Why is the Industry Using Cross-Functional Teams?
Effective cross-functional teams have many advantages. While some of the pluses apply to other types of teams, too, these advantages have a unique flavor when played out in the context of a cross-functional team. I have found six competitive advantages. • Speed. Cross-functional teams, when they are appropriately empowered, get things done faster, especially product development and customer service. • Complexity. Cross-Functional teams improve an organization’s ability to solve complex problems because they bring together people with different skill sets, experiences, perceptions and styles. • Creativity. New product and service breakthroughs come from the clash of ideas, not from interactions among people with similar views. • Customer Focus. Cross-functional teams focus all of the organization’s efforts on satisfying a specific internal or external customer or group of customers. • Organizational Learning. Team members pick up technical and professional skills more easily, gain impor
