The average team wastes more than 20 hours per month due to poor collaboration and communication. That’s 6 workweeks per year that teams are not being productive.
(Source: Planview)
So this clearly showcases that internal divisions between departments can be damaging in terms of productivity, collaboration and communication.
With the right approach, however, these silos can be broken down, allowing for better collaboration, communication and ultimately, a more productive workplace.
In this article, you’ll learn how to break down departmental silos in your company, and tap into the full potential of your organization.
Here are the top ways you can break down communication silos in your company:
Communicate the company vision, not the department vision
Breaking down silo mentality requires a unified vision, and that starts with the leadership team.
This shared vision helps to create a sense of trust, empowerment and collaboration between teams, replacing the “my department” attitude with an “our organization” mentality.
To effectively do this, it’s important to provide clear, succinct and engaging messages and to ensure that each department understands the importance of their contribution to the overall mission.
- Start by defining the core values and purpose of the organization.
- Make sure that they’re communicated to everyone in the company, from the highest level executives to the newest hires. This will help to ensure that everyone understands the company’s goals and objectives and how they can contribute.
- Provide regular updates on the progress of the company and the goals that have been achieved. This could be done through a company newsletter, regular meetings, or even through one-on-one conversations between managers and employees.
- Give employees the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas. This will create an open and collaborative atmosphere and help ensure that everyone feels involved and engaged with the company’s vision.
Host collaboration events and activities
You can foster collaboration across departments by hosting cross-departmental training programs and events.
Such programs can involve the entire organization or focus on specific groups. Through team-building exercises, participants will be able to become better acquainted with one another, both in person and professionally.
A popular practice involves hosting a hackaton.
A hackathon is an event in which large groups of people come together to solve a problem, usually in a limited time frame of 24-48 hours.
The goal of a hackathon is to create innovative solutions to a problem while also fostering collaboration among people from different departments and backgrounds.
During the event, participants typically work in teams to:
- Brainstorm and prototype their ideas
- Test their assumptions
- Develop a working solution
Hackathons have become popular in the business world because they can help to break down barriers between departments, increase understanding of different departments’ goals, and encourage collaboration between staff with diverse skillsets.
Leverage collaboration tools
By giving employees access to quality collaboration tools such as CRM software, they can share information more efficiently and effectively.
One crucial thing to keep in mind is that a CRM won’t magically fix communication silos.
💡Collaboration has to be embedded in the company’s DNA! A CRM solution only makes it easier to communicate, but it doesn’t foster the culture.
PS. If you implemented Salesforce and you aren’t satisfied with it, make the most of your investment by contacting us today to speak with an industry expert. In other words, we’ll fix your Salesforce 🛠️
Lead by example
As a leader, you should overcommunicate until it becomes part of the culture.
Overcommunication helps to build strong relationships between colleagues and can help to build a strong company culture.
This can help to foster a sense of community, trust, and respect between team members, and can help to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals and that any potential obstacles are identified early on.
Purposely work on projects that require cross-departmental collaboration
Let’s dive into an example:
If your organization is looking to launch a website, why not bring together members from the marketing and IT departments to form a project team?
The IT team can handle website development, whilst the marketing experts and graphic designers focus on creating the necessary content.
💡This type of collaboration will help them deepen the understanding of each other’s workflows – a bonus for future projects!
To wrap-up
In conclusion, breaking down departmental silos in your company is essential for improving collaboration, communication and productivity.
To do this, it is important to:
- Communicate a unified company vision.
- Provide regular updates.
- Give employees the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.
- Host collaboration events and activities.
- Leverage collaboration tools.
- Lead by example.
- Purposely work on projects that require cross-departmental collaboration.