Cross-Functional Productivity

Too often, I’ve been in a meeting where everyone agreed collaboration was essential—yet when it came to execution, things stalled. Silos persisted, friction rose, and progress felt painfully slow. A recent Harvard Business Review article highlights a frustrating truth: even the best-intentioned leaders struggle to work across functions. Why? Because traditional leadership development focuses on vertical leadership (managing teams) rather than lateral leadership (influencing peers across the business). The best cross-functional leaders operate differently. They don’t just lead their teams—they master LATERAL AGILITY: the ability to move side to side, collaborate effectively, and drive results without authority. The article suggests three strategies on how to do this: (1) Think Enterprise-First. Instead of fighting for their department, top leaders prioritize company-wide success. They ask: “What does the business need from our collaboration?” rather than “How does this benefit my team?” (2) Use "Paradoxical Questions" to Avoid Stalemates. Instead of arguing over priorities, they find a way to win together by asking: “How can we achieve my objective AND help you meet yours?” This shifts the conversation from turf battles to solutions. (3) “Make Purple” Instead of Pushing a Plan. One leader in the article put it best: “I bring red, you bring blue, and together we create purple.” The best collaborators don’t show up with a fully baked plan—they co-create with others to build trust and alignment. In my research, I’ve found that curiosity is so helpful in breaking down silos. Leaders who ask more questions—genuinely, not just performatively—build deeper trust, uncover hidden constraints, and unlock creative solutions. - Instead of assuming resistance, ask: “What constraints are you facing?” - Instead of pushing a plan, ask: “How might we build this together?” - Instead of guarding your function’s priorities, ask: “What’s the bigger picture we’re missing?” Great collaboration isn’t about power—it’s about perspective. And the leaders who master it create workplaces where innovation thrives. Which of these strategies resonates with you most? #collaboration #leadership #learning #skills https://lnkd.in/esC4cfjS

Meetings cut in half. Escalations down 75%. No new tools required. A cross-functional marketing team at a major global retailer was drowning: only 22% thought their meetings were a good use of time, and just 39% understood the metrics they were being evaluated against. No calendar audit fixed it. What did? Getting their team working norms aligned, starting with cross-functional goals. With help from Sacha Connor at Virtual Work Insider, the team worked through five intensive 90-minute sessions over two months. Three focus areas made the difference: 🔹 Align goals before anything else. They mapped KPIs side by side and found one function's top priority barely registered for the other. They worked to get aligned, and shared understanding of team metrics went from 39% to 83%. 🔹 Clarify decision rights first. Designated points of contact absorbed a brutal 15:1 staffing ratio, without adding headcount. It also cut down on meetings ("where are we on X") and reduced escalations by 75%! 🔹 Create norms for communication. One rule on Teams: drop an eyeball emoji to acknowledge you've seen a message. Information-flow effectiveness jumped from 41% to 83%. As Sacha put it about Team Working Agreements: most companies put a toolkit on the intranet, maybe a couple teams download it, work through the logistics and call it done. It's not. Three-quarters of teams have never established formal norms. If you're about to layer AI on top of that foundation, you're building on sand. 👉 Full case study in today's newsletter, linked in comments What's actually standing in the way of your team doing this work? #Meetings #Management #AI

🚀 Excited to share my latest Fortune column on truly groundbreaking academic work from my co-authors Professor Karim Lakhani and Fabrizio Dell'Acqua at Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard (D^3), where I serve as an executive fellow. This remarkable field experiment with 776 Procter & Gamble professionals fundamentally challenges what we thought we knew about teamwork. The research reveals the emergence of the "cybernetic teammate"—AI that doesn't just assist but actively participates in collaboration. Three breakthrough findings: 1. AI Can Replicate Team Benefits Individuals working with AI achieved nearly 40% performance gains—matching traditional two-person teams. AI is providing the same collaborative benefits we've long attributed to human teamwork. 2. Cross-Functional AI Teams Generate Breakthrough Innovation AI-augmented cross-functional teams were 3x more likely to produce top 10% solutions. This isn't marginal improvement—it's a multiplicative effect that neither human-only teams nor AI-enabled individuals could achieve alone. 3. AI Breaks Down Silos (For Real This Time) R&D specialists with AI proposed commercially viable solutions. Commercial professionals developed technically sound approaches. AI acted as a bridge, enabling each team member to think holistically across functions—achieving the "silo breaking" that leaders have struggled to accomplish through org chart reshuffles. Bonus finding: AI collaboration increased positive emotions by 64% in teams. This isn't cold, mechanical work—it's energizing and engaging. At Seven2, we're translating this research into practice with our portfolio companies, building these AI-augmented cross-functional teams to drive innovation and competitive advantage. This is the future of collaborative work—not AI replacing humans, but human-AI ensembles that combine the best of both worlds. Read the full analysis: https://lnkd.in/ef3f3pED #AI #Innovation #HBS #D3Institute #FutureOfWork #PrivateEquity #TeamDynamics

One of the biggest challenges in customer experience (CX) initiatives isn't just getting buy-in—it's making sure communication flows seamlessly across different teams to drive meaningful progress. It's not enough to have passionate people involved; it's about aligning everyone around a shared purpose and ensuring that action follows. I see it all the time—CX councils or teams that meet to discuss customer feedback, but the conversation doesn't always translate into real change. It's critical to go beyond just reviewing the numbers. We need to collaborate, co-create, and drive real impact for our customers. So how do we ensure communication within cross-functional teams leads to action? ▶️Structure your meetings to drive progress. If you have cross-functional buy-in, it's essential to manage those meetings effectively. Make sure that everyone understands their role, the goals, and what success looks like. It's not enough to simply review metrics—what are the actions you'll take based on those insights? ▶️Unify efforts across the organization. In many organizations, different teams—like those working on journey mapping and those focused on customer insights—work in silos. We need to bring those efforts together around your customer experience mission, ensuring that all teams are aligned with a shared definition of success. ▶️Be proactive and resourceful. Don't wait for things to fall through the cracks. Be a resource to your team members, follow up, and offer support where needed. This could mean helping a colleague facilitate a journey mapping session or providing customer feedback to help illustrate a challenge. Communication is key, but proactive support is what drives progress forward. When working cross-functionally, the responsibility doesn't end with the meeting. We need to be deliberate about setting expectations, following up on actions, and ensuring everyone understands how their efforts contribute to the larger customer experience mission. Great communication can turn fragmented efforts into unified progress. Let's make sure we're not just talking about customer experience, but working together to make it happen. How do you ensure effective communication across teams in your organization? Drop your process below! #CustomerExperience #CX #CrossFunctionalTeams #Collaboration #Leadership #Communication #CXStrategy #CustomerJourney

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟? 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞. During my stint as Group Medical Director with Dr Lal Path Labs, I was introduced to the concept of a pre-read. Anyone scheduled to speak should share the slide deck with relevant information as a pre-read with all the attendees. This allows for everyone to know the context in advance, giving time to review the details and build their point of view, allowing for a healthy discussion, rather than understanding the contents during the presentation. Taking into account this simple philosophy, here's how I suggest 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭. 1. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞: Arriving 5 minutes before the start of the meeting allows the meeting to start on time and also time to address any tech glitches that could come up in making the presentation. 2. 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥: Consider sharing pre-read materials or literature related to the agenda which ensures that all participants have the chance to do their homework, and come prepared with thoughts, notes, & ideas, making the meeting more focused & effective. 3. 𝐁𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞: Interactive meetings where all participants contribute makes for a healthier discussion. 𝐈 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 "𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬!" 4. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: It's not about scribbling down every word like a court stenographer. It's about capturing the non-negotiables, action points, and responsibilities in the moment. Consider them as not just records; they're your treasure map to the 'Aha!' moments that will help you think better and collaborate effectively post the discussion. 5. 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Meeting minutes aren't meant to gather dust in your inbox; they're strategic tools. Break down minutes into bite-sized, achievable steps to ensure that discussions lead to tangible results. 6. 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 & 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭: How often do we jump from one meeting to another in a day? It's crucial to pause and reflect. Take a few minutes after the meeting to ponder on the discussed topics. Immediate reflection eliminates confusion and clutter, providing clarity when circling back to the key points. How do you approach meetings to ensure maximum productivity and efficiency? I would love to hear and learn from your insights. #preread #productivemeetings #DrSanjayArora

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: (𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀) Ever notice how Quality, R&D, Regulatory and Marketing teams seem to speak completely different languages? This disconnect isn't just frustrating, it's costing your medical device company time, money, and potentially regulatory approval In my personal experience, I've seen how departmental friction can derail even the most promising innovations 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀 👉 Delayed submissions and market entry 👉 Regulatory surprises late in development 👉 Documentation rework and compliance gaps 👉 Increased development costs 👉 Team frustration and burnout Here's how to create seamless collaboration across your MedTech organization: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Create a development council with representatives from Quality, Regulatory, R&D, Manufacturing, Marketing and Clinical. Meet bi-weekly with a structured agenda (top tip keep the minutes to use towards management reviews). 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: A Class II device manufacturer implemented this model and reduced their development timeline by 30%, if not more, by identifying regulatory concerns during concept phase rather than pre-submission. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲-𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 Don't move to the next development phase without formal sign-off from every department. This prevents costly backtracking 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: During a stage-gate review (Design Review), a clinical specialist identified that the intended claims presented by the regulatory team would require further clinical data. By catching this early, the company adjusted their development plan rather than facing a surprise 6-month+ delay come submission time 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 Develop a glossary of terms that bridges departmental jargon. This prevents miscommunication that leads to rework. 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: One client I worked with created a “MedTech Translation Guide” with input from each department. Not only did it reduce confusion, but it also built mutual respect engineers finally understood what the regulatory team meant by “intended use” and marketers stopped using terms that could trigger a knock on the door by Competent Authorities 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲? When this is done right, it accelerates development, strengthens compliance, and builds a more engaged team ✅ Faster to market ✅ Fewer compliance surprises ✅ Less internal friction If you're building your next-gen device and struggling with internal disconnects, it’s time to rethink how your teams work 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 💬 I'd love to hear: How does your team keep cross-functional collaboration on track? #MedTech  #MedicalDevice #ProductDevelopment

Over the years, I've discovered the truth: Game-changing products won't succeed unless they have a unified vision across sales, marketing, and product teams. When these key functions pull in different directions, it's a death knell for go-to-market execution. Without alignment on positioning and buyer messaging, we fail to communicate value and create disjointed experiences. So, how do I foster collaboration across these functions? 1) Set shared goals and incentivize unity towards that North Star metric, be it revenue, activations, or retention. 2) Encourage team members to work closely together, building empathy rather than skepticism of other groups' intentions and contributions. 3) Regularly conduct cross-functional roadmapping sessions to cascade priorities across departments and highlight dependencies. 4) Create an environment where teams can constructively debate assumptions and strategies without politics or blame. 5) Provide clarity for sales on target personas and value propositions to equip them for deal conversations. 6) Involve all functions early in establishing positioning and messaging frameworks. Co-create when possible. By rallying together around customers’ needs, we block and tackle as one team towards product-market fit. The magic truly happens when teams unite towards a shared mission to delight users!

👩💻 Picture this: A global product team is under pressure to innovate. The next big feature must: Delight customers, Beat competitors, Strengthen market position. Leadership sets up weekly cross-functional strategy meetings. On paper, it’s a dream setup: 📢 Marketing brings customer pain points ⚙️ Engineers know the technical possibilities 🎨 Designers understand user experience 📊 Analysts provide market data And yet… every meeting feels the same. 👉 A few senior voices dominate. The rest remain silent. Frustrated, leadership concludes: “They’re not strategic enough.” “They’re disengaged.” “They lack creativity.” But when I spoke to the team, a different story emerged: 😟 Fear of judgment: “If my idea isn’t polished, I’ll look foolish.” 😔 Past dismissal: “The last time I contributed, it was brushed aside.” ⏳ No structure: “By the time I frame my thought, the conversation has already moved on.” 💡 It wasn’t disengagement. It was a design flaw in how participation was structured. As a Learning Experience Designer, I suggested practical shifts: 1️⃣ Pre-work idea collection → A shared digital whiteboard for input before meetings. 2️⃣ Structured discussion formats → Time-boxed rounds (2 minutes each) before open dialogue. 3️⃣ Psychological safety rituals → Leaders began with: “Every idea matters.” and modeled it. 4️⃣ Visible impact loop → Tracked which ideas became pilots, features, or improvements—and gave credit. ✨ The Impact: Employees once labeled “quiet” began sharing bold ideas. A junior engineer suggested a backend tweak that saved 💰 thousands in server costs. A designer proposed a UX change that cut onboarding time by ⏱️ 12%. The same people. The same talent. But in a redesigned environment, their best became visible. 🔑 Silence in meetings doesn’t mean absence of ideas. It often signals: “The environment doesn’t make contribution safe, easy, or worthwhile.” Leaders and L&D professionals share a responsibility: not to “fix people,” but to fix the circumstances that shape behavior. Because under the circumstances, everyone is already doing their best. 👉 Over to you: Have you ever been in a meeting where great ideas were left unsaid? What design changes could have unlocked them? #microlearning #learningwithhiral #learningeveyryda #Collaboration #InnovationAtWork #DesignThinking #FutureOfWork #TeamDynamics

What fuels innovation at scale? For Viator, the answer is clear: experimentation and cross-team collaboration. This week on the Product Thinking podcast, I’m joined by Kristin D., COO at Viator (part of Tripadvisor), to talk about what it takes to build a culture of experimentation that actually delivers value. Kristin shares: ✅ How Viator has embraced a learning culture where teams iterate fast and celebrate both wins and failures ✅ The role of data in decision-making ✅ How cross-functional collaboration supports fast iteration and a well-integrated product experience If you’re navigating the tension between moving fast and delivering measurable outcomes, this episode is for you. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: Apple: https://lnkd.in/gMdrnr_6 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gN3VxMdq Did you enjoy this episode? Ensure you never miss an update. Subscribe to the Product Thinking podcast newsletter! 🔔 Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ekrCUaUV

5 Decision-Making Frameworks That Transformed How I Lead RiseUpp.com Have you ever faced a crucial business decision that kept you up at night? Last week, while deciding on a major partnership, I reflected on how my decision-making process has evolved since founding RiseUpp. Here are the frameworks that guide me: The 10/10/10 Rule What will the impact be in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years? This helped me prioritize long-term partnerships over quick wins. The Regret Minimization Framework Instead of asking "What's the best choice?", I ask "Which choice will I regret the least?" This led us to invest heavily in user experience over rapid expansion. The Second-Order Thinking Looking beyond immediate consequences. When we made our course comparison tool free, we lost short-term revenue but gained massive user trust and market leadership. The Eisenhower Matrix Urgent vs Important. This saved me from countless "urgent" meetings that weren't moving us toward our vision of democratizing education. The Jeff Bezos "70% Rule" If you have 70% of the information needed, make the decision. Waiting for 100% certainty cost us early opportunities. Now we move faster. The most valuable lesson? These frameworks aren't rigid rules – they're tools. Sometimes, you need to combine them or trust your instinct. What decision-making frameworks do you rely on? Share your experiences below. #Leadership #DecisionMaking #CEOLife #StartupGrowth #BusinessStrategy #EdTech #RiseUpp #OnlineEducation #CareerGrowth #ExecutiveDecisions #StrategicThinking #BusinessLeadership #StartupLife #EntrepreneurMindset #ProfessionalDevelopment