Why cross-functional communication is the bedrock to transformation

Effective cross-functional communication is critical to successful transformation delivery. Without the necessary systems in place to facilitate collaboration across departments, progress of the project becomes increasingly difficult to track, as work continues to be conducted in silos. This way of operating only stifles meaningful innovation and prevents the leveraging of shared insights within the organisation.  

Left unaddressed, teams continue to operate according to disparate systems, with little visibility over the progress made by other teams and unaware of relevant information that could aid their own decision-making. Meanwhile, investments in the transformation are made without a complete and accurate picture of the as-is state of the business, likely resulting in a transformation project that runs over budget with lacklustre results.  

By addressing these barriers to collaboration, not only are costs reduced in the delivery of one project, but exponential savings can be achieved with every proceeding project as information flows more easily across the organisation. 

Establish roles, responsibilities and project dependencies 

To cultivate effective cross-functional communication, first establishing what is required of each stakeholder and various teams in the transformation is paramount. By involving relevant parties early to workshop solutions, potential issues are raised early pertaining to project dependencies, roles and responsibilities, and who owns which tasks within a transformation initiative.  

Mapping out project dependencies and the roles of various departments within a transformation project is also key. By eliminating the guesswork of who owns tasks within the project, and with systems facilitating easier sharing of information, teams can better understand their roles and dependencies within a transformation project and collaborate more effectively. 

Set up regular updates and shared reporting systems to foster information sharing 

Setting up weekly update meetings with a task force, steering committee and Management Action Teams (MATs) also ensures that throughout the rest of the project, risks or any issues that arise within different departments are mitigated early. This ensures that stakeholders across functions are communicating their requirements on a regular basis and collaborating effectively. 

More effective knowledge sharing systems and better reporting quality are also needed for better collaboration. For example, inconsistent reporting templates across departments can limit the ability easy contextualisation of information. By standardising and consolidating reporting templates across departments, teams can locate the information they need much more quickly for analysis and decision-making – allowing teams to stay agile, innovate and share ideas more readily.  

Enhance cross-functional communication to expedite transformation 

Once inter-department silos are addressed, teams gain the ability to generate reliable, actionable insights with information moving seamlessly across the organisation. This positions them to learn from failures and adapt quickly, working holistically toward an aligned vision for transformation. Finally, with greater visibility from one department to another, the risk of duplicate or overlapping work is also mitigated, resulting in significant savings in time, labour and costs over the course of the transformation project. 

At Renoir, we understand the complexity of introducing new systems to facilitate cross-functional collaboration. For 30 years, we have worked with organisations to achieve their transformation goals.  

Our focus is centred around not just technology implementation, but employee buy-in, behaviour change and people engagement needed to ensure solutions are fully adopted. When employees understand the value of transformation and their role and impact in achieving larger company goals, long term change can be sustained for the long-term.