It is not enough to value collaboration. An enterprise wishing to thrive must take one more step.
Dysfunction starts here: When members of a cross-functional/platform/regional team identify more with their function/platform/region than they do with the enterprise, attempts to collaborate are a colossal waste.
In such scenarios, team members may say “we value collaboration.” When they come together, however, they do little more than coordinate whose project gets prioritized, leaving the losers to scheme how they will out-maneuver their rivals next time.
True collaboration (defined as an exercise that creates new value for the organization) occurs when members of the group see themselves or identify with the enterprise over their function/platform/region.
As logical as that seems, well-intentioned enterprise leaders often sabotage their own efforts to create collaborative cultures. You can hear the betrayal of their values in the words they use:
- “Marcia is head of finance.”
- “Ava’s team is responsible for the south region.”
- “Anthony is in charge of digital.”
The enterprise leader who assigns a function/platform/region identity to their employees suffers the fate of a divided organization.
Marcia, Ava and Anthony cannot win. Their leader casts an identity that anchors them to their function/platform/region, then requires them to attend weekly meetings filled with criticism because the enterprise as a whole is under performing.
What is required is a conscious collaborative leader who shifts the entity to which team members identify. Such leaders underscore their values in the words they use:
- “Marcia is a business partner with financial expertise”
- “Ava’s team is responsible for delivering our enterprise goals by being accountable for the south region.”
- “Anthony drives our enterprise priorities while bringing vital digital capabilities.”
How do you see your colleagues? (Which team are they on?)
How you see others is how they will see themselves, which determines how they will act.
