Good communication is essential to successful interdepartmental relationships, as well as to overall organizational growth and development. Whether you’re just one department in a small organization or are responsible for several departments in a large corporation, simple strategies can improve your internal communication and collaboration with the other departments. Here are five tips to improve interdepartmental communication at your company.
1. Understand the Importance of Interdepartmental Communication
A company will only grow and become more productive when all employees work together to accomplish a common goal; that means proper communication between different departments. It's crucial to realize that for a company to run successfully, all departments must communicate with each other. This communication can happen at many levels, and everyone must understand their role in helping ensure communication happens smoothly. Common mistakes include not scheduling weekly meetings between departments and leaving tasks for others to complete.
2. Share Project Statuses
Ensure everyone on your team understands what constitutes a good status report. If you’re one of a hundred people working on a project, it’s hard to know where things stand. Some organizations have project management software and department-specific email lists for communicating updates — but if your office doesn’t use these tools, there are still simple ways to ensure that everyone is up to speed. When assigning tasks, include all relevant parties in emails. This way, no one gets left out or confused about what stage a project is in or how far along it has come.
3. Use the Right Tools
To make collaboration easier, look into project management tools such as Slack, Asana, and Trello. These software programs allow you to streamline communication across departments and ensure projects are on time. Of course, new technologies come with new challenges — such as integrating them into your company’s workflows — but these tools let your team collaborate more effectively. Consider implementing these digital technologies in your organization to help with meetings, daily communication, and overall collaboration.
4. Build Relationships Outside Departments
For an increased understanding of other areas within your company, consider organizing outside-of-work team-building exercises, such as team fitness classes. Team building helps reduce silo mentality and forms trust among separate departments. Employees will feel more comfortable approaching one another with questions or concerns and will likely work more closely on projects. For remote workers, hold a virtual team-building session. Choose from virtual escape rooms, happy hour games, and even vacations abroad.
5. Present a Report
Regular reports keep bosses and investors informed about how the project is progressing. To prepare and provide a report to staff, easily maintain everything in one file if you add pages to PDF using an online tool if you have numerous documents, graphics, or charts you'd like to include in your presentation. You can also use this tool to reorder, delete, and rotate pages.
Collaborate for More Successful Projects
These tips will help improve interdepartmental communication and collaboration and boost overall productivity. Good collaboration results in a happier team, better workflow, and ultimately more successful projects.
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