![]() In short, the integrated solutions that most customers want-but companies wrestle with developing-require horizontal collaboration. ![]() Today the vast majority of innovation and business-development opportunities lie in the interfaces between functions, offices, or organizations. The response we get is almost always the same: vertical relationships.īut when we ask, “Which relationships are most important for creating value for customers?” the answers flip. We’ve posed that question to managers, engineers, salespeople, and consultants in companies around the world. Which relationships get prioritized in your day-to-day job? Now consider the people in other functions, units, or geographies whose work touches yours in some way. Think about your own relationships at work-the people you report to and those who report to you, for starters. That’s understandable: It is devilishly difficult. Though most executives recognize the importance of breaking down silos to help people collaborate across boundaries, they struggle to make it happen. And when that happens, interface collaboration will become second nature. What, then, is the solution? Engaging in four activities that promote horizontal teamwork: (1) developing cultural brokers, or employees who excel at connecting across divides (2) encouraging people to ask questions in an open-ended, unbiased way that genuinely explores others’ thinking (3) getting people to actively take other points of view and (4) broadening employees’ vision to include more-distant networks.īy supporting these activities, leaders can help employees connect with new pools of expertise and learn from and relate to people who think very differently from them. Employees naturally default to focusing on vertical relationships, and formal restructuring is costly, confusing, and slow. To realize them, companies must break down silos and get people working together across boundaries. Today the most promising innovation and business opportunities require collaboration among functions, offices, and organizations.
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