Cross-functional teams are significantly different from teams that are aligned on one functional level. For example, a group of marketing people generally "speak the same language," and they have a solid understanding of what their department is trying to accomplish. With a cross-functional team, you may have representatives from a wide array of specialties – finance, accounting, operations, legal, human resources – and each person has his or her own perspective and issues. This diversity is both the reason why cross-functional teams can be highly effective, but its also the reason that they're often problematic.
In this article, we'll look at the specific challenges of leading a cross-functional team versus a single-function team. And we'll show you how best to use the creativity and capabilities that a cross-functional team can provide.