Collaborative decision-making and shared responsibility across departments can be messy and time consuming. However, working collaboratively in a well-constructed cross-functional team (CFT) can create a culture of self-responsibility and
accountability and improve institutional practices. The following paper will describe a successful model for forming and assigning roles in a cross-functional team. In addition, a case study illustrates the practical application of the described
model. The case study examines completion teams formed at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) in Cleveland, Ohio.