See Ya Later, Silos! How Simple Activities Can Catalyze Collaboration

One of the most common culture challenges we hear from leaders is lack of cross-department collaboration. The dreaded silo effect. 

Silos are one example of “relational waste,” or causes of workplace waste or friction that stem from interpersonal dynamics. When colleagues don’t - or won’t - communicate and share information across departments you get missed deadlines, incomplete (or even inaccurate) deliverables, duplication of effort, turf battles, and sometimes pure animosity. We’ve seen companies that have their own version of the Sharks and the Jets because of ridiculous assumptions departments make about each other!

Cross-functional collaboration is a necessity, and a sign of a healthy culture. 

Here are a few root causes of the silo effect, and simple activities that can break them down.

1. The Know, Like, Trust Gap

In order for collaboration to happen, all parties involved need to know, like, and trust each other. 

That may seem inconvenient to leaders who believe we leave our people-dynamics at the door because we’re being paid to do our jobs, but the simple, human truth is that we are more likely to help people we have a positive relationship with. 

One way to break down silos is to get to know people who work in other departments; to build  social capital, which is one of the most important - and often overlooked - resources in the workplace. Set aside time for colleagues to spend together as humans, with the goal of forming new relationships and building positive shared memories.

The perfect activity to create memorable shared moments and spark new connections is Fishbowl, a party game that combines Taboo, Charades, and Passcode. 

2. The Cone-in-the-Box Problem

Another common cause of silos is a fundamental misunderstanding of the goals, functions, and priorities of other departments. When we don’t understand something, we make assumptions to fill in the blanks. And often these assumptions are just plain wrong and harmful.

The Relational Coordination Collaborative calls this the Cone-in-the-Box problem.

Look at the diagram above. 

What would you see if you were looking into the box through hole A? You’d see a circle, and you’d be 100% confident that everyone else would see a circle too. Anyone who says otherwise is clearly a fool.

But what if you looked through hole B? You’d be just as confident that there is no way it could be anything but a triangle. You’d both be equally right (on a surface level), and equally wrong, but you’d have no way of knowing the full picture unless you talked to each other. 

Silos prevent us from understanding the full scope of our work, from seeing the broader systems perspective.

One activity that explores the different ways people think and make connections is Codenames. By understanding that we all attach different meanings and connotations to words, we can better understand different perspectives and how to leverage them for success.

3. Mismatched Problem-Solving Criteria.

Different teams and departments often have different ways of doing things. Even within small companies, each department has its own micro culture - a set of norms, values, and priorities for making decisions and solving problems.  

For example, an accounting team is likely going to make decisions based on what is best for the bottom line. An operations team might prioritize speed and efficiency. The marketing department might value creativity above all else. When these departments have to work together, they may not realize that they have different definitions of success and different criteria for deciding the best course of action. Unless these underlying differences are understood and factors into the conversations, the result will be animosity and further reinforced silos.

A great activity to explore different underlying priorities and motivators is Count to 20, a short collaborative game where success depends on being able to sync up on priorities and strategy.

While silos may seem immovable, they are usually held in place by interpersonal challenges. Once some of the barriers to inter-departmental collaboration are examined, they can come crashing down, making work a more effective and meaningful experience for everyone involved.

Let us know if you’d like more recommendations to break through some of your silos. We’re always here to help. Just email us at info@barometerxp.com.