Building Strong Department Coordination: What Steps Can We Take Together?

Creating Strong Coordination Between Departments

I just need a few solutions on how to create strong coordination between two different departments, meaning to build strong relationships, create synergy, and maximize the environment, etc. What steps should we take to achieve this? Your usual support is needed.

Thank you.

Team Building Activities for Department Coordination

This is one of the biggest and most common problems usually encountered by the HR department. The best way to create strong coordination between departments is to conduct various team activities among different departments.

Let me give you an example from the hospitality industry. There are various departments in a hotel. Let's take two departments where work can't be done without coordination - the Food and Beverage Department (kitchen) and the F&B service department. As an HR person, we should conduct various team-building activities with all the departments. These activities include games like tug of war, quiz competitions, racing, etc. In these activities, you should include all department members, not only the white-collar employees but also blue-collar employees (a mixture of a team). Through these kinds of activities, it creates coordination not only within the department but also with other departments.

These activities should be done once every 3 or 6 months.

Regards,
Mayank

Thank you, Mayank. I am currently working in the pharmaceutical industry, and there is an issue between two business units. They do not share their best practices with each other. Therefore, we need to provide suggestions that will help create a cooperative environment. One suggestion is to invite them for dinner or breakfast, etc. I need a few suggestions in bullet points that will ultimately foster synergy and maximize the environment between the two business units.

I look forward to your positive response.

Regards,
Umair

I do agree with Mayank, and if you can see openly, you can do it as you're from the same industry. Here, I'll suggest you go with games that require teamwork not only within but also with the opposite team. That trains them in teamwork.

All the best...

Pharmaceutical firms are usually knowledge-driven. Sharing knowledge or best practices does not come so easily between two Business Units. The usual syndrome is "What do I get out of sharing my best practices?" In simple terms, the benefit angle, ego problems between unit heads, and the absence of company policy about "sharing best practices or knowledge" come into the picture.

This problem cannot be solved by periodically conducting games or dinners. Both Units need to be made aware of the benefits of sharing to them, as well as to the entire company. A Knowledge-base (as propounded by Knowledge Management Gurus) is to be established. All the best practices from all departments need to be fed into this Base. Incentives should be given for sharing knowledge and best practices. Knowledge capture, access to knowledge, and retrieval of knowledge by any department at any time, these could solve some of the issues.

Bookish solutions apart, you need to identify the obstacles in sharing: