Cross-functional teams get the best results when they’re efficiently and compassionately managed. In this article, we look at 8 common issues cross-functional teams face and how you can solve them.
So you’ve built the foundation of a great cross-functional team. You’ve chosen a group of professionals with a mix of skills both hard and soft. You’ve set up the communication infrastructure, created reasonable expectations, and emphasized the purpose and value of this collaboration both to the company and to each contributor. Now you can put the team on autopilot and just manage the weekly check-ins, right?
Nope. No matter how great a start you give a cross-functional team, it will always require constant care and attention. A lot of this will take the form of troubleshooting common problems. So, let’s look at eight challenges most cross-functional teams face and what you can do to solve – or at least reduce – them.
Fixing 8 Cross-Functional Team Problems
Communication Issues
Symptoms: Lack of cooperation or alignment, missed expectations, dropped deadlines, and general headaches
Fix: Fully leverage your tech stack
You may think that this problem was covered in your work setting up the team’s tech infrastructure. But that’s only effective if your team is using it properly. If communication isn’t working, we recommend fully utilizing your communication channels. Even if your team is working in-person (as opposed to remotely), using tools like Asana for project management, Slack for communication, and Dropbox for shared files (or their equivalents) will really help streamline information flow.
Double check: Does everyone in the team understand how to use these tools effectively? Someone may say, ‘Oh, I use Trello all the time.” But what they really mean is “I use one tiny feature of Trello and am completely unaware of all the options at my disposal”. Consider holding a tech onboarding session to get all team members familiar with the functionalities of your chosen tools.
What if your tech stack isn’t the problem? In that case, take another look at your team’s culture and communication style. You may need to rethink or reestablish communication protocols for your team.
Prioritization Problems
Symptoms: Team members have trouble finishing team-related tasks on time or as expected
Fix: Get more human-focused
Your team members have responsibilities outside their work on this team, and they may feel the need to put their main job role first. So encourage team members to share information about their role, job functions, and non-team-related work. Ensure that the person(s) to whom you assign a task both understand what you want and have the bandwidth to complete it within the timeframe. (If they don’t, you’ll either need to reassign the task or reassess the timeframe.)
Tip: You may want to create a shared calendar so that all team members can see each others’ schedules and team managers can assign and date tasks accordingly.
Team Members Aren’t Motivated
Symptoms: Ranges from an unenthusiastic attitude to ‘forgetting’ to complete tasks and ignoring team leadership
Fix: Take a two-pronged approach
First, try to get an insight into the underlying issue. Is this one team member, or is it across the team? If many (or most) team members seem unmotivated, have another look at your own communication style. Have you clearly stated what you need from your team members? Do they have the tools and support to do what you ask? Do they understand the benefits of completing this project on their own career or growth?
Next, if most of the team is working well and only a few are uncooperative, they may need some additional assistance. Can you or another colleague help them prioritize and schedule their tasks? Do they need additional training in the cross-functional team’s tools or processes? Is there something going on in their main job role that’s sapping their time or energy? Use your communication and empathy skills to help them move forward.
If one team member is blatantly difficult and uncooperative and the above suggestions haven’t yielded results, schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with that person and try to find out what’s blocking their cooperation.
Work is Off-Target
Symptoms: Deliverables that don’t match up with your requests
Fix: Re-explore your communication
First, check yourself. For example, ask a trusted team member to verify during the next meeting that you’re communicating tasks and expectations clearly. If that checks out, it could be that your message is getting lost in whatever else team members are dealing with. Regularly check in with team members and remind them about upcoming tasks and task parameters. In other words, don’t skip those scheduled weekly check-ins, and don’t be afraid to check in personally with individual team members as needed. Caution: For best results, position yourself as a helpful ally in getting their tasks done – not as a nagging, micromanaging boss who has to babysit their team’s every move.
Double-check: If your communication is good but your work is still off, check your project’s alignment with the business needs and goals and your understanding team objectives. You may want to go over this with the business analysts and subject matter experts periodically to ensure that everything stays in alignment.
One (Loud) Voice to Rule Them All
Symptoms: There’s one (or a few) pushy people on the team who do all the talking, leaving little room for other people to share their insights, ideas, and viewpoints.
Fix: Acknowledge, then proactively create space
First, acknowledge The Voice’s enthusiasm for the project and generosity in sharing their ideas. Then remind everyone that it’s important for every team member to share their ideas. To this end, you can open up multiple channels for the quieter ones to use, such as email or messaging.
Tip: Try to share meeting schedules with team members in advance and encourage them to review them before the meeting. This can give the quieter team members time to develop their ideas without feeling they’re being put on the spot. Mention to these ones that they can share their ideas via email before (or after) the meeting if they want to. For more communication strategy tips, we like the book Crucial Conversations.
Resource Trouble
Symptoms: You’ll know it when you see it. General trouble with budget, getting the tools needed, etc.
Fix: Be realistic. If you can’t be realistic, be open.
Ideally, you can preempt some of this trouble by being realistic when planning your budget – as opposed to trying to trim your budget as much as possible in a quest to appeal to fiscally conservative leaders. It can be especially helpful to communicate with a financial person during the early stages of your budget planning process. Even better, get a financial person on your team or at least involved as a consultant on your project.
In the real world, though, you’re often given a budget range that’s smaller than you’d like. Or you may start out with a reasonable budget and then run into unexpected expenses. This happens. And when it does, own it; update your budget and plan as needed and keep the relevant stakeholders informed. Letting your project champion know about your struggles and these changes as soon as possible is always a good idea.
Finally, make sure you’re choosing a cross-functional team leader who has a record of delivering projects on time and on budget. If you’re the team leader, periodically review your plans and budget and make sure they’re still realistic.
Slow or Inconsistent Innovation
Symptoms: Ideas are slow to trickle in; only a few people contribute to brainstorming sessions.
Fix: Make room to fail.
Fear of failing (or of looking ridiculous) can stifle innovation faster than almost anything else. By removing that fear, you encourage team members to share their ideas freely. You may even want to borrow a page from the UX ideation book and have exercises dedicated to creating the worst solutions to the problem. This can loosen team members up and create a more relaxed atmosphere where ideas can grow.
And remember – there are plenty of resources available to help you get ideas moving, such as gamestorming. Sometimes, it can also help to get someone from the leadership team to talk with the group. They can build inspiration, boost the team’s energy, and emphasize the mission and shared purpose of the project.
Interpersonal Conflict
Symptoms: You’ll know it when you see it, part 2. Look for cues around personal friction, including:
- Team members avoiding other team members.
- Sarcastic or passive-aggressive communication or attitudes.
- Excessive interruptions, especially coming from one person towards another.
- One or more people withholding information that’s important to another team member’s role – or to the team itself.
- Tension and body language shifts (e.g. from open postures to crossed arms, etc.) during meetings or interactions.
- Irritability, especially continued irritability over minor issues or disproportionate reactions to minor events.
- Shifting blame, or assigning fault without any attempt at problem-solving.
Fix: Expect it …
and prepare for it. Encourage team members to get to know each other’s roles. Create less formal opportunities for the team to interact, such as team lunches or coffee breaks. Keep an eye out for possible communication style mismatches and other causes of relationship friction, and have a plan for resolving conflict. And as the team leader, be sure you take time to get to know team members as individuals and what matters to them.
Next: Collaborating When Things Get Real
Even if you’ve built the perfect cross-functional team and are managing it at a level previously unreachable to humankind, things are going to get real. There are always stressors coming from inside and outside of your team. In our next article, we’ll discuss how to navigate these stressful times – and what communication strategies you can use to ensure things keep moving forward.
