I’m going to show you how leaders can start to break barriers between teams with proactive methods.
To be successful, we need our teams to work across our organisation: collaborating for innovation, communicating for efficiency and understanding different perspectives and roles.
Problems had been identified well before the pandemic hit; I was regularly asked by clients to provide strategies and tools for addressing the internal obstacles.
Unfortunately the rapid increase in remote and hybrid working has exacerbated the problem, and rebuilt the barriers that many organisations had begun to tackle. Survey after survey shows isolated teams, not appreciating the big picture, competing with each other.
Some companies have responded by mandating a ‘return to office’ which have often been unpopular. Others assume that the approach they are taking for maintaining contact within a single team will also work between multiple teams and across divisions.
In my experience, leaders can take action to break through barriers and build working effective relationships between teams. Here are just five:
1. Coffee roulette
Create a virtual water-cooler. There are loads of apps or technology solutions that will randomly pair up colleagues for a breaktime chat to recreate those happenstance conversations. Or just have an open in video conference call running at break times so people can drop in when they want.
2. Touchpoint mapping
Get teams to work together to review their interactions: explain the processes and revisit the information transfers from both sides. In just one short meeting, they’ll understand why George in Finance isn’t “just being difficult” and maybe they’ll find efficiencies and improvements.
3. Point of contact
In many offices you used to wander over to a team’s desks and ask questions of anyone who was around. For remote and hybrid teams, you could designate a contact point for general internal inquiries.
This could be a specific person, or a duty system, but either way, publicise this internally so other teams know how to reach your team.
4. Create a sense of purpose
People, especially new starters, need to see the big picture and understand their contribution. Can you revamp your induction so this is clear? Can people shadow other teams? Undertake virtual site visits? Can teams provide video introductions to explain their role and interactions?
Can you reiterate the organisation’s purpose and vision through one-to-one and team meetings – and explain how the success of an individual team is tied into the success of other teams.
5. Charity activities, sports teams, interest networks
When they are started from grassroots interest, these all have a great track record in breaking down barriers between teams.
I’ve worked in places which had a wine club (!), netball team, table tennis competitions and regular charity cake sales. Organisations can help by promoting the activities internally, providing sponsorship / equipment or just giving a little time and a space.