Workplace Doctor: Teams operating like isolated nations are unhealthy in the workplace

Shifting your corporate culture out of the 'silo mentality, takes diplomacy and understanding, according our Workplace Doctor Alex Davda.

I have four teams under my watch and over time I've noticed them become increasingly compartmentalised, to the point they are operating as silos. They almost see themselves as completely separate entities, yet we are all part of the same company with the same goal. How can I create a shift in what I consider an unhealthy culture? DK, Dubai

Teams in your company appear to be operating in a similar way to how some countries function in this modern era. The world is more connected than ever and provides fantastic opportunities for us as a global economy to drive towards common goals. Yet disappointingly, it is more and more typical for leaders of some of the world’s most powerful nations to operate in isolation, move in very different directions and focus solely on the needs of their nation at the expense of others.

Unfortunately, it seems your business teams are suffering from this “silo mentality” where the belief tends to be to not share information and that the function succeeds through operating independently and autonomously and is held back or hindered by other business units. This mindset is flawed and if it continues will reduce efficiency in the overall operation, decrease morale and create a counter-productive company culture.

Silo is a term that has been discussed in boardrooms for the past 30 years. Yet, unlike other archaic management terms, it has not disappeared. Team, departmental and even organisation-wide silos are rife and seen as a thorn in many leaders’ sides. Creating the shift in this unhealthy culture can feel like bringing warring countries together for peace talks.

Fortunately, to see a complete antithesis of the “silo mentality” you only have to look at the GCC as an example of collaboration and cooperation. The region has experienced unprecedented economic expansion over the past 30 years by working together to achieve economic integration. In today’s global context, nations will only show the resilience needed to thrive by working together.

As with so many things in organisations and nations it trickles down from the top. A silo mindset does not appear accidentally. Often the cause of the issue is due to conflict, mistrust or misunderstanding between the leaders themselves who promote “me first” or “team first” rather than the “organisation first”.

Research has shown that where leaders successfully lead together, they have a clear sense of who is responsible for what. Mapping out these roles and responsibilities early, and refining them along the collaborative journey, ensures a smoother road. This results in teams working together, sharing information and feeling comfortable to connect on projects. Therefore, it is imperative that team leaders agree to a common and unified vision for the organisation and destroy the boundaries that have been placed by letting go of the “my department” “my budget” “my recourse” mindset, truly seeing the collective strength of cross-functional teams.

Once you have a degree of diplomacy and understanding between the team leaders then you must create the conditions for collaboration through legitimate time and space. Teams want to get things done and it can feel faster in the short term to do so independently. For it to succeed, people need to feel like collaboration is worth their time and they must be incentivised to do so. Find successful cases from the business and convey how this led to results. Many organisations integrate collaboration into their vision. At a business level, leaders need to highlight why this particular request for collaboration matters and define what effect it will make. Rather than it being a broad corporate “buzz word” it needs to be a specific, actionable and rewarded process.

Doctor’s Prescription:

With teams operating like isolated nations, it takes true diplomacy to bring people together. Culture change always begins with leaders modelling the culture they aspire others to follow. Therefore, collaboration begins with you and your team leaders. Help them see how a united front is good for business, especially in this challenging economic time.

Alex Davda is a business psychologist and client director at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, and is based in the Middle East. Email him at [e-mail] for advice on any work issues.

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