Lack of collaboration is a common problem faced by organizations of all sizes. In fact, research from Salesforce makes it clear there’s a major disconnect:
- Approximately 86 percent of executives and employees blame poor collaboration for team problems and failures.
- Less than 50 percent of respondents thought their organizations effectively and honestly discussed issues with employees.
- About 40 percent of employees believed decision-makers “consistently failed” to seek another opinion.
So, what’s the solution?
In this article and the next three in this series, we’ll identify obstacles that prevent effective collaboration and review ways in which chief learning officers can guide their organizations in breaking down silos and fostering a collaboration mentality among teams of all sizes.
The most common obstacles to collaboration are:
- Lack of a companywide process flow
- Tunnel vision or department silos
- Fear of being honest
- Conflicting personalities
In this article, I will focus on obstacle No. 1: A lack of companywide process flow. It is a major culprit for poor collaboration. Teams must be on the same page for collaboration to occur.
To build this critical foundation, your company needs a visual representation of all the processes that clearly shows the interconnections between departments and teams. The best way to do this is by creating a swim lane process map.
A swim lane process map breaks down a process into steps, then divides those steps into a lane showing who’s responsible for completing them. It’s a useful tool for analyzing and improving processes, especially when there are multiple departments involved.
Here’s how to create a swim lane process map to create a companywide process flow that will break down the silo between your learning and development team and the departments you collaborate with. Assign a senior member of the team to lead the creation of the swim lane map. This will encourage ownership and promote accountability.
- Determine the final outcome. Be clear about what you’re trying to accomplish (for example, client deliverable completed). This will keep you focused on what steps are relevant to include.
- Identify all participants in the process. On the left side of the diagram, list each participant or team involved in the process. Each one will have their own swim lane, so their responsibilities are clear.
- List the steps for each stage of the process. Document each step sequentially, keeping it as simple as possible. And remember: You are mapping how the process is currently being done, not how you think it should be done.
- Insert deadlines. Make note of any timelines within the steps to stay on target for the final outcome.
- Analyze the diagram for areas of improvement. Ask yourself:
- Are there any gaps or steps missing?
- Is there duplication of effort?
- Are there overlaps, where several people or teams perform the same task?
- Are there activities that add no value?
- Are there steps where communication often breaks down?
Your next executive team discussion
Talk about how you can create a companywide process flow to guide your employees.
- Who/which department should be responsible for creating and maintaining this resource?
- Task each department head to provide a list of their steps/contributions to a process as a starting point. It helps to see a bird’s-eye view of all processes and departments involved and encourages discussions and exchange of ideas.
In the next article, I’ll share how you can eliminate obstacle No. 2, silos and tunnel vision, that stands in the way of collaboration and how to eliminate it from your operations.
