the individual disrupts silos

Does your organization suffer from the impacts of working in silos? You know the barriers that develop between the functional departments of an organization? As an individual professional you can experience poor communication, conflicting directions, redundancy, and less than optimal decision making. Though much of the silo barriers can develop in the systems and data, what I’m concerned about is the human element. I want to focus on you.

the individual disrupts silos

It’s your responsibility. That’s right. Each individual in the organizations that does nothing to break down the silos is contributing to and reinforcing their existence. Even a virtual or mobile worker can have influence by their actions. That means I don’t want to hear you whine and complain about the silos if you are not willing to do something about it.

here’s why it’s up to you

1. Change in organizations happens one person at a time.
2. You can only change your own behavior.
3. Your attitudes and emotions, however, are contagious.
4. Your happiness at work is your responsibility.

here’s how to take action

Learn how you fit. Learn and understand how your piece of work fits into the business as a whole. For example if you produce a report each month that is distributed to others, go to the recipients and find out how they use that information. What is it’s value for them? What happens if there are errors or if the report is late? What other information would they benefit from receiving? All it takes is a phone call and good listening skills.

Be open to feedback. As you investigate what happens before and after your step in the process, you will likely receive feedback. Listen and discuss the ideas and work with those individuals to identify possible improvements.

Volunteer for a cross-functional team. Nothing helps to widen your perspective of the organization than working on a cross-functional team. Through the processes of the project you will be made aware of barriers, redundancies, and systems that do not support a collaborative work environment. If there are not cross functional teams in your organization, consider launching one with the purpose of mapping the organizations processes form end to end.

Engage a mentor in a different function. In addition to building relationships on teams and with individuals up and down stream from you in the processes, building professional relationships with an experienced professional is a great way to positively influence the culture. In a mentor relationship both individuals gain a new perspective. Selecting a mentor with influence increases your chances of influencing the culture at all levels of the organization.

the opposite of silos is collaboration

Change in organizations is accomplished one individual at a time. Silos are broken down one act at a time. Take responsibility for the silos in your organization. Look up from your desk. Truly understand what happens in the business process both before and after your step. Infect others with your curiosity and enthusiasm for understanding the business from end to end.

The opposite of working in silos is collaboration!