Hospital and health system executives have long emphasized that cross-departmental alignment is critical to organizational success — but it can be challenging, especially when department-level priorities compete with broader strategies.
Collaboration is among the top leadership skills CEOs are working to build in 2025, with a strong culture of alignment helping leadership teams to cascade priorities and avoid silos.
Becker’s asked three chief human resources officers to share the most valuable lessons they have learned about cross-departmental alignment and how their systems are improving collaboration.
Start with empathy and trust
Cross-departmental alignment can be challenging and relies on organizational trust, according to Margie Zyble, CHRO and senior vice president of Cincinnati-based UC Health.
“To improve partnerships, both parties need to ‘walk in each other’s shoes’ when making decisions,” Ms. Zyble said. “This creates stronger empathy and promotes a mindset of compromise over competition. Ongoing check-ins that support direct and respectful communication are also critical to ensure stakeholders express shifting priorities and challenges. Ultimately, this allows cross-functional teams to establish and maintain a shared path forward.”
Set a single North Star
Tom McCauley, CHRO of Aspen (Colo.) Valley Health, emphasized alignment around enterprise-wide goals.
“If my focus is on my team and my department and our goals alone, that likely will put our group in conflict with other departments or groups, because our goals are different from theirs,” Mr. McCauley said. “Conversely, if we’re all focusing on the enterprise-wide goals, then you should start to see the walls of the silos fade away to some degree.”
Organizations working to cascade their goals create alignment, which makes collaboration easier, he said. At Aspen Valley, leaders choose one systemwide priority or “big win” each year, referred to as the “One Big Thing.”
“I may need to forego or temporarily de-prioritize something on my department’s to-do list to make sure we achieve the ‘One Big Thing’ as a team,” he said. “Then in future years, it’s likely that my team will be the primary owners of that year’s ‘One Big Thing,’ and the rest of the organization could or should reciprocate. Everyone can do their own things, but having at least one common North Star is critical.”
Make shared goals visible
For Dawn Zell Wright, CHRO of New Orleans-based LCMC Health, visibility is key.
“In my experience, cross-departmental alignment is critical to achieving sustainable organizational success,” Ms. Zell Wright said. “Getting there, though, can be challenging, but not insurmountable.”
It is imperative that shared goals are visible, measured and co-owned, she said.
“Without visibility, measurability and co-ownership, repeatability is at risk,” Ms. Zell Wright said. “Visibility builds trust. Measurability reinforces focus. Co-ownership encourages collaboration. Repeatability drives sustainability.”
