As companies become more complex and try to do more with fewer people, there is an increased need to collaborate with other teams, departments and cross-functionally. How well do your leaders and teams collaborate? Here are 3 steps to help your leaders develop effective collaboration skills.
You could have heard a pin drop. The SVP of HR was sitting with his CEO and reviewing the recent dismal turnover numbers. For the sixth month in a row, things were not getting any better. “I have an idea, let’s do that engagement survey you’ve been wanting to do the last few years and we will find out where our problem areas really are….” Is it any wonder the HR leader just shook his head in despair.
We recently worked with a group of 20+ senior executives at a rapidly growing company in the midst of repositioning its services. The laundry list of challenges was endless … and the enthusiasm for tackling them was waning. There appeared to be no forward progress on decisions that required cross-functional discussion and coordination. Assumptions were made about who was leading which initiative. And, even more foundational than that, no agreement as to which initiatives should actually be top priority.
Conflict. Infighting. Disagreements. Arguments. Rivalry. Lack of accountability. These are all issues that people, and especially managers, at work encounter on a regular basis. A struggle with a performance issue, a difficult personality, rude behavior, or peers fighting. We all dread conflict or tough conversations at work even though they are inevitable.
Research last year from the Human Capital Institute on “Designing Effective Teams” showed the following:
