Scaling collaboration in a fast growing team
Photo by "My Life Through A Lens" on Unsplash
Talking to founders about the challenges they face when scaling their teams, the first topic to come up is usually hiring — how time-consuming it is, how long it takes and how to decide whether a candidate is “the right person for the job”.
Once we’ve talked through that topic (leaning heavily on great resources like Higher Help), very soon the conversation turns to collaboration. With new people on board, how to make sure that the right information is shared with the right people at the right time. It has been especially challenging this year for teams who had to rapidly adapt to working virtually. Their established patterns didn’t necessarily support remote ways of working and in some instances, it resulted in tension within the team.
Often, as teams grow, they experience collaboration lag. This is where the structure and processes for working together scale at a slower rate than the team itself. Roles have changed, new personalities and work styles are being integrated and the usual connection points don’t make sense anymore.
Suddenly people don’t understand what “right” looks like — how to engage the right people at the right time on the right topics and ask them the right questions. Regular, careful planning and open communication help to establish the much-needed new rituals for information sharing and decision making — but they’re not enough.
It’s also important to consider whether there are reasons beyond the process that are inhibiting information sharing in your team. If, as the old cliches go, “sharing is caring” and “a problem shared is a problem halved”, then why isn’t it natural for your team to share?
When it comes to collaboration, particularly cross-functional collaboration, there are 3 common objections I tend to hear. I wonder if you’ve ever thought, heard or even said any of them?
1. “It’s too hard”
I don’t have time (it’s not a priority)
Time zones are a pain to manage
I’ve tried and no one is cooperating
2. “It’s not worth it”
I can’t see the benefit
My KPIs are all about my team’s performance
There’s no consequence if I don’t
3. “But I am…”
I am collaborating — look at these 3 (not directly relevant) examples
Do any of these examples sound familiar to you?
If they do, here are my suggestions for creating the conditions for effective collaboration in your team.
1. Clarify and Reinforce — For me the first step is to think about your mindset and the narrative that results. How do you think about the value and importance of cross-functional collaboration? How is that showing up when you talk with your team? Could be clearer and more consistent when expressing how you’d like them to be working together?
2. Cost-Benefit Analysis — In answering the question “why should we collaborate?” I tend to lean on answering the questions that help weigh up the pros and cons of the effort required. The knowledge that better decisions, more engaged teams and a stronger sense of accountability ownership all come from collaboration. And that without the diverse perspectives that come from collaboration, there is significant risk that important details and potential consequences will be missed.
3. Prioritisation — Every team I talk to faces a constant balancing act — between their functional objectives and the cross-functional projects that they’ve been asked to participate in. The flippant answer to prioritising these efforts is to “let the strategy guide the priorities”. In reality, it’s not that simple. Done well, all personal objectives (functional or cross-functional) ladder up to the strategic objectives of the company — which makes it difficult for each individual to prioritise their efforts. They need direction from you about how to apportion their time and energy. It’s important to communicate how you want them to manage their functional and cross-functional priorities.
4. What, When & How — While you might think you’ve been clear about the desired processes for collaboration, it’s probably worth checking you’ve ticked all the boxes. Does your team understand what you want them to share? How about when you want them to share it? Has that changed since we’ve moved to an asynchronous, virtual world? Have you communicated the impact of the change? Recently many teams I know have reported a huge increase in the use of written Slack or Teams messages (and a corresponding decrease in phone and video). It might be time to offer some guidance about when to write and when to talk to each other.
5. Show and Tell — Are you making your own collaborative efforts visible to your team? Are you showing them what “good” looks like? Role modelling of the “right” behaviours is an important complement to establishing your expectations. And don’t forget to give positive feedback when you see it working well!
If you’d like more information about how to avoid collaboration lag, check out Scaling Teams — the section on Process has some handy tips.