Breaking down Organizational Silos

Have you heard the saying there is no “I” in team? That is true not only literally but as well figuratively. While everyone has their favorite go-to person in the organization, there is the reality that you will eventually be required to work with someone you may not regularly deal with in the organization but at times, others will require your cooperation and collaboration to accomplish the mission. When individuals or sections in the organization only collaborate within their specific area of the organization and have little to do with other operational areas, they build up a “silo state of mind” in which the only thing of importance is their own unique area. A simple definition of an organizational silo is when individuals in the organization are not forthcoming in sharing information or knowledge with others from operational areas different from their own. Working in silos creates boundaries between sections and will only hinder the progress of the organization and reduce its competitive advantage. Can you think of a time when you had this mindset in the organization? Most people typically tend to stay within their known areas of comfort in dealing with issues in the organization. But how then as a manager do you deal with breaking down these silos?

There are times when the organization needs to utilize the expertise of members from different department areas to resolve a management issue. It can be more efficient by having these members readily available to each other to collaborate as matters come up. Often, effective managers bring these members together as a team, which is now a cross-functional team merely because of the different areas they typically reside in. If you recall, or if you have not been following this blog on a regular basis, working with members from diverse groups can be a challenge for a manager and you can review this information in my blog on Understanding the Stages of Group Development published on April 1, 2014 for background reference. Now, once the cross-functional team is in place there is more potential for a synergistic dynamic relationship between the members because of the close proximity they may be working in. When an idea comes up a member from a different area may have the solution to address it while it is fresh and on everyone’s mind in the group. Contrast this with having an idea and then having to wait to present it to a different section in the organization for a solution. Time could be lost in the form of waiting for the idea to be addressed resulting in the loss of possible market share for your company.

As the manager, your job is to break down the silos and get workers to realize they must remove the boundaries between sections and work together in groups when necessary to address an issue because while an organization problem may not directly affect one area, it eventually will have some impact on all areas because the distinct operational areas do make up the organization as a whole. If the organization is not being competitive, then the cash flow will be negative and this will eventually result in a diminished bottom line overall. The next time you have to deal with a silo issue within the organization, work with supervisors of the various sections to gain their buy-in of using a cross-functional team to ensure maximum efficiency and you just may be the link to bring the entire group together and realize Together Everyone Achieves More! Until next time, I am Dr. Anthony Spivey, keep thinking BIG!