Do you know how to identify and how to eliminate organizational silos?
Firstly, it is important to remember what these behaviors are and why they form within companies. Basically, the dynamics that lead to silos are formed when departments, employees and teams within a company often end up working in isolation, not communicating or cooperating for the success of the work of other teams and the company in general.
Generally, companies that have organizational silos are those where effective communication is lacking, which can, in some cases, be attributed to the company's own culture. These organizations end up creating work environments where employees do not feel comfortable expressing their own ideas or contributing beyond their duties, causing isolation between departments and reducing collaboration between them.
This type of collective behavior ends up delaying organizational development, reducing team efficiency and morale. Therefore, when left untreated, silos can compromise both the coexistence of employees and the productive culture of the organization.
Continue reading the content to understand how to eliminate these practices from your organization!
Being a recurring problem in most organizations, silos are formed when the communication between teams is not effective. Therefore, eliminating these behaviors is a long path and requires dedication from employees.
However, when done well, the benefits provided after eliminating these behaviors are satisfactory. This is because both the interaction between teams and the development of the company are made possible.
We can say that, as this issue is something inherent to the work environment, it is necessary to constantly search for ways to bring teams closer together. In today's article, we will bring some practices that can be adopted as a way to solve this problem.
Firstly, we must understand where silos emerge. To do this, it is important to know that this mentality does not arise accidentally, nor is it something so clear that certain wars between departments can be noticed.
When we look deeper, we understand that organizational silos are the result of teams whose leaders are in conflict. As a consequence, cross-functional relationships are scarce and teams do not interact towards a common goal.
While these behaviors may be a result of silo mentality, they are not the root of the issue. So, making wrong decisions when solving these problems can end up negatively impacting the company.
The impacts caused by these decisions can range from employee resentment to harming the team with dissatisfied employees leaving.
Therefore, it is important that leaders recognize the team's needs and, based on this, seek efficient solutions for organizational silos. This can be done through five practices:
The solution to excluding these thoughts initially lies in the leadership of departments and teams. Leaders need to move from the idea of “my department” to the collective feeling of “our company”. Only in this way will it be possible for teams to work together and for the organization to grow.
After encouraging a unified vision, team members need to define which problems must be solved. To this end, it is important that strategies are drawn up to combat these issues. This will all result in the creation of a common goal, which will unite teams and sectors.
Once a unified vision has been established and a common objective has been created, it is time to motivate the people who are part of the teams. This step is extremely necessary in eliminating organizational silos, as it has a direct positive impact on the commitment of the business collective.
Motivation can be done in numerous ways, through recognition of team members or through compensatory goals. The important thing at this stage is knowing that all employees are focused on achieving the goals created.
Once all the steps mentioned above have been completed, it is necessary to draw up the action plans that will be executed in search of achieving the goal. At this point, a deadline must be established for completing these actions. For this part of the process, teams must be motivated to pursue their goal.
Finally, it is important that teams from all departments share knowledge, contributing to the organization's growth. The best way to deal with organizational silos is to demonstrate that all employees fulfill equally important roles within the company.
All the steps covered in this article are part of a long process of uniting and collaborating teams in search of a common goal. However, carrying out these procedures independently may not have the same effect when done through professional support.
For professional team development solutions, count on LongVision. Access our solutions and make the most of your company. Remember that a successful organization is built through united teams.
For more business solutions, also read: How The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team Program can help your team
