Industry Research - 6 Ways To Break Down Silos And Make Collaboration Happen

What causes organizational walls?

The problem of organizational silos hindering collaboration is an old one, but today it has fresh urgency. Fast-changing global markets demand efficiency and agility – two qualities that are hard, if not impossible, to achieve in heavily fragmented companies with weak cross-team collaboration.
 

Three out of five company leaders in a PwC study say the solution to reaching their strategic goals is collaborating more across functions, paired with faster decision-making. And, the benefits of working cross-functionally extend to individuals, not just the organization at large. 

Harvard research shows that employees who operate outside their silos learn more, sell more and gain skills faster, while the company achieves higher margins and greater customer loyalty.

The truth is that organizational silos are everywhere and they’re not inherently harmful to organizations. In fact, they’re often necessary. Centralized functions and divisions maintain order and leverage expertise. The problem is when they breed a silo mentality, which is inherently harmful. 

A silo mentality is an outlook that occurs when divisions or departments don’t – or can’t – share information, resources, and knowledge with anyone outside their group. 

If there’s a silo mentality at your company, you’ll recognize these common symptoms:

•    Difficulty accessing information and assistance across business units
•    Few relationships among employees from different departments
•    Task duplication
•    Weak alignment around company values and goals
•    Turf wars and an “us versus them” approach
•    “Not my job” attitude

Based on these symptoms, it’s not tough to see how a silo mentality can be toxic. By obstructing collaboration and open communication, it stifles innovation and efficiency. No one can make a fast, informed, data-driven decision alone. 

Silo mentality also has a corrosive effect on culture by breeding distrust, conflict, resentment, and low morale. Executives in a recent McKinsey poll ranked siloed thinking and behavior as the number one obstacle to a healthy digital culture. 

By inhibiting cross-team collaboration, a silo mentality curbs performance in every part of an organization. In fact, one study found executives view it as the biggest organizational hurdle.

Despite the best efforts of leaders, silos can creep up in even the most progressive organizations. It often happens incrementally as internal team bonds strengthen and ties to the wider company diminish. 

Other factors that contribute to the rise of siloed thinking over cross-functional collaboration include:
•    Lack of clarity around priorities 
•    Conflicted leadership
•    Communication barriers
•    Overspecialization 
•    Geographic dispersion

This is the tricky part, as any leader who’s struggled to break down silos in the workplace (read: all leaders) will attest. You don’t have to destroy the silos themselves, because they can be useful, but you do have to enhance collaboration, communication, and cooperation among them. This can involve removing communication barriers, changing processes, and adding tools. 

Here are six proven tactics:

1. Drive a unified vision from the top
Leadership should take the lead in breaking down silos. Establish a common purpose and goals that go beyond divisional priorities, then reinforce them constantly. Make collaboration an explicit priority and walk the talk.

2. Incentivize collaboration
Set performance targets that can only be achieved by cross-functional teams and reward collaboration. Research confirms that high-performance organizations are up to 5.5 times more likely than lower performers to incentivize collaboration. Showcase individuals and teams who transcend a silo mentality in a dedicated online recognition center.

3. Get acquainted
Help employees learn about the functions of different departments and understand individual roles within them. An online company directory is a simple way to get everyone informed and to extend on-demand access to other groups and expertise beyond a one-time project.

4. Build trust and relationships
First, address any existing conflicts fueling a silo mentality. Then nip any future hostilities in the bud. Then entice people outside their silos with fun, social activities that cultivate camaraderie. For on-site employees, that could be celebratory lunches, communal break rooms or charity challenges. You can also build strong virtual relationships by giving remote workers social spaces where they can interact online.

5. Create cross-functional teams
Cross-functional teams, both temporary and permanent, can break down silos and have multiple benefits for the whole company, from improved productivity to better alignment. Cross-functional training also helps tear down the walls.

6. Provide the right collaboration tools
When different departments are using different tools, or if everyone has inadequate tools, collaboration suffers. Just like your company needs good spots for on-site teamwork, you also need high-quality digital collaboration solutions, from team rooms to forums.

Learn how a central digital destination can break down silos and foster cross-team collaboration by bringing people, resources, and tools together in one place.

Luke Reimer is the Senior Director of Marketing at Igloo Software. He is responsible for building and strengthening a talented team that spans digital marketing, campaigns, creative, content strategy, demand gen, marketing operations, communications, and customer marketing. A data-driven marketer, Luke has led the design and launch of world-class campaigns and programs that drive revenue pipeline, including the B2B demand gen program at a top-100 global brand. Throughout his 15 years of experience working in start-up, scale-up, and enterprise environments, Luke has always maintained his focus on leadership, team engagement, and building high performing teams. Visit www.igloosoftware.com Connect Luke Reimer Follow @IglooSoftware