In the world of work, collaboration is key. I have been supporting a project that is expanding collaboration in our organization by enabling cross-functional teams. These teams are all about mixing different areas of expertise to get things done more efficiently and effectively. I’m learning about all sorts of models for enabling collaboration in service of our changing business model.

From rapid automation and augmentation of tasks to learning as business model (e.g. goods and services are created by what Heather McGowen calls “the exhaust left over from learning”), work and life is officially mostly complex, not complicated.

To meet the needs of rapid transformation amidst complexity, organizations need teams that combine technology and business expertise, focusing functions like finance, learning, and strategy towards the outcomes that matter for the business. Here are three ways to build and develop cross-functional teams to be effective amidst complexity.

Team Topologies

Team Topologies is an approach to designing team-of-teams organizations for fast flow of value, particularly for software development. According to Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais, team topologies “provides, actionable guide for evolving team design to continuously cope with technology, people, and business changes, covering size, shape, placement, responsibilities, boundaries, and interaction of teams building and running modern software systems.”

I like how this approach recognizes the humanity of work by emphasizing the importance of sense-making with empathy and emotional intelligence as well as underscoring the relationship between adaptability and burnout. For example, when a team moves from discovering a need to designing a solution, it naturally reforms to focus on the next moment of need, which reduces wasted effort and gives folks a breaks, too.

Sociocracy

Sociocracy is a system of governance and constant decision making that unlocks the potential of highly democratic, often member-led communities.

It seeks to create psychologically safe environments and organizations through human-centric approaches and radical transparency. People feel included in decision-making and empowered to move work forward at pace when applying these principles and practices.

I like how this model emphasizes how small teams represent the best model of organization for getting things done. I also like the idea of consent, which structures decision-making to include all voices in a circle.

For the record, using circles of work to create value as a team is awesome in theory and challenging in practice, especially if the practice is used for a team that has no other circles with which to connect elsewhere in the organization. Recently, I used this model to organize work in a business unit for over a year and, while nothing slipped or was missed, our processes were pretty messy and some of our structure-craving, clarity-seeking colleagues threw around the word “chaotic” once or twice. This said, the cross-functional relationships that we built through this experiment are paying off today, which is enabling more self-directed work and has created capacity-for-agility because folks are more confident shifting their portfolios when new needs emerge.

Holacracy

More circles!

Holacracy is a system a system of self-management where leadership roles are not subject to a traditional hierarchy of command. Instead of having a static job description, individuals in a holacracy assume multiple roles, each associated with a purpose, domain, and accountabilities.

I like how well Holacracy combines structure (check out this very detailed, example-rich word sample charter!) and freedom; self-organization is the future of work, from my perspective. Also from McKinsey’s perspective:

Developing futurist competencies within the organization is crucial for anticipating trends and disruptions. This proactive and strategic approach is essential for transforming people professionals into agile, innovative partners, driving resilience and growth across the organization, and ultimately securing a competitive edge in an ever-evolving landscape.

Enabling people to make decisions, build cool shit, and teach others how things get done as close as possible to the need, member, or client requires a futurist mindset, yes, and it also requires folks to be empowered to manage their work (not to mention their development).

Enable cross-functional teams

Valuing agility, safety, and clarity, these ways to structure and culture teams will take shape in thousands of organizations that aspire to transform to meet their communities’ needs.

What models – or aspects of each model – will you bring to your workplace to enhance collaboration?

I mean, at the very least we should use some of these ideas and tactics to improve meetings…