Silo mentality commonly occurs in the workplace as a barrier between department and department. It prevents the sharing of information and data. Working in a silo cuts off communication and fosters duplication. A siloed organization often fails to take prompt actions or leverage business opportunities. The efficiency of the overall operation may be deeply affected, and so does the productive company culture.
It requires great effort from the executive teams to tear down these barriers. Thus, the leaders and the managers have to share the unified vision and head to the same goals, then trickle down to their employees for execution. At this time, there will be a shift from the silo objectives to the organization’s mutual benefits. Striving to achieve these goals encourages communication and collaboration, which are foes to silos.
In addition, motivation is essential to boost productivity and efficiency. The managerial team should work on how to eliminate the “it’s not my job” attitude while inciting teamwork and cross-department cooperation. A wide variety of tactics can be utilized, for example, compliments, team building activities, growth in career paths, etc.
Furthermore, it is critical as well to accurately measure the performance of employees. The leadership team must set up transparent time frames, benchmarks and keep everything on track. Many organizations have applied both individual KPIs and shared KPIs mechanisms for better cooperation across all departments.
Easier said than done. It’s challenging to break down such destructive silo barriers in organizations. However, if you want to go far, go together. Organizations that share a unified vision and mindset always have more chances to thrive as a whole.
