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Great teams deliver great results. In order to do that, however, team members need to effectively collaborate together, combining their skills and strengths to contribute to a result that’s greater than the sum of its parts. In the context of a business, this also includes cross-team collaboration, meaning that different teams (and their members) are all aligned towards the same business goals/objectives.
There are several components to optimal collaboration within a team and across teams, some of which are very obvious while others are less intuitive – but no less important. We’ll highlight and explore seven of these in the following article.
Communication
Let’s start with the most obvious element of effective collaboration, one that we’ve written about in numerous previous articles but which bears repeating here: communication. Good communication is the cornerstone of effective collaboration. But what exactly does this mean in a team/business context?
Well, besides the common key ingredients of communication – timeliness, honesty and transparency – you also need clearly established communication channels that support asynchronous communication in a hybrid and/or distributed work environment, i.e. across different time zones and locations.
In multinational companies where distributed teams are the norm, there also needs to be one main language in which communication takes place; in Western companies, this is most typically English, and for those businesses, English proficiency is also a key communication skill.
Project management tools such as Trello or Notion, and design tools such as Figma, are very common and can be particularly useful in enabling async communication. Intranets are also frequently used as reliable sources of information, as well as other tools which we’ll take a closer look at in a later section.
Team structure
Another factor that greatly contributes to the effectiveness of a team is the right team structure. This doesn’t necessarily mean a rigid hierarchical structure that’s applied across the board, but depends first on the specific company/project goals (and capabilities), and second on the context.
It can be a self-organized team with a rather flat structure, or one led by a strong leader with a clear vision. The key thing, however, is that each person on the team understands their specific role as well as their particular skills together with their limitations. Ideally, team members would also be keenly aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses so that they can optimally complement each other.
Data management
Since data is the backbone of pretty much every business operating in the digital sphere, with some use cases such as AI especially dependent on data, good data management is also an essential part of good collaboration.
The key thing to note here is the importance of avoiding data silos, which is particularly relevant in cross-team collaboration. Silos introduce a lot of friction and can lead to issues ranging from missed deadlines and subpar products or services, to privacy issues with significant legal ramifications.
Another important consideration here are the risks of data centralization, which we discussed on a podcast episode with Martijn Moret. He cautions that a central data team, while useful for the governance model, risks a disconnect with the business unit which also needs the deep data analysis skills that have already been prioritized for the central data team.
So, it follows that a central data team can be very valuable for proper data management when you follow the best practices of cross-team collaboration we’re outlining in this article.
Consistency
Consistency in the work and results delivered facilitates planning and strategizing, allowing teams to be both more agile and more future proof, ensuring their success in the long term.
Showing up consistently is more important than “rock star” behavior or working in bursts of productivity. It establishes trust and ensures team mates can rely on each other, especially with cross-team collaboration where the work of one team depends on another team.
Accountability
Collaboration is much smoother and more resilient when everyone working together is clearly accountable for the work that they do. This ties back to the importance of team structure discussed earlier, as accountability also requires each team member to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities.
One of the best ways to ensure accountability is by properly documenting everything, which ensures that any potential issues that arise can be traced back to the decisions that led to them and can as such be more easily and quickly resolved. The same holds true for important wins, for which it’s easier to give proper credit as well as identify the practices that led to them if you have good documentation.
Psychological safety
Another key element of effective team collaboration is a psychologically safe environment where team members are able to express their ideas as well as any disagreements freely, without fear of backlash or any kind of negative consequences.
Psychological safety promotes creativity and innovation, as well facilitating the growth of team members rather than stunting it. It enables healthy conflict that may uncover issues which people would not otherwise be willing to highlight, and lays the groundwork for continuous improvement of a team’s efficiency.
Team spirit
A team just functions better when its members “click”, meaning they get along well and enjoy working together. This is why the phrase “culture fit” is so often encountered in hiring, and why it’s so important to foster a company culture that promotes a good team spirit.
A healthy team spirit ensures that wins are the result of the entire team’s work, rather than being attributed to individual members. It also facilitates other key collaboration considerations we’ve mentioned earlier, such as communication, accountability and psychological safety.
Conclusion
With the rise of streamlined digital tools together with remote and distributed work, team dynamics have undergone important changes which sometimes take time to properly implement. We hope our article helps optimize the efficiency of your team(s) and contribute to better overall business outcomes.
