Be a Cross Functional Whiz

In every company I’ve ever worked for, interdepartmental communication has been a problem.  Groups are viewed as silos instead of a part of a single well-integrated organization.  Therefore, it stands to reason that the person who interacts seamlessly across departments would be a valued team member – a team member whom your group relies on to get things done and is least likely to be sacrificed in a layoff.  How can you be that person?  Here are some ideas:

E-mail your contacts from orientation:  During the day or two you spent with HR at the beginning of your tenure, was there anyone who seemed interesting and went on to work in a different discipline?  Invite her to lunch and find out more about her personally and professionally.  Work to strengthen the relationship over time so that you have a friend to call on when your group needs something from that department.

Study the other departments: In order to be a cross-functional whiz, it helps to have a solid understanding of what the other groups in your organization do.  Pretend you are interviewing for a position in each department and study the relevant online and offline materials.  For example, if you want to establish a better relationship with R&D, learn about the product pipeline and attend a voluntary meeting of the innovation committee.

Walk around the building once a week:  Slot a half hour to grab your coffee and meander around the floors of your office.  While you shouldn’t stop and chit chat for too long, it’s a good idea to say an in-person hello to people in other departments so that they can put a name with a face the next time you contact them. 

Engender cooperation: Always keep in mind that colleagues (especially those not in your group) don’t care what you want — they want to know what’s in it for them. By approaching negotiations with an attitude that allows both parties to win (i.e. do a good job and stay out of trouble), you’ll be more effective at eliciting cooperation and ultimately getting what your group needs.

Be the mediator: If a dispute between two colleagues is causing a breakdown in communication and/or effectiveness between departments, set up a formal meeting to discuss the issues. Once you are all together, tell the arguers that you wish to clear the air by talking to them one at a time about the situation and then allowing the other to respond to what was just said.  Remain impartial and encourage the arguers to come to a mutually-satisfactory resolution.

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Comments

[DC Jobs]

The mediator role might be hard to pull off unless you are a higher-up at the company or have already established yourself as one of the respected, "cross functional whiz[es]".

Other than that all of your suggestions seem like tactics that a new employee could start applying in their first week on the job. A few companies have cross department integration built into their corporate culture, but since most companies don't there a lot of opportunities in this space for enterprising employees.

[KG]

Or...work hard. Show verbal interest in gaining further knowledge in different departments. Brainstorm about how other departments duties affect your current daily position and what could be done to enhance those contirbutions and again, express them verbally.

[GoodBizAdvocate]

I couldn't agree more with all of the tips provided. It's great that you put it in writing - clearly. The more that start to understand, the more effective corporate America could become.

Most successful companies become that way when the individual teams converge and listen to achieve a common corporate goal.

It is simple, when done right.

[MTS Converter]

You offer a lot of useful information!
Thank you!

[Alexandra Levit]

@MTS: Glad to hear it, thanks!

@Goodbiz: Much appreciated, thanks for wreading.

@KG: You're absolutely right. There's never any substitute for hard work.

@DC: Agreed. These are valid suggestions for making yourself more visible at the start of a new job, as long as you avoid being perceived as presumptuous.