Enablers

The second post in ChaiTime's paid-subscriber series on Cross-Functional Teams (CFTs). This one deep-dives into Skill Gaps that are a barrier to success for CFTs.

Welcome to the second post of the Cross-Functional Teams series! Here is the series roadmap to orient you.

A cross-functional parable

I was a senior engineer on a cross-functional team. We launched a privacy-sensitive feature in a critical product. The cross-functional team was large and broad. It had engineers, product managers, program managers, and lawyers. It also had people from bizops and finance. We in engineering had trouble with the feature spec. It was due to the system's storage design. Modifying the storage design to meet this feature would be a herculean task. It would delay the feature's timeline by years! But we couldn’t make it work with the current design, so the feature spec would have to change.

For the first half of the review meeting, the engineering lead showed multiple block diagrams, used many acronyms, and even showed code to explain the issue. They had sent out all this information before the meeting as well. I looked around as they talked. The non-engineers had blank, glazed eyes. They were having a hard time understanding the issue.

Suddenly, one of our lawyers interrupted. She said, "So if I understand correctly, what you are saying is..." She then summarized the problem and possible solutions in under a minute. She also called out legal requirements to check before recommending a course of action.

Our eng lead felt relieved that the legal lead got it. Everyone else was happy to have a productive meeting. And we dispersed.

The Enablers

Years later, when doing my study on cross-functional teams, this incident came to mind. I came across the term “Enabler” in multiple papers (Henke et. al., McDonough).

Enablers were people who helped a cross-functional team succeed. 

In today’s post, we’ll discuss the following enablers I found through my study sources. Let’s dive into who they are, what they contribute to cross-functional teams, and how to become one!

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Translators

In my story above, the lawyer was an Enabler on our cross-functional team. She deftly summarized the engineering problems and identified legal action items. She was a Translator.

Translators in cross-functional teams know two or more of the team's domains. They are able to understand problems and find connections across domains.

Think of product or program managers with an engineering background. Or lawyers with an engineering background like in my story. Those of us with dual degrees fit right into this category.

Translators are in great demand on cross-functional teams. They grease the communication wheels and smooth the flow of information between domains.

One of my many reasons to do an MBA was to learn about other domains required to run a business (marketing, accounting, legal). I could pair it with my software engineering expertise in a way that maximizes its potential. Becoming a Translator this way has helped my career a lot. As I climbed the corporate ranks, cross-functional work was common. So, Translator skills were useful! 

If you are not yet a Translator, it isn’t hard to get there. Choose a secondary domain you like. Invest time in it. Read books, watch videos and podcasts, take courses, or talk to people in that role. This will help you gain domain expertise and become an effective Translator!

Influencers

Once during a production emergency, I was on the cross-functional team debugging the issue. Another company’s changes were causing an outage in our app. One of the team members said, “I know someone there. Let me reach out to them…”, and just like that, the problem was solved!

On another cross-functional team focused on a large migration, my vertical team had created a tool. It would help to audit incompatible edge cases in our codebase. Many members of the cross-functional team resisted promoting this tool to their vertical teams. On closer inspection, I narrowed down the source of this resistance to one individual. I asked for a 1:1 with this individual, during which we went over their concerns with this tool. I took those to my vertical team. We resolved all concerns by adding missing features and improving the tool's documentation. Once satisfied, they became the tool's strongest advocate on the team!

Both of the above are examples of Influencers.

Influencers in cross-functional teams are people with a high degree of interpersonal skills. 

Some characteristics Influencers might have:

• A large social network they can leverage to quickly unblock the team.

• Strong negotiation skills that resolve conflicts.

• A high EQ that enables them to be empathetic listeners.

• Ability to foster connection and trust among team members.

Learning to be an influencer is not hard but does need interest and a lot of practice. If you are a lead, a people manager or a parent, you likely already practice many skills that an influencer needs.

You can practice more by simply trying to be a better teammate even in your vertical team. Pay attention to who needs help and what you can do for them. Take time to connect with people outside your immediate network so you can slowly expand it. Be curious and develop the habit of listening to learn.

Sponsors

My study also found a third category of Enablers. This one is more about position than skills.

Sponsors are executives who champion the formation and continued progress of a cross-functional team from the outside.

Sponsors are the only type of Enablers who are outside the cross-functional team.

Here are a few ways Sponsors can have an outsized influence on a cross-functional team:

• Sponsors can shape the view of how prestigious cross-functional team assignments are for career advancement.

• Sponsors pick team members and can affect the "free rider" problem.

• Sponsors set goals and rewards for cross-functional teams. These define team morale and success.

If you sponsor a cross-functional team, please stay engaged throughout its lifecycle. Also, do your part to remove roadblocks and empower the team!

What about the domain experts?

You might wonder if your domain expertise matters in a cross-functional team. It absolutely does! In most companies, domain expertise is a must to join a cross-functional team. Being an Enabler will serve you more than domain expertise on a cross-functional team. It will help your cross-functional team succeed. That would mean career success for you!

Readers, do you think you fit any category of Enablers?

If yes, which one and why?

If not, what is one action you plan to take to become an Enabler?