Teamwork is essential to business success, but getting employees to buddy up is often easier said than done.

As part of Creative Team of the Future, a joint research project from staffing firm The Creative Group and professional design association AIGA, in-house creative professionals were asked to share the biggest challenge when collaborating with colleagues in other departments. Here are some of their responses:

• Lack of understanding of what we do and our processes.
• “Getting others to think of us as strategic partners versus pixel pushers who merely make things look good.”
• “Communicating with teams composed of technical and nontechnical people.”
• “Identifying the right decision makers for projects.”
• “Delays in feedback and approvals.”
• “Finding time to discuss plans and come up with meaningful solutions at the outset of an initiative.”
• “Managing deadline and budget expectations.”

“Most work today requires cross-departmental collaboration, and creative teams need to take an active role in working through challenges like bridging communication gaps and juggling competing priorities,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group.

See: Grim Outlook for Future of Management and Workplace Collaboration: Survey Reveals

“Managers should set the stage for successful group interactions, but employees at all levels can take steps to break down organizational silos.”

Fostering a Collaborative Corporate Culture

While there are many barriers to effective teamwork, companies are making strides towards becoming environments of constant collaboration.

Twenty-eight percent of in-house creative professionals surveyed said they are tapped for input at the initial stages of a project all the time. In the next two years, 31 percent of respondents expect they will always be involved in kickoffs and interact more frequently with cross-departmental peers.

Who will the creative teams interact with in the next 12 months? Nearly half (48 percent) of in-house professionals anticipate collaborating more frequently with public relations/corporate communications; another 36 percent foresee closer partnering with information technology.

Also read: Should HR and Internal Communications Collaborate for Better Employee Engagement?

Image credit: redbooth.com