Collaboration within a large organisation is as much an art as it is a science. Every team and division has a different view of the company and is chasing different objectives that align with their specific skills and mandate. As such, it can be challenging to get everyone pulling in the same direction. However, this is the key to making your business a juggernaut that makes the most out of the talent it has at its disposal.
When we look at the key aspects of interdisciplinary collaboration, perhaps the most important one is communication. If you aren’t able to communicate effectively across divisions, teams are never going to truly understand each other and be aligned in terms of what they’re trying to achieve.
Communicating in data
Of course, the major connotation that comes to mind when you mention communication is verbal. We want to have regular connections with stakeholders and engage meaningfully in person or virtually to align ourselves with the larger mission of the company. But communication doesn’t stop there. In modern businesses, these conversations and decisions are often based on underlying data that forms the starting point for debate, negotiation, brainstorming, and so many other key actions that you must get right as a business.
Data can be finicky though. And no matter how good your data collection, warehousing, and processing are – what really matters is how you interpret it. Your analysis of the data and your ability to communicate that effectively is often what can move the needle in terms of influencing decision-making. Yet, this is often something that gets overlooked because we assume that everyone thinks like us.
Spoiler, they don’t.
How Apliqo can help
Apliqo UX was designed to solve this problem by creating sophisticated reporting functionality that is not only fit-for-purpose but also presented in an easy-to-understand way. Built on top of the powerhouse that is IBM Planning Analytics / TM1, the idea is to let your data be communicated more effectively so that you can grapple with real business challenges, rather than wading through the mire of miscommunication.
The reporting can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be, giving you the flexibility to adjust your communication style depending on who is receiving the information. For example, your sales team might care about different things than your executives and the software allows for these nuances to be built into templates which can then be re-used as and when required.
We’ve seen time and time again with our clients that by providing users with more options to visualise and analyse data, it begets better conversations and improved collaboration. Apliqo UX reports can meet users exactly where they are, cutting through the noise and opening the door for a productive and holistic discussion about the things that really matter.
So while you ponder how to improve communication across your different divisions, don’t just stop at verbal and written modalities. You should also be considering how your data tells a story and whether there are ways to improve the effectiveness of this all-too-important component of modern business.
To explore what Apliqo UX can do for you, get in touch today, and let’s see how we can help.
