Tools and Techniques for Effective Cross-Industry Collaboration: A Practical Guide
Collaboration across industries takes these strategies and tweaks them to fit a larger purpose.
In this article, we will help you understand the ins and outs of cross-industry collaborations and share strategies and tools that will simplify the process.
The Basics of Cross-Industry Collaboration
Simply put, cross-industry collaboration is when an entity partners up with an organization in a different sector to work toward a common goal. The sectors that can work together include privately owned companies, public sector organizations, NGOs, and even communities in general.
They work together to take on complex projects and solve larger problems or challenges. This is due to the fact that industries have become more complex over the years and require external assistance to help achieve their goals.
Benefits of Cross-Industry Collaboration
- When different sectors come together, they are able to combine their resources. This makes it easier for both organizations to reach more people with their efforts, which in turn, boosts results.
- It aids with the development of relationships in new and varying markets, which helps with reach and brand voice. The visibility and influence can help you progress toward other goals.
- Working across industries can help give organizations a new perspective regarding operations. It can encourage you to make more sustainable investments.
- By sharing expertise with other industries, you are also sharing more knowledge with each other. This can lead to more innovation which can unlock more opportunities to pursue.
- With more hands on deck, it aids with efficiency and productivity, which can accelerate success.
Challenges to Be Weary Of
- When two different industries come together, you can expect it to be a slow process for all parties to adapt to new policies and ways of working.
- Stemming from adaptability taking time, it can also impact how results trickle in at first. It may be slow to see some genuine results, but with resilience and an agile mindset, you can make changes and see results after some time.
- The leaders in charge need to foster an environment that ensures that everyone is able to have a say and their voices won’t be drowned out.
- With two different industries and practices coming into the partnership, there may be too much information being shared in a space which can divert attention from the core issues.
- When working on a collaborative project, especially using technology, you can expect an influx of messages, emails, and meetings that can take attention away from the deep work that needs to be done.
- Another issue with having too much input or unorganized input is that decision-making processes can end up being more complex, and multiple points of view still need to be taken into consideration.
What You Need to Be Mindful Of
- When working with different industries, you will be exposed to varying perspectives and working cultures. A level of respect needs to be given to these differences in order for the relationship between both organizations to be maintained.
- With different perspectives comes the potential for clashes to occur. To ensure that everything runs smoothly during the project, there should be procedures and policies in place to help involved persons overcome differences seamlessly.
- Involved parties will need to adopt a developmental mindset that is required for the relationship to flourish after the initial call or email is made.
- You might have to work with remote-based or hybrid staff. If this is the case, there needs to be empathy for those who work in different company cultures to your own.
How to Сollaborate Outside of Your Industry
- When both organizations have agreed to partner together, you first need to assess the problem that you are aiming to solve and the level of difficulty you will be facing. This first step allows for goals to be set and effective collaboration to follow suit.
- Next would be selecting key members that will make up the teams who will be working toward the overall project goals. In addition to this, resources and tools will need to be allocated to ensure that productivity and efficiency are guaranteed.
- Define principles that will guide the interactions of the teams with each other. It will also help optimize the teams for success.
- Defining key elements is important for any project. The leaders assigned to this cross-sector collaboration would need to set out short-term goals and KPIs that will be integral to success. These goals will also need to align with the respective companies’ goals as well.
- Maintaining vitality and evaluating on an ongoing basis will ensure that teams stay on track and produce viable results. This can be measured by conducting feedback meetings on a regular basis. It will ensure that performance is maintained throughout the project’s process.
- From here, you can take on an agile method of project management to evaluate processes and make adjustments as the project progresses. As results are evaluated, you will be able to discern where changes and improvements need to be made.
Cross-Industry Project Management Tools
In order for the process to be as seamless as possible, you will need to have the right resources and collaboration tools in place to facilitate this joint project.
Project Management
This is one of the key tools for keeping teams on track and making sure everyone knows what they’re responsible for. With Flowlu, you get everything in one place—project overviews, progress, files, tasks, comments, and real-time updates—so it’s easy for everyone to stay accountable and work together smoothly.
Communication
If teams are onsite or connecting remotely, they will need social collaboration tools. This includes tools that will facilitate instant messaging, emailing, and video conferencing. This is essential for workspaces where multiple people can work on one project at the same time. It ensures that nothing slips through the cracks and that updates and crucial information are provided on the turn. Tools that can aid with this include Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, to name a few.
File Sharing
This is where teams have access to documents and information to work with and collaborate on. This is where a cloud workspace comes in place. You will need to have a cloud where all participating team members can work from and have access control to ensure data safety is prioritized. A perfect example of this would be Google Workspace, it allows the creator of documents to provide access to the necessary team members, which prevents unauthorized access and protects crucial project information.
Shared Calendars
This allows vital information and meetings to be shared with the relevant team members. You can even set up blocks for team members to focus on their deep work without interruptions from notifications and meetings. If you have two organizations that are swamped with their own work, and work relating to the project, it is easy for wires to get crossed and disarray to occur. By managing calendars, you can organize your time more effectively for your teams.
Workflow Automation
Needs to be able to integrate with other tools, such as transferring data for CRM tools and project management tools. Ultimately it needs to reduce manual work and ensure data consistency. Tools like Zapier and Make are helpful here. The best part? With Flowlu, you might not even need these 3rd-party integration tools. Flowlu already includes project management, CRM, finances, and a client portal, all interconnected in one platform. This seamless integration means fewer headaches and more time to focus on what matters most.
Data Sharing and Analytics
Tools need to be compatible with other platforms and have good visualization, interactive dashboards, and data modeling. This allows teams to share relevant data in an easily understandable and visual format, including external data when necessary. To streamline processes, you will need robust and efficient tools to help with decision-making processes. For collaboration between industries that require the use of a seller platform, tools like Mercari and eBay provide essential insights for sellers, helping them manage their listing and sales.
Poshmark, another robust seller platform, offers crucial insights that can help users make informed decisions while saving time. It provides comprehensive tools such as listing analyzers, fee calculators, and automation features. For more in-depth, cross-platform analysis, tools like Microsoft BI, Tableau, and Airtable have proven beneficial.
Learning Platforms
A workspace that is centralized would be beneficial for the teams involved. This space is where knowledge can be shared, and it should be accessible to the teams as well. Flowlu, Notion and Confluence are useful tools for collaboration of this nature. For example, if a government organization is working with a privately owned company on a project, the privately owned company can help the organization with information on similar projects by making notes and sharing links on this platform.
Co-Creation Tools
In the office or joining virtually, you need tools that aid team members with boosting innovation and the creation of ideas. Tools should allow for collaboration to occur, designing and prototyping of projects. Not only does it need to encourage creativity, but it also allows team members to have their say, especially during remote brainstorming sessions. Options you can use include IdeaScale, Stormboard, Miro and Figma.
Security and Compliance
The tools being used by the team should require password access and secure access sharing, as well as using digital signatures and secure document sharing. It should be able to simplify legal proceedings in a secure way and ensure that data is stored securely and only accessible by authorized personnel from the respective teams. LastPass teams and DocuSign are great examples of these tools.
Techniques for Cross-Sector Collaboration
These techniques and strategies can improve the relationship between the organizations collaborating.
Strong Leadership
In order for any project to be successful, you need a strong leader at the helm. They need to be committed to the projects and strive for the goals set out. They need to be involved in strategy reviews and maintain alignment. This will help foster a collaborative mindset in the respective teams and will allow for seamless collaboration practices.
Trust and Transparency
The only way for clear and open communication to occur is through ensuring that the teams working with each other trust one another and are transparent in their practices. This will lead to team members feeling more confident with the sharing of ideas and working with new people.
Feedback and Open Communication
This practice helps leaders identify strengths and areas of growth in the teams. It can help create a baseline and gauge the progress, through checking in periodically. Open communication allows teams to share ideas and hiccups they face freely and when leading by example, they can also provide insight into how improvements can be made from their perspectives.
Facilitating Meetings and Workspaces for Communication and Brainstorming
You need to be prepared for a lot of back and forth in order to make sure the completion of the project is met with efficiency. Hosting meetings and creating workspaces for teams to interact will be very helpful in ensuring the success of the projects undertaken.
Team Camaraderie
In order for teams to work together effectively, you need to have strategies in place to facilitate this. This includes team building, assigning diverse teams, and workplace bonding sessions. It helps teams get to know each other and helps them rely on each other.
Using a Mediator
Some collaborators need an extra helping hand to aid with the process. You can enlist the assistance of a mediator or collaboration specialist, this person will be a third-party neutral participant who helps bridge the gaps relating to operations or company culture. They help with tasks as simple as translating industry jargon and as complex as helping to resolve conflicts due to miscommunication. Ideally, the candidate should have experience in both industries to be successful.
Training and Development
Over the course of the partnership, new and evolving tools and procedures may come into play. To ensure that you stay on top of things, training and development can help on this front. Emerging technologies tend to throw businesses for a loop, however, strategically approaching these new technologies and integrating them will help teams stay ahead of the curve.
Regulatory and Ethical Considerations
Understand the legal and ethical framework relating to both industries. This will help ensure compliance and build trust. Engage with legal consultants who specialize in the respective industries to gain insight and help draft contracts and policies.
Launching Pilot Projects
It is known that when launching a new product or service to the public, you need to first test the waters with a pilot or sample offering. While this pilot needs to be low-risk and a small offering, you need to have measures in place to scale when the reception is positive.
Conclusion
It takes a lot of work and planning to ensure that cross-industry collaboration can take place. Ensuring that your teams have proper leadership, tools, and practices in place can help this process take off and run smoothly. It is important to be mindful that you will be working with teams who experience different cultures and operation procedures, and you and your team need to be able to find a middle ground to help them become more acclimated to your processes. This will ensure that the relationship is built on mutual trust and transparency, resulting in a successful project.
If you’re looking for an easier way to manage cross-industry collaboration, Flowlu might be just what you need. It gives your team one place to plan projects, share ideas, and keep track of progress without the usual chaos. With tools to organize tasks and keep communication clear, Flowlu helps everyone stay on the same page. It takes the stress out of managing complex projects and gives your team the structure to work better together.
It helps organizations combine their strengths, solve bigger problems, and come up with new ideas. It’s also a great way to learn from each other and reach more people.
You’ll need tools for project tracking, communication, and sharing files. Some platforms, like Flowlu, bring everything together in one place, so it’s easier to keep things organized.
Different ways of working and too much information can slow things down. Good communication and clear plans can make it much smoother for everyone involved.
