Submitted by k1w1onoe on
in
Forums
Hi All,
I 'might' have an opportunity to be a part of our organisations 1st Cross Functional Team.
The idea is interesting, as I am currently in a Technical Role, and keen to move into a more official project management type position.
I currently have manged a number of our infrastructure projects, however never with any form of title ( or pay increase :) )
I am keen to know from the Manager-Tools community what their experience of Cross Functional teams have been like?
I have read a 2015 article from NBR saying that 75% of these fail, which doesn't give me a lot of hope for our team.
https://hbr.org/2015/06/75-of-cross-functional-teams-are-dysfunctional
Any feedback from the community will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Danny
There is a future in cross-functional work.
It's rewarding because it's challenging. Being able to move across the organization is invaluable. Yes, you lose some depth here, but you don't pigeonhole yourself either. I would embrace this opportunity. All senior leaders have to deal with others outside of their organization.
That said, these do work best when their is clear decision making and oversight. The biggest struggle is the "I don't report to you" mentality, and this is where your relationship power will really be put to the test. You have ZERO role power here - so you need to learn to be persuasive.
Good luck, you can do it!
Most of what my team does is
Most of what my team does is cross-functional - we are a shared service within our company and, on individual opportunities, have to pull resources from within the organization to put together a response. Communication is the most critical factor - make sure you have good, open lines of communication and ensure information is circulated. You cannot overcommunicate in these situations.