Episode #298: How To Kill Off Organisational Silos

Every organisation suffers from the Not Invented Here syndrome. This is where collaboration is dismisseD in favour of independence, even when it is a cost to the business. Sections or divisions within the body of the organisation do not cooperate and form a united front to win in the market, because of rivalry, stupidity, egos, history, politics etc. The cost of all of this hairy chested independence is high.

Gaining collaboration from other parts of the organisation is the mark of the superior leader. The good news is that we don’t have to work this out for ourselves. There is a nine step method we can follow to make sure 1 + 1 = 5 rather than 2.

1. Goal Definition

What is the issue exactly? What is the central goal we wish to achieve through this collaboration? How will this increase the competitiveness of our team against the rival companies’ team? We need to define what success lookS like at the start.

2. Building A Case

Opinions are cheap and everybody has one. We need to come armed to the teeth with facts and data to be persuasive. We need to gather all the relevant facts about the current situation, so that we can clearly articulate the starting point and also elaborate what the finish line will look like.

3. Define The Issue Clearly

We know where we are now, having gathered the data. We know where we need to be, to win in the market. Why aren’t we there already? What is lacking or missing or insufficient? How will this work? Who needs to do what for all the moving pieces to line up for success?

4. Request Help

Strong individuals are often driven to do things independently because they want to claim all the glory at the end. Too many “I Did It My way” sessions at the karaoke for these types. The greater good, the bigger picture, has to be the focus. Winning as a total team rather than as individuals, requires humility enough to ask others for help. When asking, the request needs to be very detailed and specific, so that the assisting party knows what resources will be required and how much time burden will be involved.

5. The Art Of The Possible

The initiating group has to be able to accept other thoughts and means of achieving the end, rather than being locked into what they think should happen. The “how” part needs to draw on ideas from all parties and be reformulated so that the sense of ownership is as widespread as possible.

6. Collaboration In Action

Brainstorming together as a reality is now taken to the entire group, so that everyone has input. If the correct method is being used, then fast thinkers, slower thinkers, deeper thinkers will all be tapped for their ideas. The ideas initially generated won’t be judged at the generation stage, as that will be left to later in the brainstorming.

7. Implementation

Ideas are cheap. Action is what creates value and now the ideas created have to be acted upon. As we don’t know what will work and won’t work, we are constantly testing progress to make sure we are on the right track. We don’t want to commit too many resources, too early to discover our plan cannot work. We keep pushing forward through the milestones to make sure this is the right thing to continue doing.

8. Follow-Up

We need to keep everyone on board, so we need regular check-ins on progress to make sure the time and resource commitment is being honoured. We don’t allow people to drift and drop out, because we are carefully monitoring the milestones we have set. Accountability Is a big part of success and this is where the leader needs to apply maximum scrutiny and pressure.

9. Evaluation

How were the results? Did we achieve what we intended to achieve. What things emerged that we had not counted on? Did we make the targets we had set for ourselves? Did our activities throw up new opportunities we hadn’t thought about or did it close off possibilities which were once considered valuable? Did we adopt an attitude of there is no failure only learning?

Getting different groups to cooperate is always a struggle. The bigger struggle is to try and do it without a solid mechanism to make sure it works. We usually try and build the plane in the air, rather than having a solid blueprint before we touch any materials or tools. This nine step process is the blueprint. When followed it will absolutely guarantee we will do a better job, than if we were left to our own devices, to work it by ourselves.