At the core of agile development are self-organizing cross-functional teams. Yet, this is often understood as e.g., backend & front-end developers working together. If an organization is aiming for company-wide agility, to fully benefit from agility it has to enable teams as value centers that are truly cross-functional by bringing in different perspectives from business, markets, cultures, beliefs, etc. This way cross-functional teams overcome not only the limitations of organizational silos but also of a singular view on the market.

Too many products have been developed that serve only one kind of client. The reason is that the composition of the teams leads (subconsciously) to the development of products that serve only people who resemble the people in the team. One “famous” example is the soap dispenser that only works if your hands are white.

If teams are really cross-functional and resemble the diversity of the market, the products they’re creating are also better. Thus, if the whole team has the full business expertise, knows the market, and reflects the full diversity of the clients, then it can even disrupt the market and isn’t waiting for someone (e.g., the Product Owner) to decide on priorities. With this real cross-functionality, the team can fully understand the company’s business and have a holistic view of it, knowing its contribution to its value stream.

Real cross-functional teams are an essential building block for implementing company-wide agility. The organization benefits by creating better and more real products and having more options when entering the war of talent.