Promoting Cross-Functionality and Facilitating Interdepartmental Cooperation

Teamwork & CooperationManagement & LeadershipManagers≈ 25 min

Key skill: Cooperation

Summary

Getting departments with opposing cultures to cooperate starts with a mutual-commitment charter: each team spells out in writing what it expects from the other and what it commits to giving in return, over the course of three meetings.

Target audience

Managers or project leads looking to facilitate cross-departmental cooperation

Learning objectives

Foster cross-departmental cooperation regardless of cultural or organizational differences
Use the mutual-commitment charter to smooth collaboration with a department you work with regularly
Draft a cross-departmental mutual-commitment charter as a team, in three meetings
Foster cross-cultural, cross-functional communication by mastering its stakes and pitfalls

Module outline

StorytellingA story about interdepartmental isolation holding back performance, and how two managers take action to break down these silos
ArticlesAn example of a mutual-commitment charter between the sales and marketing departments · The "Coat of Arms for Greater Inclusion" tool for breaking down intercultural barriers · The three steps for drafting and implementing a commitment charter
Expert videoA practical tool for smoothing cross-departmental cooperation and easing conflict resolution between different entities
AnchoringA quiz and true/false questions to deepen the topic and anchor what you've learned
Memo cardA downloadable coaching memo card: the key takeaways from the expert video
CommitmentConcrete examples to help you define your own commitment

Models & methods

The mutual-commitment charter (service agreement); brainstorming the "worst-case" and "ideal" partnership; drafting, pooling, and synthesizing.