Opinion: Processes can boost collaboration, eliminate workarounds

Lance Coffman

Most of our jobs require some level of collaboration. We have to rely on other people for our product, project or program to succeed. Workflows usually start as fluid and informal processes. As the size of the organization grows, processes typically become more formal. These processes, however, sometimes break down. This leaves people searching for workarounds and new collaborations to keep daily operations moving forward.

Are these workarounds good for organizational development, or do they hinder growth? Is collaborating on a workaround showing initiative, or does it point to a problem? A recent study in the journal Personnel Psychology highlighted why these informal collaborations are created and how they might affect the workplace.

The study found that a person might look to collaborate with someone outside of their normal workflow for several reasons. Some of these reasons are beneficial to an organization. For example, an employee reaching out to other departments seeking to solve problems and share best practices can lead to innovation and growth. Employees might also reach out to someone outside of their normal routine to compensate for someone being out of the office unexpectedly.  In these cases, the new collaborations formed can work to make the organization stronger.

Employees also look to collaborate with someone outside of their formal process as a workaround to constraints. If projects seem to stall at a certain office or individual, employees might look to bypass that office in order to keep their work flowing. Another reason the study found that people work around a process is a lack of trust in the person they are supposed to collaborate with. These examples probably point to larger issues in the organization that need to be addressed.

For those employees seeking a workaround, the study found a couple of main targets for new collaborators. First, an employee might go further upstream in a workflow to bypass the constraint. This could mean going past a shift manager and straight to a director. The upstream bypassing might also look like skipping a compliance office so a decision can go out faster. Workaround requests might also go out to someone in a different office with similar skills or job roles as the person being bypassed. This case leads to others in the organization taking on extra work. In either case, those individuals who tend to overcommit are the ones typically sought as an easy workaround.

No matter the reason, if informal workarounds become the norm instead of a short-term solution, they can lead to long-term problems in an organization. When left unfixed, workarounds to broken processes tend to break other processes. If left unresolved, a lack of trust in one area can become a culture of mistrust and silos. What then should an organization do to address workaround collaborations in the workplace?

The first step to addressing informal collaboration is to become aware of when and why it is happening. If temporary workarounds are happening because of an unexpected illness or large project, these offer an opportunity to provide more clarity in existing processes. Building a contingency plan that includes a backup for key roles and tasks can help negate the need for future workarounds.

To address workarounds caused by constraints in a certain office or position, stop and consider the workload going to that position. If the office is part of too many processes, look for ways to add more resources or reroute steps to other offices. If the constraint is due to a slow process internal to that office, look for a fast track or way to expedite simple tasks through the office.

When workarounds are attributed to trust issues, it is vital to address the situation. Invest time in helping employees better understand each other’s roles, responsibilities and work styles. Focus on your shared culture and how each person contributes to the collaborative mission. Make sure distrust does not become part of your culture.

Intentional collaboration in an organization can lead to growth and innovation. When collaboration is forced by system failures and constraints, it leads to frustration. Create opportunities for positive collaboration in the workplace by rebuilding processes with contingencies and flexibility. By understanding and addressing workarounds, you can keep your products, projects and programs running smoothly.

Lance Coffman is a senior program manager for strategic initiatives at the Efactory and the Missouri Small Business Development Center at Missouri State University. He can be reached at lancecoffman@missouristate.edu.