Breaking Down Silos to Harness the Power of Collaboration

Breaking Down Silos to Harness the Power of Collaboration

The silo mentality has been present in organizations for generations and is not a new concept. As the term “silo” may imply in a business context, it is when either departments, teams or employees themselves work independently from colleagues. It can further be associated with the “unwillingness to share information or knowledge,” as Investopedia reported in its article “Silo Mentality: Definition in Business, Causes, and Solutions.” Companies that have managed to break down the silos and harness the power of collaboration have an observable advantage that impacts all corners of the organization.

There are positive examples of collaboration throughout AON, within teams, cross-functionally and even externally, that inspire teamwork and partnership. For example, AON’s Leader Program, the company’s leadership training course, equips managers with resources and techniques that promote collaboration along with educating on AON’s story, vision and other leadership essential skills. Another example is the transition team’s collaborative model used when onboarding new practices to the network. The three-step process exemplifies a transition journey that brings together multiple teams at opportune moments in the strategy to ensure a seamless and efficient joining. Additionally, employees' use of Microsoft Teams to share files and communicate ensures all key stakeholders are informed on the status of projects and recent updates. It is these initiatives that have become engrained into not only the culture but also the everyday processes that allow for the fostering of collaboration and teamwork.

Understanding the Disadvantages of Silos

The disadvantages of silos are vast and carry with them varying degrees of impact, both short- and long-term consequences, and can further affect those served such as patients, partners and other key stakeholders. Silos can lead to an increase in missed collaborative opportunities and further miscommunication, duplication of tasks, delays and the increased use of inaccurate or outdated information. The ability to remove silos that have already formed or are being created can be complex, but the process can pave the way for positioning the company favorably for increased engagement, improved workflows and processes, and increased innovation that fuels the company’s growth among other benefits. To start, it is critical to first understand what leads to silo formation and then methods to identify potential silos.

A common behavior that sets the groundwork for silos is simply exercising a silo mentality. In the article “Organizational silos: 4 common issues and how to prevent them,” which was published on Asana, silo mentality only needs to be exhibited by at least one individual, and it can directly impact colleagues who may, in return, reflect similar behavior. Another indicator of silos included in the article is the lack of shared processes. These are often replaced with individualized processes and tools that do not transcend department and team boundaries.

The AON transition team’s collaborative three-step process brings together multiple teams at opportune moments in the strategy to ensure a seamless and efficient joining.

Stage 1: Building Trust & Gathering Intel

Stage 2: Putting the Pieces in Place

Stage 3: Go Live & Beyond

Stopping Silos in Their Tracks

While silo mentality is not inherently bad in all situations, most often it causes disruption. After silos have been identified, it is time to implement initiatives that can break down the silos to improve collaboration, and there are various ways to do so. According to the article “Silo Mentality,” a feature by the Corporate Finance Institute, companies can overcome silos through various approaches:

• Create and communicate a unified vision. Leadership should develop and then agree on the goals for the company, department or team. The next step is to share the goals throughout the organization, making it easy for departments, teams and employees to tie their own goals to the other goals.

• Implement goals and then measure them. Communicating goals is the first step to challenging the silo mentality. It is important to continue measuring these goals throughout the year and transparently providing results so that departments and teams can respond accordingly.

• Establish a collaborative culture and create together. Teams thrive when they are diverse because they bring together employees with different expertise and experiences. By establishing a collaborative culture, silos struggle to form.

Other methods to consider include increasing communications within the team and with other departments and discussing expectations of sharing information and details, implementing a company- or team-wide software that allows for transparency and easy collaboration, and hosting events — even remote activities — that allow employees to get to know colleagues. For departments, teams and employees who work in virtual environments, there are additional tactics to try, according to the Forbes article “Employees Siloed Working From Home? Here Are 4 Ways To Bring Them Back Together.” Firstly, consider opportunities throughout the week to get together for “breakroom-style” conversations to get familiar with each other and inspire camaraderie. Secondly, take time to develop processes and practices that promote transparency. Lastly, encourage frequent employee recognition and provide consistent feedback.

Long-Term Planning To Create a Culture of Collaboration

Maintaining a silo-free environment doesn’t have to be as complicated as one may initially believe. The goal is to ensure silos are not able to form, and if they do, there are steps in place to easily tackle them and move toward creating a collaborative culture. Zapier published an article “5 Ways to Break Down Organizational Silos” that explores techniques to keep silos at bay:

• Continue to take the time to help employees throughout the company understand the unified vision and goals.

• Look for ways to strengthen cross-functional training opportunities that allow employees to learn about roles and the tasks involved, which can inspire insights, better communication and improved teamwork.

• Create multi-functional teams for high-stakes projects that include key members from departments and teams involved, such as how AON’s transition team involves individuals from across the network.

• Consider drawing on the IKEA effect. This guiding principle states that people are more involved and invested in processes and tasks that they are a part of from the beginning stages; in other words, they value these activities more because they have extended effort in developing them.

Companies can establish a collaborative culture by taking the time to encourage departments and teams to identify silos and implement techniques designed to break them down. Success is a collective journey, and the ability of teams to form partnerships together is the foundation for achieving goals. 