Introduction: Managing handoffs between people and across functional boundaries goes beyond managing within the function. Collaboration, teamwork and interdependency are characteristics that are commonly associated with work in today’s environment.
People need to be flexible. People need to take initiative. People have to react to changing conditions. All of these requirements make it important for people to know the game plan. It isn’t enough to just do your job. It is important for people to make the right things happen.
In most companies, managers are responsible for an area of focus or expertise. In most companies, nobody is specifically responsible for the handoffs between the departments or functions. You can think of these as the white spaces – the blank areas - between the formal units of the company. The work that occurs within these white spaces, whether it is simply the passing of information or product for the next phase, or the collaboration required to create something new, is best managed by the people doing the work.
There are three primary areas of focus for these folks. They have to manage:
- How they get what they need to do their part – whether that’s information, raw materials, or product. They have to manage those who supply these things.
- When, where, and how they deliver their work to the next people in the value chain. They have to satisfy their customers.
- They have to understand how all the pieces fit into the value chain, so that they can improvise as needed in the face of unusual developments.
Wayne Gretzky is often quoted for his comment that success isn’t about going to where the puck is, but rather it means going to where the puck is going to be. That takes a solid understanding of the game itself, your teammates (their skills, capabilities and their limitations), and your particular game plan within this overall game. The same sorts of understandings work in business as well.
These are things that can be coached, but they have to be executed by the workers at their stations. What are the ramifications of this idea? How do we inculcate these capabilities in the workforce?
Mapping the work:
The first step is to create a shared working knowledge of the business. The key word here is shared.
An Example:
At a design studio for a major retail firm, I was part of a team working to develop these capabilities across a diverse group of technical departments. Each was working to optimize their own performance and unintentionally causing havoc with other work groups who were just expected to understand and go along.
We started with a morning meeting that included everyone involved. They first met in their own functional units to develop the story of how they have to work, and what they need to have and do to play their parts well. Each group created their story. Then we had presentations in which each group told their story to the rest of the organization and answered questions. The boss and key managers listened and took notes. They looked for:
- Misconceptions or erroneous assumptions people made about their responsibilities.
- Misconceptions or erroneous assumptions made by other groups about the work of the presenters.
- Unresolved issues concerning the handoffs between the presenting team and other people or teams.
- Opportunities to improve the work.
Each group made their presentations and listened to the others. Then they went back and huddled with their managers about what they learned and how they could capitalize upon their new learning.
The end result was that there was a broad understanding of how others worked. They highlighted where they could and couldn’t be flexible. They expressed what they needed from their internal suppliers. They learned what their internal customers needed from them and how it needed to be delivered. They also identified unusual circumstances that altered the customary equations and established contingencies for handling those situations.
How can your people share the whys and wherefores of how they work, and then look for the ways in which they can facilitate the shared work, or identify corrections that can be made in the process to facilitate overall success? How do you want people to raise a flag when a disconnection occurs or when an unusual event necessitates an adjustment?
If you don’t know, have the people themselves develop a signal. These workflow conversations need to be coached until people become adept at working the process themselves. The people involved need to identify indicators that will serve to recognize when they are creating better efficiencies. Alternatively, the absence of the same markers will indicate the need to go back to the drawing board.
Course Correcting Feedback:
Once all aspects of the work have been mapped, the next element is rearranging the performance feedback process that exists within the company. Hearing from your boss once a year in an annual review is next to useless for enhancing performance. Or, only hearing from someone when there is a problem simply makes people leery of feedback and ready with an excuse.
Set up a system where people sit with their suppliers and customers twice a month to look at the workflow, troubleshoot obstructions and identify enhancements. The goal is to create opportunities for success rather than to blame people for problems. If people don’t know what’s required, they quickly find out.
If they lack the skills to deliver what’s expected, the frequent feedback about the work helps to focus the learner’s efforts. It also identifies needs for training and development. Managers can monitor these conversations and coach people where necessary. The workers themselves will come to understand the business better. They’ll demonstrate increased ownership for the company’s overall results. People become less selfish and more collaborative. Overall, company wide results can be significantly improved.