How do you influence cross-functional team decisions?

Understanding the team's context helps you tailor your influence strategies. Knowing roles, goals, and communication styles is crucial for effective collaboration.

Influencing cross-functional decisions is a delicate balance between logic and empathy. It’s about understanding human dynamics and navigating the complex web of motivations, values, and power structures. Successful influence requires you to connect on multiple levels—rational, emotional, and strategic. Influencing starts with knowing the full picture. You can’t influence effectively if you don’t see how everyone fits into the larger puzzle. Mapping out these roles before pushing for decisions is key to success.

I like to use a process called Agreement Framing to build trust, and it’s as simple as asking “for what purpose” until the group has consensus on the highest level intention. It’s a great rapport and trust exercise, and also then preframing once agreement is made on the flexibility to a mutual approach or solution. The consensus as resource is something we can always fall back on to maintain trust and integrity.

Trust is crucial in cross-functional teams. Respect, empathy, and curiosity foster open communication and collaboration, leading to better decisions.

Gaining trust and rapport, in my opinion, for a large part depends on the level of understanding and knowledge a leader has about different functions, teams and their processes. He is not expected to be a master, but, need to have a big picture view and can converse in their language

Using evidence and logic in cross-functional teams builds trust and clarity. It ensures decisions are data-driven, reducing biases and misunderstandings.

This paragraph describes decision making & influence "as we wished it were" instead of how it really is (for at least 90% of us). Research, evidence, and an interrogative process in general certainly help to come to a good recommendation and decision but... ...When it comes to influence and collaboration, here's what really makes the difference: - Who are the key decision makers, and who actually has influence with them? Who do they tend to listen to? - What is the right order to approach and collaborate with key decision makers? (Note: rarely is the correct answer to get them all in a room at once. This is a "status game" disaster waiting to happen). - Understanding who benefits, and who suffers, if your idea "wins."

Tapping into emotions and values is key for influencing cross-functional team decisions. To achieve this, use real-life stories about your project's impact on individuals or communities. This humanizes your data, making the stakes personal and stirring your teammates’ empathy—bonus points for sharing a story from your own personal history. Empathy exercises are another valuable tool to influence decisions: Activities that allow team members to step into the shoes of clients or end-users, such as role-playing or experiential learning, foster a deeper emotional connection to the work. By integrating these approaches, you argue for your position and ALSO resonate with your team on an emotional and value-driven level.

Negotiating and compromising are essential for achieving well-rounded decisions around collective goals. Ideally, the seeds of negotiation and compromise are planted BEFORE discussions begin, with “Interest Mapping.” Have team members list their priorities and concerns related to the project. This helps identify common interests and areas where compromise might be necessary, ahead of time. To foster empathy and reveal innovative compromise solutions, you can also practice Role Reversal Debates, where team members argue from another person’s perspective. Using these tactics, leaders can steer their teams toward decisions that reflect a balanced consideration of all viewpoints, enhancing the team's effectiveness and ability to innovate.

Negotiation is not about winning—it’s about finding a solution everyone can live with. In cross-functional teams, every department has skin in the game, so compromise is essential. I’ve often had to act as the bridge-builder, facilitating tough conversations where we need to sacrifice something for the greater good. The key is to ensure that each team feels heard and valued, even when compromises are necessary. One time, we negotiated a feature reduction with the engineering team by trading it for a future enhancement that met their priorities.

In a cross-functional team, misalignment and conflicts often hamper effectiveness. Each team has its unique processes and goals. To influence decisions positively, it's vital to emphasize how these choices benefit each function. Highlighting advantages across teams garners support. Ultimately, focusing on mutual benefits for larger objectives fosters alignment and collaboration.