GUEST BLOG POST
Internal Audit teams today face mounting pressure to address emerging risks, adapt to rapid technological changes, and meet rising regulatory demands, all while demonstrating audit value with limited resources. One way to meet these challenges is through greater collaboration both within the internal audit team and with others throughout the organization. Often viewed as independent specialists focused on IT, compliance, or operations, audit teams can become siloed, which hampers creativity, reduces efficiency, and limits their overall impact on the organization.
Organizational psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant, offers insights on leadership and collaboration that can help transform these silos into cohesive, high-performing teams. By drawing from his work, we can explore strategies that promote teamwork within internal audit departments to drive more effective results. Remember, high-performing teams are not created by chance, but through intentional planning and follow-through.
Identifying a Shared Purpose
Individuals must discover a sense of purpose to achieve fulfillment in their work, a need that becomes particularly pressing when the internal audit department’s mission may not align with the broader goals of the organization. In this context, establishing a collective purpose and shared mission is essential for fostering collaboration and engagement. When teams operate with a clear and documented set of values, they can synchronize their individual efforts towards common objectives, thereby enhancing motivation and performance. Grant contends that a shared mission cultivates a sense of belonging and identity among team members, promoting accountability and inspiring employees to take initiative.
A valuable group exercise is to create a team charter or to document team values. This collaborative effort is essential as it establishes a shared purpose, enhances collaboration, and aligns the team around shared expectations and goals. Additionally, leaders can boost team collaboration by connecting internal audit activities to the company’s overarching goals, emphasizing the audits’ impact on organizational success, displaying real-world examples of positive changes from audit findings, and instilling pride in internal auditors as protectors of the company’s integrity and reputation. Invite a stakeholder, end-user, or executive management to discuss with the team how internal audit has been able to add value in the organization.
The Importance of Shared Experiences
In a recent episode of WorkLife, Grant highlights the significance of shared experiences in enhancing teamwork, drawing heavily on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team’s winning journey during the “Miracle on Ice.” Most players came from the Midwest and had similar backgrounds, growing up in comparable hockey environments and frequently competing against one another. This shared upbringing fostered ardent team chemistry and a mutual understanding of each other’s motivations and work ethic.
In a profession that values diversity, how can we effectively promote shared experiences? Internal audit teams can cultivate these experiences through team-building activities, collaborative training sessions, and engaging in special projects together. Consider sending your audit staff to training courses as a group or have a joint project to foster camaraderie.
Participating in cross-functional projects together encourages teamwork and creates opportunities for members to share insights and perspectives, ultimately strengthening their relationships and improving overall team dynamics. The key is patience, the longer a team works together the potential for performance increases.
Understanding Givers and Takers
In 2013, Grant published a book called Give and Take, which provides insight into how individuals operate within a professional environment. The theory is, regardless of technical skills, there are three types of people that each affect team collaboration, as outlined below:
- Givers are those who contribute to the team selflessly, sharing knowledge, helping others with difficult tasks, and fostering open communication. These individuals are paramount as they create a positive environment for all to perform better.
- Takers tend to look out for themselves. These individuals resist collaboration, which has a lasting social impact across your team. While these individuals likely have immense technical knowledge and skills, they are not always beneficial to the progression of the team.
- Matchers operate on a principle of reciprocity. They will help others and progress the missions but expect a reward in return. While this approach is more balanced than being a taker, it still limits the free flow of collaboration.
To build a collaborative internal audit team, leaders must identify these behaviors and actively cultivate a culture where giving is encouraged and rewarded. The ultimately goal is to foster as many “givers” as possible. This can be achieved through peer recognition programs, a strong tone at the top, and creating opportunities for givers to mentor others.
Formalize Cross-Functional Collaboration Opportunities
Formalizing cross-functional collaboration is essential for enhancing the impact and relevance of audit functions within an organization. Grant highlights the importance of diverse perspectives and teamwork across departments, which is often lacking in audit teams that tend to operate in isolation. Too frequently, audit functions are perceived as detached, stepping in briefly to assess processes before retreating. This isolation can prevent internal audit teams from capitalizing on the valuable insights and expertise that exist within other areas of the organization.
To break down these silos and adopt a more collaborative approach, internal audit teams should engage with other departments early in the audit process to understand their unique challenges and concerns. Consider implementing job shadowing or rotational programs where internal auditors spend time in different areas of the business. This exposure will broaden their understanding of the organization’s operations, making their audits more relevant and actionable. Additionally, forming cross-functional working groups to tackle complex problems allows audit teams to tap into the specialized knowledge of colleagues from departments like IT, operations, and finance, ultimately driving more innovative and effective audit outcomes.
Embracing a Growth Mindset
Embracing a growth mindset is essential for internal audit teams striving for continuous improvement and the ability to adapt in a rapidly changing business environment. Grant’s teachings echo Carol Dweck’s concept of a growth mindset, which emphasizes that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and resilience. With effort, we can continuously learn and improve to be better internal auditors. For audit teams, fostering this mindset not only enhances performance but also drives innovation and flexibility in response to new challenges.
To cultivate a growth mindset, internal audit teams should create an environment where feedback flows freely between team members and leaders. Remember this is a tone-at-the-top exercise, where feedback should freely go in both directions. This focus on learning, rather than simply proving one’s abilities, ensures that everyone is continuously evolving. Additionally, it is crucial to celebrate effort and the learning process—not just the outcome of successful audits. Recognizing those who take on difficult tasks, acquire new skills, or propose innovative solutions encourages a culture of personal and professional development. We want to encourage our team to take bold steps with lasting impacts rather than easy tasks for recognition.
Experimentation should also be encouraged within audit teams, allowing members to explore new tools or methodologies, even when success is not guaranteed. This culture of innovation is vital as audit functions increasingly integrate emerging technologies like AI and data analytics. By embracing experimentation and viewing setbacks as opportunities for growth, internal audit teams position themselves for long-term success and adaptability.
Building a more collaborative audit team requires intentional effort and persistence, but the rewards are well worth it. By drawing on Grant’s insights, we can work to foster a culture of giving, psychological safety, and cross-functional collaboration, which ultimately helps your team operate like the 1992 “Dream Team.” Each of these cultural traits will not only increase your department’s performance, but will create a ripple effect across your organization. 
Jesse M. Laseman, CIA, CFE is an Internal Audit Consultant at Sikich with nearly 10 years of experience in financial services, government, and not-for-profit sectors, specializing in operational audits, internal controls, data analytics, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.