Hello everyone! In this article, we’re going to talk about a topic that many leaders find challenging: coordinating interdepartmental teams that don’t report directly to them. If you’re in a position where you need to work with different departments to achieve common goals, but you don’t have direct authority over them, this information will be very helpful to you.
What do I need to consider when coordinating interdepartmental teams?
First, it’s important to understand that interdepartmental team coordination requires specific leadership skills. Instead of relying on hierarchical authority, you must lead with influence and persuasion to motivate people and achieve project success. Here are some tips for doing so:
- Communicate project objectives clearly: Make sure all team members understand the end goal and how their individual contributions are important to achieve it.
- Assign an owner to each task: It may seem obvious, but in most cases after a meeting, there are many tasks that remain unassigned. Rest assured that these tasks will not get done unless someone is assigned responsibility.
- Establish strong relationships: Take the time to build strong interpersonal relationships with team members and leaders from the departments involved. This will help you build mutual trust and respect, which will be key to effective collaboration.
- Learn to listen: Carefully listen to the perspectives and needs of different departments. Understanding their challenges and concerns can help you develop effective solutions that meet everyone’s needs. Try to identify possible obstacles that may arise and prevent progress in the assigned task. Perhaps you may want to check the active listening article.
- Follow up continuously: During the project or task to coordinate between different departments, there may be times when communication and progress visibility are lost. To avoid this, make sure to hold regular follow-up meetings until it is completed. You’ll avoid unwanted surprises.
- Be flexible: Recognize that each department has its own priorities and needs. Be flexible and open to compromise to find solutions that are acceptable to all parties involved.
- Recognize and celebrate achievements together: When the project is complete, make sure to recognize and celebrate success together. Thank team members and leaders from different departments, which can help maintain collaboration in the future.
Difference between persuading and manipulating
At the beginning of the article, I mentioned a keyword like persuading. Sometimes, persuasion is confused with manipulation.
The key difference between persuasion and manipulation is that persuasion seeks to reach a mutual agreement through logical and transparent arguments in which both parties benefit, while manipulation involves deceiving or distorting the truth to achieve a personal goal, often at the expense of the other person.
Remember that you will likely need to involve the same teams in different projects or tasks on numerous occasions, so maintaining a relationship of trust among everyone is vital to undertaking different projects satisfactorily. Therefore, if we are clear that we need to establish a relationship of trust, we must avoid the mistake of trying to manipulate a collaborator, as that will only work on one occasion.
Conclusions
Coordinating interdepartmental teams can be challenging, but with the right skills and attitudes, you can lead and collaborate effectively without direct authority.
As you may have deduced after reading the article, coordinating this type of team will require greater effort in self-control, patience, and negotiation.
Good luck with your next interdepartmental team project!
