Cross-Pollination is also Cross-Pollution
How cross-functional squad setups clash with tech middle management
Cross-functional dependencies can make your middle manager life hell.
Think a nicely linear org structure at the top:
CRO
VP Sales
Bunch of Directors
where goals and objectives trickle down neatly; the CRO owns a number—some recurring revenue—and they delegate it down to the VP, who allocates various chunks of the number to different functions/departments. In such contexts, directors (or even heads of) do have ‘regional’ power—e.g. if you are Director of New Business, you own new business—and clarity of purpose: You need to hit your xRR target, because that’s how the VP’s calculus works out. Without pushing the analogy too far, this is akin to self-pollination—you keep everything in house; you have everything you need.
Now, let’s look at your standard Engineering or Data function at a product-led tech company
CTO
VP Eng / VP Data
Bunch of EMs and Data Managers
where all the ICs work in cross-functional product squads or similar. This is the influential cross-pollination idea that caught fire in tech orgs—instead of being insular, we choose diversity of thought and profession to solve problems together. We rely on each other to succeed.
Yet, two immediate problems arise for the tech middle manager:
What company objective are you working towards?
Is it clear to others how your org moves the needle?
Do you possess the power and authority to achieve your objectives?
Is it in your control to hit your targets?
First, let’s study the tech org chart. What does the exec (CTO in the example) delegate to the VP/Director of [domain]? A £££ target to hit, like in the revenue example? Or some equivalent/proxy for revenue—credits? SLAs?
Unless your company monetises your tech or data, your software engineers and data folks are in support roles. You may even say subservient to Product, which makes sense—you are selling a product, after all.
However, now the neat trickle-down objectives/accountability framework no longer works. Your top line metric is something you don’t really control, unlike sales numbers for Sales. You are part of a cross-functional effort, and if you are doing your job right, you enable other functions so that as a whole, you can achieve something bigger.
Let’s go back to the exec in this scenario—they ask their middle manager:
Do you have everything you need to accomplish [delegated objective]?
You say yes or something similar; you are the boss of your function. You are not micromanaged, you run your department as you see fit. You even put together things like mission, vision, strategy that you end up presenting to senior leadership from time to time.
But, are you really in control?
Product leadership has a roadmap—doesn’t fit with your vision. You see inefficiencies and bad practices, but these are not visible to Product.
Product squads have roadmaps—you need to support them, while preserving bandwidth for non-squad work. Think Centre of Excellence—long term research, infrastructure, governance.
How are you going to fight back?
You can’t, really.
Your authority is contained within your vertical. If you are a VP of Data, your most influential report is a variant of Director of Data, at best. If you are Director, perhaps a Head of Data. If you are a department head, a Lead.
What power do these roles have, outside of their narrow remits? Nada.
How can a Head of Data change the mind of a Head of Product, regarding a purely data matter? Can you tell them hi, we must do this, best practice, governance is cool etc.
They will smile and tell you they can put it in the roadmap; approx. time to action: 12 months* from now.
The only tools you have are negotiation, persuasion, creating non-zero-sum scenarios, reading books like How to Win Friends and Influence People and Never Split the Difference.
Also, does your exec accept this reality? This fact has a tendency to fall into the cracks, buried under the you run your function/you are not micromanaged/I delegate this to you type of empowerment talk.
You should take a page from Chris Voss and ask ‘How am I supposed to do that?’
What actual power do you have? Come to think of it, you could argue middle management by definition lacks the necessary authority to bring about meaningful change—but that’s another post.
Your power—authority, influence—as a middle manager is a function of your boss’, whether they are a VP or a CxO. You can only have a fraction of it, and it only applies to your own domain. When your objectives rely on cross-functional collaboration, do manage up your exec and their expectations.