the puzzle. Start rewarding impact across the whole system. Because in the end, hierarchies don’t deliver results—collaboration does. So here’s the real question: How is your company designing for cross-functional success?

In Trying to Motivate Your Team, Are You Dividing Your Company? You work hard to build a strong, engaged team. You foster camaraderie. You celebrate *us*. But in doing so, are you also creating *them*? Many companies struggle with internal tension—teams working at odds, competing for resources, or blaming each other for roadblocks. Instead of uniting to beat competitors or better serve customers, energy gets wasted on internal rivalries. Where does this come from? One key factor is the well-intentioned efforts of managers to build team cohesion. Instead of emphasizing their team’s role in the company’s broader success, they inadvertently create an us vs. them dynamic. Do Any of These Sound Familiar? • “We know how terrific our work is, even if they don’t give us enough credit.” • “We delivered our part. The fact that things didn’t work out is on them.” • “We’re the ones who really care about getting this done right.” Statements like these might feel unifying inside your team—but they create suspicion and distrust toward other groups. The more these beliefs take root, the harder cross-team collaboration becomes. Three Simple Shifts to Foster Connection 1️⃣ Focus on gratitude. Instead of reinforcing an “us vs. them” mindset, encourage appreciation across teams: “We should all feel proud of what we delivered for customers—and grateful for our colleagues inside and outside this team who helped make it possible.” 2️⃣ Emphasize shared success. Frame dependencies as partnerships rather than obstacles: “We have a dependency on the XYZ team. Together, we’re going to deliver something amazing.” 3️⃣ Highlight collaboration. Acknowledge other teams’ challenges and look for ways to support them: “Remember, other teams have their own constraints. If we can help unblock them, we will accelerate our company’s success.” Great leadership is about creating a strong team identity without isolating your team from the larger mission. Your people should feel like an essential part of something bigger, not an island competing against others. Where have you seen “us vs. them” language create friction in your organization? How do you help foster a more connected mindset? #ManagerTips #Leadership #Collaboration #Teamwork

Bringing It All Together: 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐗𝐎 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Regardless of the leadership style, successful CXO alignment requires intentional collaboration. It means looking at the vision through the stockholders’ eyes, weighing the gifts and skills necessary to execute. Humans with their own agendas and personal goals can challenge the execution and end result of a project if pride, fear, greed or vanity gets in the way. But how have I seen teams work together effectively? ✅ 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Ensure every department understands and aligns with the company’s overarching vision. Look to #RockefellerPrinciples first help. ✅ 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Regular strategy meetings between CXOs and team leads prevent silos. If you communicate, you can work through blockers on the spot and stay on track for the #BHAG. ✅ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 – Align business units by using shared #metrics that track company-wide success. You don’t know when to double down or pivot unless you measure. ✅ 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬– Support each department in building its own #thoughtleadership voice while staying aligned with the brand. ✅ 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 – Having tech leaders train marketing, or sales leaders train operations, builds organizational resilience. The #CXO team can strategize the elements of their departments that they measure valuable to the growth of business and share these insights with all of the team. 🚀 Every executive team has a mix of these styles. What matters most is leveraging the right mix at the right time to ensure business #success. ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀꜱʜɪᴘ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ ᴅᴇꜰɪɴᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄxᴏ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ? #collaborationforchange