Cross-functional vs. Multidisciplinary

We recently had a chat at work about the difference between multidisciplinary and cross-functional teams. It’s an important difference.

A multidisciplinary team brings together people from different departments or areas of expertise. They’re in the same meetings, they share updates, and they each represent their function. That setup has value, but it’s not the same as being truly cross-functional.

In a cross-functional team, those same individuals don’t just share space, they share ownership. They collaborate closely, make decisions together, and work toward a common goal with a collective sense of accountability. It’s not about representation; it’s about integration.

The key term there is “collaboration”.

The problem comes when we treat multidisciplinary as good enough. On paper, it looks like collaboration. But in practice, people stay in their lanes, and the real potential of the team is left untapped.

That’s exactly why I’ve always believed in the power of cross-fertilisation, (see “The New New Product Development Game”). It’s not just about having different roles involved, it’s about putting UX designers, domain experts, engineers, AI specialists, and product managers in the same space, solving problems together from day one.

Originally posted on LinkedIn.