Key ways to eradicate siloed operations for good
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Stephen Mamelok, Managing Director Unifii; Myles Molloy, Director, Unifii
Siloed working occurs when teams and departments aren’t communicating effectively. We’ve seen these disconnections in the private, public and even the charitable sectors: silos can be found among all services and specialisms, including finance, HR, IT, customer service, marketing and sales.
Silos create obstacles in how your data moves through your enterprise. They can reinforce an “us vs them” culture that is damaging to businesses and can impact morale, ultimately breeding division. Working in this way limits leaders strategically and reduces transparency, which is why removing silos should be a key priority.
But how do you spot a silo? This checklist will help you identify them.
- Do you communicate clearly with those you work with and who work for you?
- Do internal workflow processes work seamlessly?
- Does your work arrive when expected, without the need to chase others?
- Is there good reporting on progress, projects and milestones?
- Do you have a complete picture of organisational performance?
If the answer to any – or all – of these is no, then you’re likely to be working in a silo.
Before you can eradicate them, you need to have an idea of what an effective organisation is based on. Sketch out a vision of what a healthy and harmonious organisation looks like, and where you might currently be going wrong.
Here are three ways to succeed in eradicating siloed operations.
1. Create an “us and us” culture
From the boardroom to the backroom, everyone must embrace and embody your strategy. Without a defined roadmap, teams and departments are free to plot their courses and can veer off in different directions, with potentially disastrous results.
Siloed working can create an “us vs them” culture. To fix this, you need to identify innovators and encourage communication. Instead of assuming they have the answers, leaders need to encourage their employees to have their say, working collaboratively to define business objectives and develop a shared strategy. Such an approach ensures all staff feel involved and empowered on the journey, and more likely to remain with you for longer too. Collaboration establishes expectations and increases accountability – this means more organisational buy-in. Business change may be led from the top, but it’s delivered by those at all levels.
“If people don’t know change is coming then people are never going to be buying into it. So let’s tell people early, tell them often, get them excited about the fact that the business is going through change, that people are investing in the business.”
2. Develop cross-departmental processes that power collaboration
According to the most recent Institute of Internal Communications survey, 51 per cent of communicators believe that communication with employees has become worse during the pandemic. Separate processes, systems and reporting can create a damaging data disconnect that leaves leaders without the complete picture.
The answer? Introducing cross-departmental processes. In a functional business, all departments must work together. Information needs to flow seamlessly, with individuals and teams having all the data at their disposal to do their jobs effectively.
Identify cross-departmental processes and map out the typical tasks, detailing interactions and information flows. This will help you develop vital insights into the inputs and outputs of each process, the individuals involved, informational flows and interdependencies. Behind every process should be a related performance. By creating a clear set of operational activities designed for current ways of working, you can develop targeted KPIs and reportable metrics. Cross-departmental processes reduces strategic disconnect, which boosts business productivity and morale. It provides the direction and drive enterprises need to break free from silos.
3. Build on the benefits with an enterprise workflow platform
Siloed operations can prevent transparency and reduce or even remove visibility across the enterprise for performance reporting, target setting and trend analysis. A lack of an overarching strategy can lead to a reactive approach to business management that means you’re always dealing with disasters.
How can this be eradicated? By introducing an enterprise workflow platform. An enterprise workflow platform is a single system that unifies an organisation. Everyone has access, and everyone experiences the benefits. Enterprise workflow platforms automate and improve business processes. Through a single point of access, all teams and departments get a complete view of each workflow, as well as understanding upcoming milestones and being able to track low-level details if necessary. By replacing multiple management processes with a single system, you reduce the number of integration points and technical complexity.
“Service management is a crucial part of every organisation. It runs their processes, it runs their people and it helps companies glue together.”
Strategically deployed workflow platforms are simpler to use, cheaper to maintain and much more effective for running your organisation. A centralised workflow platform increases trust and improves transparency: it’s central to enhancing communication and powering collaboration that’s critical to eliminating siloed working.
Break free from silos and build a better business
Successful businesses make tackling silos a strategic priority. Using new technology aligned to tried and tested strategies, leaders can create systems and processes and establish priorities that improve collaboration and integration. The inefficient transfer of information between teams and departments is one of the most unmistakable signs you’re struggling with silos. But there are other tell-tale signs, including inter-departmental battles and empire building. Breaking down silos sounds simple, but you’re doing more than changing processes; you’re changing people. To truly succeed, you need to create a hunger for change and instil a culture that can achieve it.
Strategic clarity is vital during times of rapid change and upheaval. Those businesses that have a strong strategy and supportive organisational culture are better able to deal with the challenges they face. Organisational silos aren’t inevitable, and they’re not irreversible. Using these three tried and tested methods, you can improve data flow, transform processes and engage your staff.
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Originally published on Business Reporter