The art of boundary-spanning leadership and cross-functional collaboration
In today’s fast-paced, interconnected business world, influence doesn’t come from titles—it comes from relationships. And nowhere is that more apparent than in matrixed organisations, where teams and leaders must navigate across geographies, functions, and hierarchies to get things done.
In this week’s Impactful Teamwork episode, I unpack one of the biggest leadership challenges I faced during my own corporate career—and one I’m frequently helping clients overcome: how to lead and influence people across boundaries in complex, matrixed organisations.
Whether you’re in a global role, a cross-functional team, or working remotely with dispersed stakeholders, this episode is packed with insights to help you succeed.
Why Boundary-Spanning Matters
Matrixed organisations are defined by complexity. People aren’t just reporting into a single boss anymore—they’re collaborating across teams, geographies, and functions. That’s why building relationships outside your immediate team is no longer optional. It’s essential.
The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) calls this skill boundary-spanning leadership, which they define as “the capability to create direction, alignment, and commitment across group boundaries in service of a higher goal.”
Put simply: if you want to influence, lead, and make things happen—you need to learn how to span boundaries.
The Benefits of Boundary-Spanning
Boundary-spanning leaders drive tangible business impact. Some of the benefits include:
- Faster organisational agility to respond to market changes
- Breakthrough innovation from diverse perspectives
- Engaged and empowered teams who feel connected to a wider purpose
- Improved risk management through collaborative problem-solving
- Cross-regional collaboration and global mindsets
In fact, CCL’s research found that people who build and maintain cross-boundary relationships are consistently rated as more influential—while those who don’t are granted far less power within their organisations.
My Personal Experience: Building Influence Through Relationships
Let me share a simple but powerful story from my own days at Deloitte and Arthur Andersen. I used to send out monthly client reports—hundreds at a time—and they had to be printed quickly and accurately. Unintentionally, I formed a strong relationship with the team in the print room by chatting with them and picking up my own documents.
Over time, they began prioritising my jobs, often bumping me up the queue during tight deadlines. I hadn’t planned that influence—it came from genuine human connection. Years later, when I was promoted to Director, they were shocked. “You’re a Director? But you come and get your own printing!”
That relationship saved my team hours of stress and delays. It’s a powerful reminder: influence doesn’t require authority—it requires rapport.
The Five Types of Boundaries in Organisations
If we want to become more collaborative leaders, we need to understand the different types of boundaries we may need to span. CCL outlines five key categories:
- Horizontal – Between functions (e.g. Sales vs. Marketing) or departments at the same level
- Vertical – Between levels of seniority and power within the hierarchy
- Stakeholder – With external partners like customers, suppliers, or investors
- Demographic – Across differences in gender, culture, personality, or generation
- Geographic – Across locations, time zones, or regional markets
For me, the most common ones I navigated were horizontal and geographic boundaries. Often, I acted as the connector—linking up teams who didn’t realise they were working on the same projects.
The Hardest Boundary? Horizontal Ones
Interestingly, CCL found that horizontal boundaries—between departments—were both the most valuable and the most difficult to span. Why?
Because often there’s competition for resources, conflicting priorities, or lack of awareness. One team may hoard information, fearing it could lose power. But this siloed thinking is incredibly costly.
As a leader, I constantly observed duplicated efforts, wasted resources, and missed opportunities—all because people weren’t talking to each other. As matrixed structures become more common, we must shift our mindset from protection to collaboration.
The Gap Between Intention and Action
Here’s a sobering stat:
86% of senior leaders say cross-boundary collaboration is critical to their role.
But only 7% feel very effective at it.
That’s a 79% skills gap.
The solution? Investing in collaborative behaviours and adopting the three universal strategies of boundary-spanning leadership.
1. Managing Boundaries
Set the foundations for collaboration:
- Create a team charter to clarify purpose, roles, and goals
- Practice perspective-taking—ask, “How would our partner team see this?”
- Shadow colleagues in other departments for deeper understanding
- Build psychological safety by being consistent, reliable, and trustworthy
2. Forging Common Ground
Build bridges, not walls:
- Reach out to under-utilised groups and stakeholders
- Prioritise personal connection before transactional conversation
- Host cross-functional meetings to surface shared goals
- Adjust KPIs to reward collaboration, not just siloed performance
3. Discovering New Frontiers
Create new possibilities by working across boundaries:
- Launch joint projects with other teams or even external competitors
- Partner with a complementary organisation to deliver client value
- Run small experiments to test cross-boundary collaborations
- Challenge old rules—ask, “Does this boundary still serve us?”
In my corporate role, I formed a joint venture with a competitor in the US to offer clients a global hotel survey platform. It was bold, unexpected—and incredibly valuable. Together, we created something that neither of us could have achieved alone.
Small Steps, Big Wins
You don’t have to overhaul your entire network today. Just start with one new connection. Reach out. Ask questions. Be curious.
As the Japanese concept of Kaizen teaches us, small improvements add up over time. A 1% shift in your collaborative habits can lead to exponential impact.
So this week, I invite you to ask yourself:
- Who outside of my team could I build a stronger relationship with?
- What boundary am I willing to cross to create greater impact?
- How can I lead across the organisation—not just within it?
Final Thoughts: Leadership Beyond Your Box
If we want to create sustainable performance, we can’t stay in our silos. Today’s successful leaders are connectors, collaborators, and catalysts for change.
They don’t just manage down—they lead across.
So let’s move beyond our box on the org chart and embrace the wider system. Because real influence comes from building bridges, not staying in our lane.
Until next time—here’s to building boundary-spanning, high-impact relationships that unlock the full potential of your team and organisation.
Would you like support developing your boundary-spanning leadership skills or helping your team become more collaborative and connected? Let’s have a conversation—just reach out.ious and keep leading with energy.
Show Notes
00:00 Introduction to Leading in a Matrix Organization
01:08 The Importance of Building Relationships
04:16 Examples of Effective Relationship Building
07:10 Challenges in Creating Cross-Functional Relationships
07:37 Types of Organizational Boundaries
18:14 Strategies for Effective Boundary Spanning
25:54 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
