You’re a manufacturing operations manager. How can you improve cross-functional collaboration?

Improve cross-functional collaboration by establishing clear communication channels, defining roles, and integrating systems. Provide cross-functional training, create joint projects, and set common goals. Hold regular interdepartmental meetings, implement feedback mechanisms, and encourage a culture of continuous improvement. Foster cross-functional leadership, develop conflict resolution strategies, and celebrate successes to reinforce collaborative efforts.

Se obtienen buenos resultados si se establecen canales de comunicación claros para facilitar una comunicación fluida entre los equipos, se organizan breves reuniones de 5´ discutiendo el action log, se fomenta la colaboración entre departamentos, es necesario detectar necesidades de capacitación, promover personal con alto potencial. El anillo se cierra cuando las métricas cuantitativas arrojan los resultados esperados habiendo implementado lo anteriormente expuesto.

Following up on asks - no matter how small - quickly and in a language that the other department understands shows that you are listening to what's important to them, are a collaborative partner, and establishes that base of trust.

This is a critical element of cross-functional collaboration; any team assembled must challenge the status quo, and all members able to contribute. This means that innovation is embedded in the culture and that the team have several tools they are comfortable with for problem-solving, decision-making and meeting management. Also, a truly cross-functional team will have members from both the shop floor and administrative functions, such as planning and scheduling, finance and engineering. Sharing ideas comes from both self-confidence and the quality of the meeting management. Tools will enable the team to stand back from the ASIS position and look forward. The ability to test is key and learn from mistakes do not only celebrate successes.

Any evaluation will require that process measures are agreed upon, and that present performance and future targets are set. KPIs will start with end-to-end processes and then can be split across process groups, processes and, eventually, tasks. The wider context will achieved by defining the end-to-end KPIs with competitive benchmarks and customer experience feedback. External and internal sources suggest 'ideas' for the team to evaluate and refine. Tools to support this work need to be part of the change management toolkit, which, if online resources are available, can be accessed by staff as part of the Continuous Professional Development. Progress monitoring will be regular, driving actions to reach targets, which can then be revised.

Gemba. Go and see for yourself. In the situations where collaboration is critical, be present, describe what you expect to happen as well as what you don’t. Establish metrics that are the result of collaboration. Go and see how the parties regard/achieve metrics. Reward/encourage positive collaboration and re-direct negative a few times before discouraging with repercussions.

Daily huddles that include representatives from the upstream internal supplier, key stakeholders, and the downstream internal customers do wonders for building collaboration. Everyone hears the same information at the same time. It strengthens alignment to a common goal of providing a product or service to the ultimate customer replacing the "us vs them" mentality. Empathy results, thereby reducing the silo effect as everyone begins to contribute to problem-solving, higher levels of accountability, respect, teamwork, and cross-functional collaboration.