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Knowing More About Working in Silos

Knowing More About Working in Silos

Working in silos. You have probably heard the phrase being used, but you might not be aware of what it really means. Indeed, you may know that this is not a good thing, and you are cautious about it creeping into your organization. Indeed, this is something that can happen if you are not careful and you are not constantly reviewing your teams and how they operate together.

The key to preventing silos is to be aware of this issue and what you can do to prevent them. So, let’s take a closer look at what working in silos is and how you are able to prevent them at your company.

What is Working in Silos?

First of all, you might be confused about what working in silos really means. Essentially, this is when you have a team of professionals. They might all have great experience and a range of skills. But, they end up working independently and on their own for tasks. They do not communicate with other members of the team, and this can lead to a lack of coordination, team-working and efficiency. Overall, the end result can be duplicate work, unsatisfied customers and a waste of knowledge.

Generally, it is agreed that working in silos is not good for your company. There is a range of reasons why this might start happening at your organization. For example, it can result from not integrating new departments or teams, conflicts in leadership and even from the environment everyone is working in.

How Can You Prevent Silos from Forming? 

One of the best ways to prevent your teams from working in silos is to stop them from forming in the first place. There are a few ways you can do this, so let’s take a closer look.

Invest in a Collaborative Working Platform

One way you can prevent silos in the workplace is to have a collaborative platform. As an example, check out https://www.clearpeople.com/ and the digital workplace they have available. This can be a way for teams to access the same information, add knowledge for each other and keep everyone up-to-date with what they are working on.

Teams want to be kept in the loop. But, this is something that can be difficult to do if they are working on different floors or not even in the same building. But, a collaborative platform provides one space everyone can share and work together on.

Encourage Teams to Communicate

As the boss, you need to make sure that you actively encourage communication in your organization. You want teams to know they are able to contact others, and they do not just need to stick to their own department.

So, you want to ensure that the borders of communication are open. Make it clear that employees should discuss projects and that support is available from one department to another. This encouragement can be just what is necessary to ensure that everyone is helping each other.

Change the Working Environment

Something else to think about is the physical environment you have for your teams. Do they have their own offices where they are away from other departments? Are they physically closed off from others?  This is something that you should think about if you want to encourage collaborative working and for teams to seek help and information from others in the office.

For example, many organizations find it helpful to change the working environment in order to improve things. For example, open offices where everyone is together can be useful. You can see everyone, and it can feel more approachable. A simple change like this could be enough to encourage everyone to work together and be part of the same team.

Hold Regular Meetings

Another way you can overcome silos and make sure teams are getting to know each other is by holding regular meetings. This should be with everyone at the company so everyone can be together. This treats everyone as one big team and you can show that you are all in this together. 

In addition, regular meetings keep everyone in the loop with what is going on. You can discuss what one department is doing and fill everyone else in. This can go a long way in making sure everyone feels included at the company.

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