Work Across Teams

Teamworking is yesterday’s news. Who doesn’t already know that it’s important to get on with the people you work with?

Nowadays, it’s a given that you’ll be able to work with the people in your own team. What employers want next is the ability to work with other teams.

Increasingly, business involves working across departments, divisions and even countries. If you have been in your current role for more than two or three years, you really should try at least one of the following:

• Get a transfer to another department, ideally. Even if you can’t progress up the ladder, it’s better to move laterally to develop your skills.
• Try asking for a temporary secondment to another department if you can’t get a permanent transfer.
• Or at least get involved in a project that involves extensive liaison with people outside of your own department.

Now have a think: who should you approach to get some experience of working across teams?

Work in virtual teams

Relatedly, teams can actually be spread over huge geographical distances. In the age of the mobile phone, fax, and email – a lot of teams don’t actually spend very much time face-to-face with each other.

The challenge for today’s employee is to get to grips with all of the important communication
technology. But just because the technology is there doesn’t mean that it should be abused.

Some tips for being a savvy virtual teamworker:

• Think about how often you use e-mail versus voicemail versus telephone versus face-to-face contact for communication. Don’t rely on any one of these too much.
• If you need to criticize someone, always do it face to face. Using technology is just plain cowardly.
• Use the telephone or a personal visit when you need something done urgently. E-mail is better when it’s less urgent and you don’t want to bother people right then and there.

What other rules of technology etiquette exist where you work?