A PRACTICAL STARTING POINT / CHANTAL VAN KEMPEN
How do you improve collaboration between teams?
Make it visible where teams depend on each other. Then examine what happens at handovers, decisions and information sharing. A shared simulation can help people see the work from another perspective.
From “they’re always late” to “what do we need from each other?”
Collaboration involves more than getting along. Different goals, language and ways of working can create friction even when everyone is trying to do their own job well. Start with a specific situation: where did information get stuck, work get duplicated or a decision get delayed? Explore what each person knew and needed.
Four starting questions
- Map one shared workflow, including its handovers.
- Let people explain their decisions before proposing solutions.
- Use perspective-taking or a simulation to make dependencies tangible.
- Choose a concrete working agreement and schedule a shared review.
AN EXAMPLE FROM MY WORK
Order-to-Pay LEGO game — Croonwolter&dros / Proexc
I designed and facilitated a LEGO simulation to begin a process improvement project. Employees explored bottlenecks in procurement together. A physical challenge makes information, timing and interdependencies visible and open for discussion.
Explore my projectsWho is this for?
For team leaders, process owners and HR/L&D professionals exploring collaboration across team boundaries. Missing agreements, resources or decision-making authority belong in the diagnosis. An enjoyable afternoon alone will not change the structure.
Where do your teams depend on each other, but struggle to work together?
Tell me about your situation. We’ll explore whether an experiential approach fits and what preparation and follow-up would be useful.
Let’s explore your challenge ↗