In this article, Edmondson elaborates on the observable and documented challenges of the cross-industry teams detailed in her previous work Teamwork on the Fly. These teaming challenges which can lead to conflict and “overt antagonism” include but are not limited to: uncertain roles, the varied organizational cultures of team members, and team participants’ diverse perspectives and personal experiences. To help mitigate and manage these challenges, the Edmondson suggests four leadership practices that can help cross-industry teams meet their potential and function as proposed and designed. Foster an adaptable vision, promote psychological safety, enable knowledge sharing, and foster execution-as-learning.
I view this document as a corrective approach for managers and team leaders that I would look to when projects begin to go sideways. When I look back at freelance web design projects that I have managed, I see these principles as ones that were in place without my knowledge. The teams were ad hoc per project, but reliant on a stable cast of characters. I think the main difference is that I chose very carefully who I would work with. Psychological safety and technical expertise were never in question. I always made sure to pad my timelines to allow for uncertainty. The downside to this approach was how it limited the number of projects I could work on at a given time. On a recent freelance project where I was a participant and not in a leadership role, I did observe wonky project vision which did affect psychological safety, so I do witness the interplay between those parts. I would also report that collaborative iteration and knowledge sharing among team members allowed us to acquiesce and pivot appropriately with the client’s changing needs.
LO 3: Address complex challenges by collaboratively leading teams across disciplines, distances and sectors.
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