Managing any team is not an easy task at all. Managing marketing and development teams is not any easier for that matter. A company website is owned by the developing and marketing teams, where the marketing team looks after content creation and design, whereas the development team owns the coding section.
When creating a marketing campaign, backroom battles between the marketing team and the development team resemble that of some sports team rivalries. Even though both are working towards the same goal of creating a simple, clean, and beautiful website/application.
However, if your team can’t find the rhythm to work along, temperaments and miscommunications can lead to ego clashes that can hurt your business equilibrium. In the technical term, this phenomenon is called the “Silo Effect.” (the lack of information flow from one team to another in an organization).
However, this is not a new spectacle, not surprisingly, it was here from decades back, and it trickles down from the top ends.
Let’s take a look at different methods that can build a growth mechanism to maximize efficiency between the marketing and development teams.
Effective communication all the way
Communication through every step of the process is very crucial in preventing cross-departmental tension. Reducing Silos is the best way to establish a comprehensive approach across the teams.
Patrick Lencioni (An American Writer) said in this book ‘Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars’ that Silos and the subsequent wars would devastate organizations.
Marketers need to work within time constraints, as well as financial limitations; their results have to be based on research that works toward measurable goals. Whereas the development team works in a less restrictive environment that is subjective based on the “vision.”
Both teams can work together by understanding the marketing interest and development needs and focus on bringing user experience and aesthetics for their desired audience.
Create and Work Within a Flat Hierarchy
You can introduce a better understanding of the client’s needs if you can bring both the Marketing and Development teams to the client meets.
By implementing a flat organizational hierarchy, it allows marketers and developers to feed off each other through every step of the way. Developers can take information based on the strategy and data of the marketing department and alter the tone of their research to reflect on your campaign.
Many tech giants are leaving the territorial comforts and adopting flat hierarchies to increase efficiency across organizations such as 3M, Linkedin, Adobe Google, etc.
On the other hand, obsession with marketing statics can create a balance with developers’ unrestricted and creative working methods.
A balance between development and marketing is very crucial, not only for reducing power struggles but also for creating a positive ROI.
Implement team-building exercises for motivation
The overall productivity of the marketing campaign depends big-time on the companionship between the Development and Marketing team. So if both the team members get along with each other and are aware of their strengths and weaknesses, the workplace will automatically become a happier place.
The team efficiency and productivity will shoot up automatically if both the departments are happier from within. When the barrier of hierarchical notion dies down, a collective innovation flows into the growth from across the teams.
Harvard professor Linda Hill’s comment is more relevant to this claim; “If we want to build an organization that can innovate time and again, we must unlearn our conventional notions of leadership.”
There is a significant chance that not everyone will like each other when different members from different teams are working together. To clear the air between the team members, you can implement some team-building exercises that will add some engaging, fun elements to the group and wash away miscommunication and ongoing grudges between the team members.
Incorporate a Growth Marketing Team
The most effective way to counter Marketing and Developing collaboration issues is to build a growth marketing team.
In a growth marketing endeavor, the entire team in an organization goes along with a common goal that is the excellence of the brand.
Nathan Chan, the CEO, Foundr, addressed the requirement of focusing on creating a great brand in every organization as, “Even from the beginning of starting your company. A brand that people know, like, trust and respect, natural growth will come.”
A team will be tasked to own the website and tackle website-related initiatives like,
➤ Increasing Sign-up
➤ Decreasing Churn
➤ Ensuring sustainable growth
➤ Solving issues
The growth marketing team will always adhere to company goals. And this team will consist of:
Developers: A software engineer to write code for apps, websites, product features, and other marketing initiatives so that you don’t need to rely on external developers.
Growth Hacker: The role of a growth hacker is to bring in ideas that question the company’s marketing strategy and suggest more effective approaches that ultimately improve in bringing leads, traffic, revenue, and other metrics.
Designer: A designer’s job is to create a user-focused experience that the growth team will be testing.
Creating an Orderly Amendment Process
During the development of the concept, the clients will have several guidelines and suggestions that will alter the website. However, it is not necessarily required that the client input is immediately cascaded across the organization.
At this point of interaction, the marketing team will have to precisely relay the information of the meeting clearly and decisively to the development team so that they could prevent any transgressions and reduce the effort in streamlining the process.
Hence, an orderly update flow process has to be established across the organization, and it should be acknowledged by respective teams. If so, no amendments from inside or outside the organization can shatter the harmony between the development teams and the marketing team.
Praise A Job Well Done
A major aspect of your development team and marketing team needs to work on boosting their efficiency and productivity at work. But it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Acknowledging what your co-team has contributed can add to the productivity, and if the departments are feeling their contributions are less valued, you can’t expect them to bring much to the table.
Reportedly, 35% of employees are considering no or poor recognition of their work as the primary barrier that hinders their productivity.
An Australian Robert Half human resource scientist says, “Appreciation is one of the top three factors that improve employees’ output and makes them happy”.
Hence appreciating each team member can work wonders inside and outside the team space. The act of appreciation can inspire every member of both teams to promote a healthy work culture and boost productivity inside the organization.
Appropriate Management Style
From a manager’s point of view, you need to understand the needs of your teams better than anyone. You need to develop a managerial style that would be appropriate for them so you could understand their needs.
If you are handling experienced developing and marketing teams, then you can adopt a free leadership style with them. Leaving them to their style of work, allowing them to be open and creative, thus bringing the best out of them.
Dan Ariely, A Behavioral Economist says, “Strong leaders care about the bottom line but are much more than that. They have a sense of purpose and get out of bed every single day to fulfill it”.
And if your teams are inexperienced, then you can adopt a paternal leadership which will guide your team through thick and thin.
So it’s essential to choose which style of leadership it must be because each point of the wrong style can cost you.
Give each other feedback
There is little use in trying to maximize team efficiency without them being aware of the areas of improvement. You need to introduce a feedback process in the team, which is highly essential in boosting your overall productivity.
After giving each other feedback and performance reviews, conduct a session where they can discuss the areas where they need to improve. Encourage an open dialogue culture that will make future collaborations much easier and make changes in their style of working.
Conclusion
Teamwork is crucial between Development and Marketing Teams to maximize efficiency. There is no single way to empower your team; preferably, with small and constant ways, you can lay the foundation of a productive environment. The points mentioned above will help your marketing and development teams, by providing the employees with constant feedback, support, and encouragement.
