Free Paper Example on Cross-Functional Teams

Introduction

In the modern corporate world, various organizations have developed the most important ways of encouraging an organization's performance. Involving teamwork is one of the most powerful approaches for supporting an organization to perform better and more effectively. Team works are defined in different methods. For instance, cross-functional teamwork is one of the effective types of collaboration adopted by various organizations in different capacities. A cross-functional team establishes a group of individuals with variable functional expertise who come together to work towards achieving a specific objective (Lacerenza et al., 2018). Cross-functional teams in an organization might include specialists from different active departments such as marketing, finance, human resource departments, and operation departments. Cross-functional teams mainly function in the formation of self- directed teams assigned to complete a specific objective that requires expertise and inputs of different departments. Therefore, this paper presents advisory recommendations that could be applied in maximizing the performances of a cross-functional team.

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Conducting Assessments

They are conducting extensive assessments on the capabilities and current skills of the employees' areas of specialty needed in completing the assigned task. The assessment approach includes an adequate review of the productivity logs, performance records, and supervisors' feedbacks depending on their employee performances. Paying close attention to the performance appraisals of the team members wherein the organization's supervisors and the employees identify training and developmental objectives (Rowland et al., 2018). During the appraisal meeting, the assessed employee might impress their interests in skills development in other functions or areas within the organization that would focus on improving the team's general performance on the task. The assessment would also involve the highlighting of the information from the appraisals of the individual's employees about the resources employees that dictates how they need to attain professional objectives. The assessment process is repeated for the entire organization to develop a roster of the current functional expertise of the employees and their wish lists for training and development approaches (Rowland et al., 2018). Therefore, the developed list should be used occasionally for keeping the updates on the current information of the employee's training and expertise.

Definition of Cross-Functional Teamwork

Also, the advisory way of maximizing the performance of a cross-functional team includes the application of the definition of the cross-functional teamwork wherever a project is occurring within the department or organization that could be handled by the team in more effective ways in varied functional expertise. The definition of the cross-functional team defines a group made up of at least three members from diverse useful experiences working together towards achieving the specific objective (Stipp et al., 2018). The team should be composed of members with different functional abilities and skills who would be selected from the departments within the company. Therefore, relying on the definition of a cross-functional team, a cross-functional team should not necessarily compose of individuals, specifically from different departments. The concept can also be applied on a small scale within the department. The differently specialized individuals making the team are then assigned in completing a specific job through displaying their skills most appropriately.

Identification of Interested Individuals

Developing a well-determined cross-functional team that would perform adequately in achieving the best outcome of the assignment would depend on the most effective way used in recognizing the employees who demonstrate their interests in arrangements of the collaborative works. Selecting more determined individuals in the cross-functional team places the team closer on working effectively to achieve their objective (Stipp et al., 20180. After the selection of the most interested individuals, it would be encouraging to support the requests of the members on engaging additional training and opportunities for mentor-mentee or job- shadowing programs. The job shadowing participants are paired only when they display similar levels of experience in respective fields of specialization. Pairing members of similar capacities ensure other team members share basic understandings of essential principles so that they can work effectively on comparable levels in the areas of specialty (Stipp et al., 2018). For instance, when selecting the teams in the human resource department, the specialists in e benefits and compensation and employee relation should have roughly similar amounts of experiences. The selected team has the ability to understanding one another's specialty field, thus creating the best environment to perform effectively in achieving the best outcome on the assigned task.

Incentive Cross-Functional Teamwork

The team also needs motivation. Well, performing team members should be rewarded with additional, higher-level responsibilities used in identifying the team's performances. Also, the provision of the monetary motivations would be useful in promoting the general achievements of the cross-functional team. The motive of the employees is the most influential approach encouraging the employee's morale to work on a specific project. In the case where the team is never encouraged, they view the situation as they are never awarded, thus limiting their abilities inadequate performance towards achieving the objective of the team in general. The incentives vary with the capabilities to encourage the team's accomplishments (Rowland et al., 2018). For instance, monetary motivation differs from non- financial motivation approaches. Other nonmonetary incentives such as promoting a team member with a leadership role or handing over more complicated work to the team or individual of the cross-functional team are useful in different capacities (Lacerenza et al., 2018). Therefore, motivating the group is considered helpful in maximizing the team's performance since all the cross-functional team members would be promoted through the rewards of assigning the team members with more challenging tasks or higher latitude in the current positions. The awards and promotions are needed in dictating the organization's broad participation in the team's performances and coordination capacities.

Conclusion

Therefore, after applying all the advisory recommendations on the selected cross-functional teams, the team would improve the organization's abilities in meeting production demands and time for the organization's response to the business activities and customers' requirements. Also, the overall job satisfaction of the employees would be improved through encouraging the general participations used in promoting the cross-functional structuring and application of the suggested recommendations. The domino effects of increasing performances and productivity are the realization of stable bottom-line and profitability. Therefore, the most effective way of improving the cross-functional team's performances includes various approaches as described. For instance, conducting assessments to maintain updates of teams' information, application of the definition of a cross-functional team, identification of the interested individuals focusing on forming the cross-functional teams and recognitions and motivations also improves the teams' performances. Proper management of a cross-functional team would be impressive in encouraging the general performances and coordination of the teams' ability to complete the assigned task. Also, having specialists from other departments within the organization improves the ability to solve any developing challenge.

References

Lacerenza, C. N., Marlow, S. L., Tannenbaum, S. I., & Salas, E. (2018). Team development interventions: Evidence-based approaches for improving teamwork. American Psychologist, 73(4), 517. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-amp0000295.pdf

Rowland, P., Lising, D., Sinclair, L., & Baker, G. R. (2018). Team dynamics within quality improvement teams: a scoping review. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 30(6), 416-422. https://academic.oup.com/intqhc/article/30/6/416/4957970

Stipp, D. M., Pimenta, M. L., & Jugend, D. (2018). Innovation and cross-functional teams: Analysis of innovative initiatives in a Brazilian public organization. Team Performance Management, 84-105. https://repositorio.unesp.br/bitstream/handle/11449/163954/WOS000426820800005.pdf?sequence=1.