<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (December 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A cross-functional team is a group of people with different functional expertise working toward a common goal . It may include people from finance, marketing, operations, and human resources departments . Typically, it includes employees from all levels of an organization . Members may also come from outside an organization (in particular, from suppliers, key customers, or consultants). </P> <P> Cross-functional teams often function as self - directed teams assigned to a specific task which calls for the input and expertise of numerous departments . Assigning a task to a team composed of multi-disciplinary individuals increases the level of creativity and out of the box thinking . Each member offers an alternative perspective to the problem and potential solution to the task . In business today, innovation is a leading competitive advantage and cross-functional teams promote innovation through a creative collaboration process . Members of a cross-functional team must be well versed in multi-tasking as they are simultaneously responsible for their cross-functional team duties as well as their normal day - to - day work tasks . </P> <P> Some researchers have viewed cross-functional interactions as cooperative or competitive in nature, while others have argued that organization's functional areas are often forced to compete and cooperate simultaneously with one another ("coopetition") and it is critical to understand how these complex relationships interplay and affect firm performance . </P>

By definition the operational approach is oriented toward what area of management