A sales manager recently told me about an embarrassing scene that unfolded before an important client meeting. “Two teams from our firm were waiting in the lobby when the client walked in, and the groups didn’t recognize each other,” she said. “What a contradiction of our promise to provide integrated solutions! We looked like the Keystone Kops.”

At many companies, senior executives launch initiatives to encourage disparate business units or newly merged firms to act as one. They envision their employees united around a common brand, coordinating across functions, and going the extra mile for one another’s customers. But their calls for collaboration often fall flat. When it comes to getting a company to act as a unified whole, even the best intentions are often undermined by three fundamental challenges: lack of visibility, too much complexity, and difficulty establishing trust. What can leaders do?

In this post on strategy + business, Why Acting as One Company Isn’t Easy, I offer a few strategies for addressing the challenges of visibility, complexity and trust.

See what you think!

 

All the best,

Elizabeth Doty