How To Build Cross-Functional Teams

Heey there,

Today we will be talking about the benefits & 'how-to's of building cross-functional teams.

Check out the full episode with Frederic for laughs & more insight.

We'll start today again with a random fun fact.

Did you know that you might have looked at cat pee in an art museum before? 🐈‍⬛🎨
I'll let you know why at the end of today's course why that is.

However, if you find these insights valuable, the best way to support our work is by inviting your friends to become Dot Connecters and learn more about Connecting The Dots between marketing activities and financial goals.

Topic Of Today

• 🎙 Episode Highlight: The Art of Building Cross-Functional Teams

• 📚 Deep Dive: Building & Nurturing Cross-Functional Teams

• 📌 Actionable Tips

• 📚 Homework

• 💡 Pro Tip

🎉 Connecting The Dots: Building Effective Cross-Functional Teams 🎉

In a recent episode of Connecting The Dots, Frederic Linfjärd (Head of Growth at Planday), shared his experiences and insights on building highly effective teams & ensuring alignment across departments. Let's dive into the key takeaways and how you can apply them in your organisation!

1. 🎙 An Episode Highlight: The Art of Building Cross-Functional Teams

Frederic emphasised the importance of understanding the organisation even before joining. He highlighted the challenges of change management and the need to influence various departments to achieve desired results.

Using his experience at Capture One as an example, Frederic shared that while identifying growth levers took mere minutes, the actual implementation and influencing everyone took almost a year.

His advice for growth leaders?

Identify and Act on Low-Hanging Fruits: Start by identifying easy-to-grab opportunities. Implement them, showcase the results, and earn credibility.

Earn Credibility Across Teams: In growth, you're essentially a layer across all teams. By showcasing results, you earn credibility not just within your team but across the organization.

Understand and Respect Other Departments: Frederic's gesture of approaching the IT department with a bowl of chocolate at Capture One is a testament to this. Understand their concerns and work collaboratively.

Sometimes, It's Better Not to Ask for Permission: If you're technical and can build most of a solution yourself, sometimes it's more efficient to act first and ask later.

2. 📚 Deep Dive: Building and Nurturing Cross-Functional Teams

Clear Communication is Key (Kissflow): Effective communication ensures that everyone is on the same page. Regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and open channels of communication are essential. Frederic's approach to understanding and respecting other departments is a testament to the importance of communication.

Define Roles and Responsibilities (Forbes): Clearly defining each team member's role leads to everyone knowing their responsibilities, leading to better collaboration and reduced overlaps.

Shared Goals and Vision (Asana): A unified vision can ensure that all team members are working towards the same objectives, fostering a sense of unity and purpose. This aligns with Frederic's emphasis on aligning teams on the same goals.

Regular Feedback and Iteration (ClickUp): Continuous feedback helps in refining processes, identifying bottlenecks, and ensuring that the team is always improving.

Building Trust and Credibility: As Frederic mentioned, earning credibility is crucial. By showcasing results and delivering on promises, teams can build trust, which is foundational for cross-functional collaboration.

Understanding and Respecting Boundaries: While it's essential to collaborate, it's equally important to understand and respect the boundaries of different departments. This ensures that while there's collaboration, there's no overstepping.

Empowerment and Autonomy: Giving teams the autonomy to make decisions and take action can foster a sense of ownership and responsibility, leading to better outcomes.

3. 📌 Actionable Tips

Start with low-hanging fruits to gain quick wins and build credibility. Showcase these results to earn trust across departments.

Foster open communication across teams and ensure everyone is aligned with the shared vision. Consider setting up regular cross-departmental meetings to facilitate this.

Clearly define roles and responsibilities to avoid overlaps and ensure smooth collaboration. This can be achieved through detailed team charters or collaboration agreements.

Embrace feedback, both positive and constructive. Create a culture where feedback is welcomed and acted upon.

Understand the unique challenges and concerns of different departments. This will help in building empathy and fostering collaboration.

Empower teams by giving them the autonomy to make decisions. Trust that they have the expertise and knowledge to deliver results.

5. 📚 Homework:

Reflect on your organization's current cross-functional collaboration. Are there any low-hanging fruits you can identify and act upon?

Engage in a conversation with a department you don't usually collaborate with. Understand their concerns and see how you can work together more effectively.

Review the resources shared above and identify one strategy you can implement in the next month.

6. 💡 Pro Tip:

Building effective cross-functional teams is a journey, not a destination.
It requires continuous effort, open communication, and a willingness to adapt and learn.

Remember Frederic's advice: sometimes, it's better not to ask for permission.

Fun fact answer: Gustav Klimt often had a bunch of cats in his studio, and weirdly enough he didn't mind the peeing on his art work as he believed the cat urine to be the best fixative.

Isn't that just fun?

Keep learning and growing! 🚀 ❤️

New episodes of Connecting The Dots & Business Companion are coming out regularly, so stay tuned.

Subscribe to our podcast and keep an eye on your inbox for the next edition of our newsletter as well.

LinkedIn posts worth reading this week:

1. The anonymus Customer Journey
Want to help your company hit its revenue targets?

2. Why copywriting is king
How to make a great first impression (and nail your copywriting)-