Interdependency Identification Guide
What it does:
The Interdependency Identification Guide helps HR work with executives to identify other functions they will
need to partner with to meet their functional goals.
How to Use it:
Use this guide to facilitate your conversation with executives as you help them identify cross-silo
interdependencies and commonalities to enable collaborative execution of goals.
Instructions:
1. Questions to Ask the Executives
As a starting point, ask some of these questions to individual executives to get a better understanding of
their business functions and help them develop both their personal performance goals and functional
strategy and goals.
2. Cross-Silo Interdependency Visualization Template
Help executives fill this template to streamline the interdependency envisioning exercise by broadening the
executive’s mind-set and help identify more comprehensive, nonobvious interdependencies based on the
questions you asked them. An example is included below.
CEB Corporate Leadership Council
© 2015 CEB
Interdependency Identification Guide
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE EXECUTIVES
How do you perceive the value-add of your function to the business?
How well has your function delivered value in the past three years? Where has it succeeded and
where has it struggled?
Where have you struggled to deliver value? Why do you think that is? Where have you succeeded?
What are the drivers of your success?
What are the short-term priorities of your business function? Are any of these at risk?
Where do you see the greatest potential for your function to support those priorities?
What are the long-term strategic objectives of your business function?
What do you view as being the key organizational drivers of success in achieving those objectives
(i.e. what do we need to get right in order to succeed)?
Where do you see the greatest potential for your function to support those priorities?
How well does your function partner with other functions to deliver business outcomes? Is there a
greater need for us to collaborate more effectively with other parts of the business?
What questions or concerns does the Board have about your function’s performance, if any?
Are there process, structure, technology or people issues in the function that you would like to pay
particular attention to?
Are there specific goals/MBOs you would to include?
What are the right success metrics for those goals?
Are there specific peers who could impact your ability to achieve your own objectives?
This list is not exhaustive—there are additional questions you could cover.
CEB Corporate Leadership Council
© 2015 CEB
Interdependency Identification Guide
CROSS-SILO INTERDEPENDENCY VISUALIZATION TEMPLATE
Executive: [Name, CXO]
Session Date:
Session Facilitator:
Direct Connections Indirect Connections
Sales Marketing IT Administration Recruiting
Does this group Yes, this group
impact your impacts the sales
goal? goals.
How do they They impact speed
impact your to market delivery.
success?
Who is or are the [EXECUTIVE NAME],
key individuals [FUNCTION/BUSINES
involved? S UNIT]
Notes:
CEB Corporate Leadership Council
© 2015 CEB
