Whoever invented the idea of a silo? We see them in organisations everywhere today. In the beginning they were intended to make some sense out of things but they ended up hampering higher performance. They can lead to jealousies and rivalries and senior staff refusing to take some action because it hasn't been agreed through the right channels. What can we do to get rid of them?
In one-to-one discussions with members of an Executive Team the restrictions imposed by silos became all too evident. It also became evident that silos allowed individuals to get on with whatever they had to do in their own silo undisturbed, whilst others kept to their territory and did not interfere.
In a briefing session with an Executive Team the subject quickly came up. Restrictions were evident as members of the team would only talk about their own areas of responsibility and wouldn't offer suggestions or help to others by reporting on "other areas." This was stifling creativity and members of the team certainly weren't stretching themselves far enough. Nevertheless, we seemed to be dancing around the topic somewhat.
Something Understated.
I had to ask them whether they were all in this together as it were, agreeing to keep off someone else's turf if they would keep off theirs. I didn't want to be too heavy or critical and I made sure that I smiled as I referred to this as an "unstated deal." Almost immediately somebody said, "You are absolutely right. We know that life will be easier if we simply don't interfere with other people's business. The end result is not as good as it could be though."
Everybody accepted that the silo mentality was restrictive. Undoubtedly it leads to self-limiting behaviours in leadership, which is most likely why it is often talked about in leading text books on the subject.
There was such a positive outcome during this discussion that it reminded me that we do not call out behaviour often enough on a day-to-day basis. If we did this in a similar manner, being inclusive and relaxed instead of heavy-handed, it's amazing how others would buy into it.
Put Performance First.
As we had agreed to challenge behaviours in leadership at the start and focus on things that get in the way of high-performance, this allowed us to be open and honest about silo problems. You must agree that to challenge behaviours you have to first agree that performance is everything. You are after all talking about good business practices and performance and not personal issues.
Do be conscious of the way that you challenge behaviours that let you down as a team. Refer to "we" instead of "you" and think about how you convey this as a message so that you come across as thinking about their best interests. It's amazing how quickly you will be able to renegotiate some of the habits that the team may have been exhibiting and how you will be able to use this to better overall performance.
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Pete Ashby is the director of http://www.asaleader.com and specialises in profiling the virtues and vices of exceptional leaders. To learn more about key challenges for CEOs, Boards and Executive Teams => http://www.asaleader.com
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