Effective Cross-Functional Team Collaboration

In team meetings, tensions can ramp up quickly. How can you get communication back on track while still ensuring team members feel heard? Find out in article three of our five-part cross-functional team series.

We’ve already covered how to build a strong cross-functional team and how to manage common issues with cross-functional collaboration. But even the most cohesive team will have moments when stakes – and emotions – run high. In this article, we’ll discuss how to manage these stressful situations. And we’ll talk about what you can do to tu
hese into moments of learning and connection.

Things Will Get Real

Tight budgets. Short timelines. Changing expectations. Unclear or shifting requirements. Personality clashes between team members. Communication problems between the team, stakeholders, and/or leadership. All of these can cause stress and friction. Ironically, so can positive traits – like team members who passionately believe in an idea or solution or who are trying to give voice to an underrepresented group.

Additionally, cross-functional team members also have stress coming from outside their role in the team. This could be pressure related to their regular job function or from their life outside of work.

At the end of the day, we’re all humans. We all feel pressure. And sometimes we (or our teammates) react to that pressure in a less-than-optimal way. As a team leader, it’s your job to recognize that this will happen. And when it does happen, be prepared to approach it with empathy and openness.

Effective Cross-Team Collaboration In High-Stress Situations

Back in 2021, we delivered a webinar titled Honest Collaboration: Collaborating When Things Get Real. In this webinar, we discussed how to deal with emotionally-charged situations that can pop up suddenly – or explode from a long-standing simmer. It’s not easy to keep your cool in this kind of scenario, but you can do it – especially if you’ve practiced in advance. Below are some of the tips we’ve used in our years of leading and participating in cross-functional teams:

1. 1. Don’t zone out. Stay present and engaged throughout meetings and other collaboration efforts so you can notice shifts of vocal tone and body language. Be aware of non-verbal communication.

2. 2. Be direct, but be polite. You can speak your truth, but be polite. Your goal is to create clarity and a stronger bond – a solid and respectful relationship – not to win an argument.

3. 3. Listen actively and intently. You’re not the only one who gets to be honest. Without listening, there’s no room for others’ perspectives and no shared truth. When you’re listening, really focus on what the person is saying. It’s not the time to formulate your response. Be fully present for this person and look for clues as to their emotional temperature.

4. 4. Don’t take it personally. If you’re getting pushback – especially if it’s on something you thought up or are championing – take a step back. Remind yourself: This isn’t about you. You want people to share their strong ideas and feelings with you. It’s a sign they care about the outcome.

5. 5. Address negative and difficult topics directly and early. Otherwise, they will keep recurring and getting in the way of progress.

6. 6. Go into hard conversations with compassion and respect. And refer back to point 2. It’s possible to be respectful and to disagree at the same time.

7. 7. Check your intention. Remind yourself of the goal of this interaction, this meeting, and your collaboration. It’s not you winning; it’s working together to develop the best solution. These situations can trigger a fight-or-flight response, but we can lea
   o put that aside and stay focused on the goal.

In short, accept that charged situations will arise. And make it your goal to go into them with empathy, respect, and curiosity toward the other perspective. You may be able to uncover great new ideas. Or, on the flip side, you may get to the root cause of some blockage that’s been impeding your progress.

Preparing for Difficult Situations

In some cases, you’ll probably know in advance which situations are likely to become charged. You can take the time to center yourself, reflect on the goal, and mentally rehearse how you will handle various communication challenges.

But in other cases, this is going to come at you unexpectedly. You’ll be caught off guard. And you may even be having an off day yourself. So accept that your response might not always be ideal. If your communication is less than effective, turn it into a learning opportunity. If you’re not clear, revisit the conversation. This can be done in person or via email or chat. But remember, it’s not just about you clarifying your point with a one-way blast; it’s meant to be a two-way street. If you need to make things right, do that. You’re going to mess up sometimes. Own it and use it as a learning experience. Then re-focus on your shared goal and continue working towards it.

Finally, if you have trouble staying calm in emotionally heated situations, practice! Enlist family and friends to role play difficult conversations. This not only helps you prepare; it can build your confidence in dealing with the real thing.

More Solutions for Cross-Team Collaboration and Communication

While these points are useful, there’s a lot more in the webinar that we didn’t have time to cover here. In addition to 5 more tips on dealing with high-stress collaborations, we also answer these questions:

1. 1. How do you deliver criticism without shutting someone down?

2. 2. What can you do when the most influential person is the person causing the problem?

3. 3. What about remote collaboration?

4. 4. How can you get a word in when you’re working with dominant co-workers?

5. 5. How do you define constructive criticism vs. negativity?

6. 6. What are some best practices for cross-cultural communication?

7. 7. How can you sort assumptions from facts?

8. 8. How do you calm your worries before you start a discussion?

You can watch the entire hourlong webinar here:

Next: Real-World Insight Into Cross-Functional Team Collaboration

In our next article, we’ll interview CX by Design co-founder Diana Sonis on her experience leading a cross-functional team for a multinational company. She’ll share how she overcame communication challenges, led workshops, and ensured all team members had space to discuss their ideas. She’ll also share what she learned from this project – and what she would like other cross-functional teams to know. Join us then!