5 October 2018

Multidisciplinary team: examples and advantages

A multidisciplinary team is a group of workers from different professional backgrounds, academic qualifications or work disciplines who collaborate together on one-off projects or on an ongoing basis.. This type of teamwork is increasingly common in the business environment because of its value in solving problems or tackling challenges from different perspectives.

At present talent is the competitive advantage that allows companies to differentiate themselves from one another. Organisations, in their search for the best candidates, are no longer oblivious to geographical or cultural barriers. Flexibility is the new approach that opens them up to heterogeneity and enriches their workforces.

This new approach overcomes the gaps associated with homogeneous teams, where similar weaknesses led to a narrow perspective that made it difficult to deal with complex, multidimensional problems. From the decision to move towards a company formed by a multidisciplinary team comes the adaptability and agility needed to position itself in today's market environment.

Why does agile project management need a multidisciplinary team?

In a recent HBR article, “How Agile Teams Can Help Turnarounds Succeed”it becomes clear that More and more companies are choosing to focus their work from an agile approach. The Agile methodology is no longer reserved for IT development, but has extended its reach to all industries.

90% of executives worldwide want their organisations to be agile (Forbes), but to achieve this, some changes are needed, one of which is to transform the staff into a strong multidisciplinary team.

Multidisciplinary teamwork is one of the success criteria in agile projects. It is considered essential for these types of processes, as its special configuration helps to meet the project's objectives and ensure stakeholder participation in both the process and the results.

Ideally, agile software development teams should be cross-functional, meaning they possess all the necessary skills to deliver the business solution. This is documented in the eXtreme Programming rule called “Move people around”, where it is explained that a team is much more flexible if everyone knows enough about each part of the system to work on it.

To achieve a multidisciplinary team, whether or not it is oriented towards software development, three steps need to be taken:

1. Linking different profiles, The aim is to establish objectives and to keep the group together as a team.
2. Provide all necessary resources, from tools to training and skills development, to enable the multidisciplinary team to work at full capacity.
3. Monitor the team's efforts, working to boost motivation during the most difficult times, for example, with solutions such as Ticket Restaurant or other flexible remuneration alternatives that will boost the morale of its members.

Here are the advantages of having a multidisciplinary team: * Enhanced problem-solving: A diverse range of perspectives and expertise allows for more creative and effective solutions to complex issues. * Improved innovation: Different skill sets and viewpoints can lead to novel ideas and approaches that a single discipline might miss. * Greater understanding and empathy: Team members learn from each other, leading to a broader appreciation of different challenges and working styles. * Increased efficiency and productivity: By dividing tasks according to individual specialisms, work can often be completed more quickly and to a higher standard. * Holistic approach: Complex projects can be viewed and managed from various angles, ensuring all aspects are considered. * Better decision-making: A wider pool of knowledge and critical thinking helps in making more informed and well-rounded decisions. * Skill development: Team members have opportunities to learn new skills and gain insights from colleagues in different fields. * Reduced risk: Different specialisms can identify and mitigate risks that might otherwise be overlooked.

The main benefit of having a [noun missing] is to approach each business challenge with a holistic approach. multidisciplinary team.

Through this broad vision, you can take advantage of the different business opportunities that arise and experience other advantages such as:

To enrich the perspective from which decisions will be made.
Improve communication.
Increase employee autonomy.
Avoid delays that are often caused by bottlenecks.

Although building a multidisciplinary team is not easy, once it is achieved, the benefits for the business are obvious. The importation of provenly effective methodologies from the world of IT into other business sectors is far more than a passing fad, and the same applies to the need to nourish the organisation with a variety of profiles that enrich it and open it up to new horizons.