How can you overcome challenges when collaborating with different departments?

If the situation allows, I would also advocate for facilitating an opportunity to establish the goals and roles organically. Start with creating a focus group/task force with one or two representatives of each team/department. Avoid getting managers included, as you may often find employees who execute work will be closer to the cross-team comms challenges and likely already have ideas on how to address them. Such an approach also promotes taking ownership and being more engaged with the company - a great way to empower employees and give a platform for different perspectives. Once the discussion starts, key challenges will become apparent, and so will the roles and the goals. Facilitate, moderate and champion the work of the task force.

Here are quick things I keep a tab of when involving multiple stakeholders and different departments: 1. Understand the requirements clearly, ask questions when in doubt, and set priorities. 2. Set timelines according to the priorities and communicate clearly and openly. 3. When facing a challenge try to look for alternative help and talk about it. Still have queries, check for the previous similar events and getting to know the stakeholders always helps in making sure the level of work they are expecting.

Being clear on roles is important as being seen (or even perceived) to encroach on someone else's space will lead to more problems than it solves. If there is another communicator who works with the other department, seek agreement about how you can best work with them to align and agree a way joint way forward in matters that go across both of your functions.

Acho que a estratégia deve ser clara e transparente para todos os membros da equipe, depois defenir um público alvo e metas para atingir. Simples mas funciona

Relationship is everything. Approaching a team with a collaborative spirit and showing that you want to help and contribute can make a big difference. Being genuine in your approach is absolutely critical.

In my experience, trust stands out as the single most important factor. Consider this scenario: envision working with someone you don't trust. Picture the daily update meetings, the project status calls, estimating project completion times, and the expected quality of output. Now, contrast this with working alongside someone you trust. Notice the significant difference? That's the impact of trust. While acknowledging that it's not easy to trust everyone, especially in cross-functional collaborations, focusing on building project-based trust becomes crucial. Ultimately, we all aim to achieve excellent results and advance at our work.

The work to build trust and to truly understand stakeholders across other teams (who they are, what they need, what's important to them, etc.) should start as soon as you begin your role with the company, and it should end only when you are finished in your role. I've seen peers often put in the work to build a relationship with stakeholders on another team only because they are collaborating on a project, but then those relationship-building efforts from IC drop off considerably once the project work is completed. I suggest keeping those relationships going; colleagues from other teams are great sources of feedback and knowledge that can help you better understand the company and the work you do. Good IC pros have a robust Rolodex.

One way I’ve found to be effective in building trust and rapport is to keep a project activity tracker document, which is shared with all cross-functional leads who are working on the project. This helps to deepen transparency and ensure that everyone knows the latest updates on the project as quickly as possible. Doing this also helps to reduce time-consuming follow-up meetings and frequent questions about the progress being made on a project.

To work well with different teams, focus on trust. Show you get their skills and respect their ideas. Talk openly and be real - no hidden stuff. Make time for chill chats or fun team stuff. This breaks the ice and everyone feels more like a crew. I've seen this really help in getting teams to gel and work better together.

Usar os meios da melhor forma para fazer chegar ao seu público alvo. Ter criatividade para usar os meios da melhor maneira de fazer passar a mensagem

From my experience, getting everyone to chip in with their ideas is super helpful. It's not just about fixing problems – it’s about finding cool, new ideas too. When everyone gets a say, it stops misunderstandings and keeps things interesting. You often get amazing ideas you wouldn't have thought of before. Plus, it makes sure everyone feels like they're part of the team and their opinions matter.

Processo para buscar mais feedback como surveys e reuniões abertas a sugestões e perguntas são muito úteis. Com esse retorno conseguimos fazer um melhor plano de comunicação interna focado nos interesses do público alvo

I believe celebration can be the catalyst for a positive shift, inspiring the team to tackle future challenges with renewed vigor. Who wouldn't want to be part of a team that not only overcomes hurdles but knows how to celebrate those victories?

Celebrar faz parte do processo para alcançar o sucesso dentro da entidade. A jornada é longa e se não celebrar cada etapa vencida parece que nunca chegamos a lugar nenhum

Boost team spirit by shining a light on the less obvious wins in cross-functional projects. Think outside the box - maybe someone cracked a tough problem quietly, or a cool new idea popped up from an unlikely team-up. Big up these moments in team chats or with fun shout-outs. This way, you're not just saying 'well done' for the usual stuff; you’re cheering on the smart, creative moves that really get teamwork firing.

Collaboration between IC and HR can still be an issue in many orgnisations. My best tip is to go in with a curious and open mind. Not focusing on roles or ownership. But on what we can achieve together. Because when we get a curious and open collaboration between HR and communication, it becomes a great combination that creates value for the entire organization. My top tips are simple, but yet powerful: Start talking to each other! 👉 Talk about leadership 👉 Talk about culture 👉 Talk about commitment. I promise, you will find lots of areas where you can help each other today! Together we are strong and make things happen 🚀