Often times, the problem is not lack of capability… it is inability to “manage sideways”…
Most individuals are capable, and most organizations are able to hire talented people. And most professionals believe sincerely, that they are contributing at their potential… In fact, it is common for individuals to go over and beyond the call of their duty to ensure that their job gets done…
The obvious question then becomes, why is it so hard to complete projects and to roll things out???
Here’s why…. It is not enough if you get your job done! You are a part of a larger organism and unless you understand where you fit in this bigger picture, a lot of your work may simply spill through the cracks… You will find yourself doing a lot but will see your manager frustrated for goods not getting delivered! And the manager alone can do little to fix this problem!
There is not enough process that can ever be put in place that can replace human participation….
Coordination is key!!! It is the inability for people to see themselves as a part of a chain where work gets passed on from one individual to the other and then from one department to the other…
The program management office, the organizational matrix, the best defined handshake processes, the most effective managers cannot address this problem as effectively as individuals in a team realizing and learning to manage sideways!
It takes but a short discussion for you…. talk to the guy that passes you his work and then to the guy that you pass on your work to…. in your day-to-day task flow, to effectively address this major coordination issue, that most departments and organizations face…
End of the day, organizations are people working with people… not business units working with business units!!!
Learn to manage sideways!
You will help get stuff done…
You will look good in your job…
You will make more friends…. 
