Finally the time has come for technology and creative arts to work together collaboratively and harmoniously. My entire career I've been dreaming of the time that technology was advanced enough to gracefully support and liberate the creative artists' ability to express themselves digitally.
I remember the early days when Windows first hit the market. Big step up from the basic DOS and mainframe terminals, but it was PAINFUL. Sure we had the windows and the menu bars and this great big space in the window to work with, but it was made for simple forms and basic boxes with labels. I however was working with full image data files (TIFF I believe), trying to get them to display properly IN the window space, and then map the coordinates on the screen to actual coordinates on a physical document that corresponded to the image. It wasn't meant to be easy back then.
Mind you, that was nothing compared to the university days. When I did computer graphics at UW, we had to BUILD the graphics kernal system FIRST and then for the final project, we had to make an image using the graphic system. Shortly after I graduated, the next generation of students got to take the short cut and use IRIS work stations to just create!
Although we've come a long long way, the tools still aren't the easiest. It's a little difficult to learn how to use Adobe Creative Suite and it takes a lot of practice to be able to make the application work its magic. Although it would be interesting to see what it would be like to start from scratch and create a new paradigm for the graphic design interface, I don't think you'd want to step back and reinvent the wheel and lose all the progress.
I don't think people appreciate the hard work and research that lies underneath the gorgeously rendered graphics and animations that they have today. Now that we have technology to deliver services to people, those services need to be made aesthetically gorgeous to make the grade in marketing.
And so the time has come for The Arts and Technology era to rise up and shine. Merging complex technology with visually delicious graphic design creates amazing experiences for humans. It's been a long path and I tip my hat to all the geniuses who contributed to creating the tools we have today to make gorgeous user experiences. Now, it's time to create!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Friday, January 29, 2010
Welcome to 2010 - The Age of Communication
The year has launched with a flourish indicating that the time has come for Knowledge Fusion. After the dust has settled from the original chaos of the economic crises, organizations have realized the importance of collaborative efforts across functional teams. To be efficient, companies need to move rapidly and accurately to support the needs of their customers. This requires clear communications and new operational processes.
Knowledge Fusion has partnered with Modevation Media which produces corporate digital media content. Digital Media is an excellent solution to communicate important corporate information - whether it's for marketing or training or communicating consistently across the organization. Knowledge Fusion works with organizations to formulate the message and concept that supports the business goals and objectives, prepare the strategy for the digital media production plans and follow through with building the story board, scripts and any othe pre-production work that is required to reduce the costs of the media production and post-production work.
As businesses adapt, grow and change, their success depends on being able to effectively communicate across diverse teams and ensure that they are rapidly aligned with the goals that have been defined. It's also critical to ensure that the customers understand product changes and that they can understand how to use the products effectively to solve their challenges.
What type of business challenges do you have that might benefit from digital media solutions?
Knowledge Fusion has partnered with Modevation Media which produces corporate digital media content. Digital Media is an excellent solution to communicate important corporate information - whether it's for marketing or training or communicating consistently across the organization. Knowledge Fusion works with organizations to formulate the message and concept that supports the business goals and objectives, prepare the strategy for the digital media production plans and follow through with building the story board, scripts and any othe pre-production work that is required to reduce the costs of the media production and post-production work.
As businesses adapt, grow and change, their success depends on being able to effectively communicate across diverse teams and ensure that they are rapidly aligned with the goals that have been defined. It's also critical to ensure that the customers understand product changes and that they can understand how to use the products effectively to solve their challenges.
What type of business challenges do you have that might benefit from digital media solutions?
Monday, January 12, 2009
What's in a name?
It's interesting to ponder the corporate world of labels. I often struggle with defining what label I should wear because I use a wide variety of skills to solve problems effectively.
Who would I be without the accumulated knowledge I've had in my life? I always draw from various concepts to design systems. For example, when I was working on an artificial intelligence project in university, I combined ideas and techniques from Laban Dance Notation (which is used for human movement analysis), kinesiology, machine vision and animation to design a solution for automating inbetweening for cartoons. I use improv acting training to draw energy out of a group of people when facilitating analysis sessions. I use the PMBOK to help ensure there is enough discipline and communication during projects to ensure their accuracy and success across various stakeholders. I use Object Oriented Analysis ideas to help drive discussions with customers and draw out a meaningful interpretation of their issues and structure them into working models of solutions. I use my experience in architecture to describe how IT works. Understanding Marketing helps to ensure that you create products that are in demand. Plus, I use the accumulation of various techniques and tools that I've learned throughout a long career or business analysis, database analysis and system designs to be able to adapt as needed to whatever team I happen to find myself working with.
It's all about adapting and communicating using models that your audience can relate to. You need to dynamically adjust your techniques until you are sure that you have successfully connected to your audience and they are constructively engaged in the discussion. It also ensures that they are able to maximize their contribution because you have tapped into a way of communicating that will draw out the most salient points and information to improve the accuracy and completeness of the solution.
This diverse collection of knowledge and experience enables you to be able to adapt and communicate as required to diverse groups of people and furthermore, enables you to help them understand each other. This is the key to successful projects and efficiency within organizations.
I'm hoping that the new Bachelor of Knowledge Integration program at the University of Waterloo will raise awareness of the type of cross-functional problem-solving skills that are required to draw from many models to create the optimal innovative solution to a situation. Then I'll be able to proudly wear the Label of "Knowledge Integrator" and can dream of being free of label ambiguity in the corporate world.
What comes to your mind when you hear the term "Knowledge Integrator"?
Who would I be without the accumulated knowledge I've had in my life? I always draw from various concepts to design systems. For example, when I was working on an artificial intelligence project in university, I combined ideas and techniques from Laban Dance Notation (which is used for human movement analysis), kinesiology, machine vision and animation to design a solution for automating inbetweening for cartoons. I use improv acting training to draw energy out of a group of people when facilitating analysis sessions. I use the PMBOK to help ensure there is enough discipline and communication during projects to ensure their accuracy and success across various stakeholders. I use Object Oriented Analysis ideas to help drive discussions with customers and draw out a meaningful interpretation of their issues and structure them into working models of solutions. I use my experience in architecture to describe how IT works. Understanding Marketing helps to ensure that you create products that are in demand. Plus, I use the accumulation of various techniques and tools that I've learned throughout a long career or business analysis, database analysis and system designs to be able to adapt as needed to whatever team I happen to find myself working with.
It's all about adapting and communicating using models that your audience can relate to. You need to dynamically adjust your techniques until you are sure that you have successfully connected to your audience and they are constructively engaged in the discussion. It also ensures that they are able to maximize their contribution because you have tapped into a way of communicating that will draw out the most salient points and information to improve the accuracy and completeness of the solution.
This diverse collection of knowledge and experience enables you to be able to adapt and communicate as required to diverse groups of people and furthermore, enables you to help them understand each other. This is the key to successful projects and efficiency within organizations.
I'm hoping that the new Bachelor of Knowledge Integration program at the University of Waterloo will raise awareness of the type of cross-functional problem-solving skills that are required to draw from many models to create the optimal innovative solution to a situation. Then I'll be able to proudly wear the Label of "Knowledge Integrator" and can dream of being free of label ambiguity in the corporate world.
What comes to your mind when you hear the term "Knowledge Integrator"?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
How to think like Walt Disney
I have been fascinated by Walt Disney since I was a young child. Fascinated by everything that he created but also fascinated by HOW he could create and execute with such finesse and quality.
I remember studying the Disney animation process when I was a child and marvelling at all the techological innovations that were invented to push the envelope of innovation for Disney films. From Mickey Mouse to Mary Poppins, Disneyland to Disneyworld, live action special effects that had never been done before. The list is endless. We're pretty jaded today, but I remember the time before computer assisted special effects and I wanted to know how they did the magic.
Walt Disney was an integrative thinker. He drew from everything he had ever experienced in life and tumbled it in his mind until it clicked into something completely new by the unique combination of ideas from diverse disciplines and sources. And the key to manifesting those innovative ideas lay in disciplined and extremely organized production processes from stem to stern.
I finally had the opportunity to work for Disney back in 1997 when Disney Online was breaking ground on ways to leverage the internet to innovate new business models, services and entertainment. Disney Online produced their web site with the same disciplined process that they used for every other product produced by Disney Studios. They would story board their web sites, distribute the work tasks across a diverse team of skilled talent and merged it all together for the producers to review, adjust and approve.
My challenge was to take Disney Online from using email to route individual web site components through the development/reviewal process to using a system solution to support the whole process. I designed a web production support system that allowed the teams to organize their web story board, assign the work for the diverse talent sets, collect revision notes and allow producers to preview the components assembled together within a web browser. The solution was a Disney Masterpiece of organized, controlled web site production.
But it's only now that I truly understand how I was able to come up with that type of solution and how Walt Disney himself would have been thrilled to see how it worked. I had read the "Request For Proposal" from the folks at Disney Online and had interviewed all the people in the department that were struggling with the rapid pace of web site production. I was able to formulate a mutli-dimensional and cross-functional understanding of the complexity of what they were trying to accomplish. The issues and problems and objects and production process tumbled in my brain. I examined in from all possible angles and morphed the technology that we had available to us into a model of the Disney animation production process to arrive at a concept that embodied the culture of how the company has worked for over 50 years and how the technology and processes could be used to create a harmonious working solution.
It was a work of art. Sometime I wish I could capture the concept in a simple form like a painting to be able to show people how cool it was.
Today after pondering Walt Disney's life and innovations in entertainment, I can see the patterns of his integrative thinking process. I wonder if he felt the thrill of the rush when solutions crystalize like I do. It occurs to me that there is infinite potential for businesses to succeed if they can tap into the type of thinking that must have been brewing in Walt's mind. And so my quest to build an organization of integrative thinkers continues. A company that organizations can turn to when they need to innovate. A company that organizations can trust to help them drive their business forward in ways that had not previously been dreamed of. Maybe it will be as simple as helping them improve their cross-functional operational efficiency, or maybe it will be a totally new way of working.
Most importantly, I know that the discplined and organized production process was fundamental for Walt Disney and without it, where would our entertainment industry be?
I remember studying the Disney animation process when I was a child and marvelling at all the techological innovations that were invented to push the envelope of innovation for Disney films. From Mickey Mouse to Mary Poppins, Disneyland to Disneyworld, live action special effects that had never been done before. The list is endless. We're pretty jaded today, but I remember the time before computer assisted special effects and I wanted to know how they did the magic.
Walt Disney was an integrative thinker. He drew from everything he had ever experienced in life and tumbled it in his mind until it clicked into something completely new by the unique combination of ideas from diverse disciplines and sources. And the key to manifesting those innovative ideas lay in disciplined and extremely organized production processes from stem to stern.
I finally had the opportunity to work for Disney back in 1997 when Disney Online was breaking ground on ways to leverage the internet to innovate new business models, services and entertainment. Disney Online produced their web site with the same disciplined process that they used for every other product produced by Disney Studios. They would story board their web sites, distribute the work tasks across a diverse team of skilled talent and merged it all together for the producers to review, adjust and approve.
My challenge was to take Disney Online from using email to route individual web site components through the development/reviewal process to using a system solution to support the whole process. I designed a web production support system that allowed the teams to organize their web story board, assign the work for the diverse talent sets, collect revision notes and allow producers to preview the components assembled together within a web browser. The solution was a Disney Masterpiece of organized, controlled web site production.
But it's only now that I truly understand how I was able to come up with that type of solution and how Walt Disney himself would have been thrilled to see how it worked. I had read the "Request For Proposal" from the folks at Disney Online and had interviewed all the people in the department that were struggling with the rapid pace of web site production. I was able to formulate a mutli-dimensional and cross-functional understanding of the complexity of what they were trying to accomplish. The issues and problems and objects and production process tumbled in my brain. I examined in from all possible angles and morphed the technology that we had available to us into a model of the Disney animation production process to arrive at a concept that embodied the culture of how the company has worked for over 50 years and how the technology and processes could be used to create a harmonious working solution.
It was a work of art. Sometime I wish I could capture the concept in a simple form like a painting to be able to show people how cool it was.
Today after pondering Walt Disney's life and innovations in entertainment, I can see the patterns of his integrative thinking process. I wonder if he felt the thrill of the rush when solutions crystalize like I do. It occurs to me that there is infinite potential for businesses to succeed if they can tap into the type of thinking that must have been brewing in Walt's mind. And so my quest to build an organization of integrative thinkers continues. A company that organizations can turn to when they need to innovate. A company that organizations can trust to help them drive their business forward in ways that had not previously been dreamed of. Maybe it will be as simple as helping them improve their cross-functional operational efficiency, or maybe it will be a totally new way of working.
Most importantly, I know that the discplined and organized production process was fundamental for Walt Disney and without it, where would our entertainment industry be?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
How to use creative problem solving during the Market "Downturn"?
Tough economic times are precisely the time to really think outside the box to keep your business running smoothly. No manager wants to layoff their team members to reduce their expenses during economy downturns. Hopefully that is a last resort.
During tough economic times, it should be all hands on deck to either increase the sales or reduce expenses. Any solution you can possibly think of before eliminating your staff.
Of course there are the standard methods that everybody uses. In the sales department, you can put the products on sale or add incentives. In the production department, you can streamline processes perhaps. At one company I worked for, they authorized the developers to use the time when they had no billable work to research and develop their skills.
What you'll notice about those solutions is that they are all contained within the silos of the individual departments or divisions.
What if you could bring the teams together at those times to really innovate an alternative way to increase revenue?
These tough times are when you need to leverage the skills of your experts to their maximum potential. Integrative thinking techniques can help to draw out truly revolutionary ideas in crisis times. By bringing together experts from all your operational units, what type of innovations could be discovered to improve your economic outlook?
In some ways, I have a Pollyanna attitude when it comes to seemingly unresolvable issues. I usually keep digging and rotating until an acceptable solution crystalizes and often the solution components are drawn out of diverse experts and synthesized into something completely unexpected. My belief in solutions is based on many years of successful experiences. When I find a scenario that can't be improved by innovation, then perhaps I'll consider being more cynical.
For now, during these tough economic times, I will continue to believe that there are solutions. Perhaps there is a way of adapting the definition of the target market for the product which opens up a whole new revenue stream. Perhaps there are process or system solutions that can be rapidly implemented to streamline work and distribute it across experts and junior staff to offload or share the effort.
This is where a Solution Facilitator can help to make a difference within your organization and help you weather the downturn profitably.
During tough economic times, it should be all hands on deck to either increase the sales or reduce expenses. Any solution you can possibly think of before eliminating your staff.
Of course there are the standard methods that everybody uses. In the sales department, you can put the products on sale or add incentives. In the production department, you can streamline processes perhaps. At one company I worked for, they authorized the developers to use the time when they had no billable work to research and develop their skills.
What you'll notice about those solutions is that they are all contained within the silos of the individual departments or divisions.
What if you could bring the teams together at those times to really innovate an alternative way to increase revenue?
These tough times are when you need to leverage the skills of your experts to their maximum potential. Integrative thinking techniques can help to draw out truly revolutionary ideas in crisis times. By bringing together experts from all your operational units, what type of innovations could be discovered to improve your economic outlook?
In some ways, I have a Pollyanna attitude when it comes to seemingly unresolvable issues. I usually keep digging and rotating until an acceptable solution crystalizes and often the solution components are drawn out of diverse experts and synthesized into something completely unexpected. My belief in solutions is based on many years of successful experiences. When I find a scenario that can't be improved by innovation, then perhaps I'll consider being more cynical.
For now, during these tough economic times, I will continue to believe that there are solutions. Perhaps there is a way of adapting the definition of the target market for the product which opens up a whole new revenue stream. Perhaps there are process or system solutions that can be rapidly implemented to streamline work and distribute it across experts and junior staff to offload or share the effort.
This is where a Solution Facilitator can help to make a difference within your organization and help you weather the downturn profitably.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Why Knowledge Fusion?
When I was trying to think of a company name that would reflect who I am and what I do, I experimented a lot with words and what they represent. I was also thinking of what type of logo would represent what I do.
The reason I chose the name "Knowledge Fusion" is because it creates a visual image of what could happen when you bring together knowledge from diverse disciplines and expertise to synthesis new thoughts and ideas.
In the world of Physics, "Fusion" is defined as "a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy".
In music, "Jazz Fusion" is a blend of the heavy rhythms of rock with jazz elements to create a totally new experience that brings the best of both the rock rhythm and the melodic jazz to a whole new level for the listener who experiences it and the musicians that play it.
And I'm sure most of us have experienced the surprise of the sensory delight derived from "fusion cooking" where the chef combines elements and techniques from diverse cultures to CREATE something completely new unique.
What I have done over my 20 years of experience in business can't really be described in words. A resume couldn't possibly begin to describe in words what the people involved in the project experienced.
In order to accomplish the success that I've experienced in my career, I leveraged my ability to rapidly draw knowledge out of the various experts and mix the knowledge together until they created the fusion reaction that was needed to manifest the vision of the solution. From that point on, it's all about orchestrating the team of experts implement the projects in harmony.
Hence we have the wonderful experience of "Knowledge Fusion".
Is it management consulting? Is it systems analysis and design? Is it about the Project Management skills and techniques? Am I able to do this because I have a BMath in Computer Science with a minor in Fine Arts?
For my logo, I thought about trying to create an image that captured the idea of taking chaos and structuring it into something neat and organized but that didn't really convey it all.
Then, I came up with my business card idea where I have blocks of solid primary colours around the card and then a bright white space for my name etc. The idea behind this is abstract - the idea of taking red/green(or yellow)/blue beams of light, each of them marvelous in their own unique qualities, but when you focus the beams of light together, you get a brilliant WHITE beam of illumination that is so much more radiant than a regular white light (there's that fusion of physics and art again). THIS is what I am really good at. Focusing and channelling the various beams of light into something even more spectacular.
Of course, all this is an abstract metaphor of how I "work". This is not my marketing message - Someday my website will have the "right" marketing message on it (www.knowledgefusion.ca). But this is the sensory experience of how people felt when we successfully launched our projects. It really is exhilerating to feel all the parallel components of a solution come together and launch harmoniously.
If anybody has any marketing advice on how to communicate this type of service, I would love to hear your feedback!
What I would like to do is find a way to communicate the value of harmonious cross-functional solution facilitation to business managers. Everybody knows the value of the Project Management discipline by now. They know what happens when projects don't follow a disciplined methodology. However, the catch is that Project Management only kicks in once the SOLUTION selection has been made.
My hypothesis is that the solution definition process needs more attention and expert resources need to be engaged earlier in the process.
In 2002, the Rotman School of Business in Toronto created the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking and Roger Martin (Dean and Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management) has written extensively about Integrative Thinking Skills (Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking - ISBN#978-1422118924). I could blog much more on this topic, but I'll save that for another day.
For today, that is the end of the story of why I named my company "Knowledge Fusion".
The reason I chose the name "Knowledge Fusion" is because it creates a visual image of what could happen when you bring together knowledge from diverse disciplines and expertise to synthesis new thoughts and ideas.
In the world of Physics, "Fusion" is defined as "a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy".
In music, "Jazz Fusion" is a blend of the heavy rhythms of rock with jazz elements to create a totally new experience that brings the best of both the rock rhythm and the melodic jazz to a whole new level for the listener who experiences it and the musicians that play it.
And I'm sure most of us have experienced the surprise of the sensory delight derived from "fusion cooking" where the chef combines elements and techniques from diverse cultures to CREATE something completely new unique.
What I have done over my 20 years of experience in business can't really be described in words. A resume couldn't possibly begin to describe in words what the people involved in the project experienced.
In order to accomplish the success that I've experienced in my career, I leveraged my ability to rapidly draw knowledge out of the various experts and mix the knowledge together until they created the fusion reaction that was needed to manifest the vision of the solution. From that point on, it's all about orchestrating the team of experts implement the projects in harmony.
Hence we have the wonderful experience of "Knowledge Fusion".
Is it management consulting? Is it systems analysis and design? Is it about the Project Management skills and techniques? Am I able to do this because I have a BMath in Computer Science with a minor in Fine Arts?
For my logo, I thought about trying to create an image that captured the idea of taking chaos and structuring it into something neat and organized but that didn't really convey it all.
Then, I came up with my business card idea where I have blocks of solid primary colours around the card and then a bright white space for my name etc. The idea behind this is abstract - the idea of taking red/green(or yellow)/blue beams of light, each of them marvelous in their own unique qualities, but when you focus the beams of light together, you get a brilliant WHITE beam of illumination that is so much more radiant than a regular white light (there's that fusion of physics and art again). THIS is what I am really good at. Focusing and channelling the various beams of light into something even more spectacular.
Of course, all this is an abstract metaphor of how I "work". This is not my marketing message - Someday my website will have the "right" marketing message on it (www.knowledgefusion.ca). But this is the sensory experience of how people felt when we successfully launched our projects. It really is exhilerating to feel all the parallel components of a solution come together and launch harmoniously.
If anybody has any marketing advice on how to communicate this type of service, I would love to hear your feedback!
What I would like to do is find a way to communicate the value of harmonious cross-functional solution facilitation to business managers. Everybody knows the value of the Project Management discipline by now. They know what happens when projects don't follow a disciplined methodology. However, the catch is that Project Management only kicks in once the SOLUTION selection has been made.
My hypothesis is that the solution definition process needs more attention and expert resources need to be engaged earlier in the process.
In 2002, the Rotman School of Business in Toronto created the Desautels Centre for Integrative Thinking and Roger Martin (Dean and Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management) has written extensively about Integrative Thinking Skills (Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking - ISBN#978-1422118924). I could blog much more on this topic, but I'll save that for another day.
For today, that is the end of the story of why I named my company "Knowledge Fusion".
Business Problem Solving Challenge
I need a good challenging business problem to sink my teeth into. I’d like to hear from the business world about the type of cross-team issues currently keep them awake at night. What are you baffled by? Is it mostly interpersonal issues? Do you think it is caused by team communication Issues?
If you don’t want to post the challenge publicly on the blog, then please feel free to email the challenge to me. I would need enough relevant clues to be able to get an idea of all the factors that you think are part of the problem.
Also, please let me know if you want a public or private response to your challenge.
Thanks!
Jennifer Janik
If you don’t want to post the challenge publicly on the blog, then please feel free to email the challenge to me. I would need enough relevant clues to be able to get an idea of all the factors that you think are part of the problem.
Also, please let me know if you want a public or private response to your challenge.
Thanks!
Jennifer Janik
Friday, November 7, 2008
How to facilitate solutions?
I love facilitating problem solving. I love forging into the great unknown and orchestrating solutions by drawing knowledge, ideas and talent out of the experts.
I find it fascinating that large organizations often struggle when significant business issues when they can't be solved within one operational department. Individual teams operate well within their own domain, but many complex issues need to be resolved through cross-functional collaboration.
This is the time when organizations need leaders who have skills like a theatre director or an orchestra conductor. For complex issues, one person does not possess all the answers. These are the times when leaders need to be solution facilitators. They need to believe in their experts and encourage them to work together. Their role is to draw out expertise from the diverse talents on their team and coach the team through collaborative problem solving.
To do this, they play the role of translator, conductor, mediator and artist. They help the entire team understand the problem that they need to solve. They draw out all the various aspects of the issue. They challenge the team members to think outside the box, stimulate their creativity by asking "What If...?", and composing a masterpiece of collaborative ideas.
There are some fundamental skills that I use to lead a team towards solving cross-functional business issues.
1) Respect the experts from each of the teams
2) Translate concepts to ensure that people from other teams understand each other
3) Use simple visual sketches to illustrate the concepts described by the experts
4) Build a spatial illustration of the concepts from various teams until everyone can visualize the context of the problem they are trying to solve
5) Prompt "What If" discussions from the illustrations to probe for overlooked components or hidden issues
6) Assemble elements of the solution visually and interactively with the cross-functional team to stimulate deeper discussions and build a model of the solution components
Often it is possible to come away from a facilitated problem-solving session with almost a complete solution design. From there it is possible to sketch out the tasks for the project plan and get a clear picture of the resources required and their inter-dependencies.
It is critically important to initiate cross-functional problem solving sessions as early as possible to ensure that the diverse teams are aligned with a common understanding and goal. Often, this process is left until the "project" is officially approved and launched, but in my opinion, that is too late. To get accurate project plans and estimates, this initial solution facilitation process needs to be done as soon as the problem is identified. In the best case scenario, cross-functional solution facilitation can even identify simple quick fixes before the problems escalate into critical issues.
Large organizations need to be structured into functional groups in order to operate effectively, however, they should also integrate operational standards on how to bridge the gaps between the groups and have a more collaborative process for solving significant business issues.
I'd be very intersted in hearing from people in organizations that have found ways to build a culture of cross-departmental collaboration for resolving issues. I'm also interested in hearing from large companies that are struggling with this type of issue.
I find it fascinating that large organizations often struggle when significant business issues when they can't be solved within one operational department. Individual teams operate well within their own domain, but many complex issues need to be resolved through cross-functional collaboration.
This is the time when organizations need leaders who have skills like a theatre director or an orchestra conductor. For complex issues, one person does not possess all the answers. These are the times when leaders need to be solution facilitators. They need to believe in their experts and encourage them to work together. Their role is to draw out expertise from the diverse talents on their team and coach the team through collaborative problem solving.
To do this, they play the role of translator, conductor, mediator and artist. They help the entire team understand the problem that they need to solve. They draw out all the various aspects of the issue. They challenge the team members to think outside the box, stimulate their creativity by asking "What If...?", and composing a masterpiece of collaborative ideas.
There are some fundamental skills that I use to lead a team towards solving cross-functional business issues.
1) Respect the experts from each of the teams
2) Translate concepts to ensure that people from other teams understand each other
3) Use simple visual sketches to illustrate the concepts described by the experts
4) Build a spatial illustration of the concepts from various teams until everyone can visualize the context of the problem they are trying to solve
5) Prompt "What If" discussions from the illustrations to probe for overlooked components or hidden issues
6) Assemble elements of the solution visually and interactively with the cross-functional team to stimulate deeper discussions and build a model of the solution components
Often it is possible to come away from a facilitated problem-solving session with almost a complete solution design. From there it is possible to sketch out the tasks for the project plan and get a clear picture of the resources required and their inter-dependencies.
It is critically important to initiate cross-functional problem solving sessions as early as possible to ensure that the diverse teams are aligned with a common understanding and goal. Often, this process is left until the "project" is officially approved and launched, but in my opinion, that is too late. To get accurate project plans and estimates, this initial solution facilitation process needs to be done as soon as the problem is identified. In the best case scenario, cross-functional solution facilitation can even identify simple quick fixes before the problems escalate into critical issues.
Large organizations need to be structured into functional groups in order to operate effectively, however, they should also integrate operational standards on how to bridge the gaps between the groups and have a more collaborative process for solving significant business issues.
I'd be very intersted in hearing from people in organizations that have found ways to build a culture of cross-departmental collaboration for resolving issues. I'm also interested in hearing from large companies that are struggling with this type of issue.
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