Silo is one of the most common terms in the business world, and it has been around for a very long time. But unlike other problems that have arisen in the business world, this one is still around.
Silo refers to the mindset in a business where one department or sector does not prefer to share information with another one in the company.
This not only makes a company less efficient, but it also drops down the morale of the company. To succeed in this highly competitive age, a business organization needs to have open communication and harmony among its departments and sectors. Let’s have a look at how you can break down silos in your business to become more efficient.
Everyone Should Understand Shared Vision & Goals
A company needs to make sure that its common vision and goals are all understood well by its employees. This will allow you to kill the silo mentality even before it is born.
When every team and individual knows what their roles are in the company and how they contribute to the bigger picture, they will be more likely to walk along with others. This also allows the employees to get an idea of how other individuals and teams contribute to the company.
Incorporate Design Systems
Incorporating design systems into your organization is an excellent way of eliminating silos. With design systems, you follow the same set of functional elements and patterns to show consistency within the brand. And not only does it help you create a consistent experience for your users, but it strengthens your brand as well.
Design Systems in UX provide the data to all the departments on what the company is trying to create. A recent article on Adobe XD Ideas tells us “design systems act as a single source of truth for an entire organization by using a singular design language to guide the development of products.”
This eliminates the possibility of silos because everyone is working to achieve one thing without any transparency.
Make Multifunctional Teams
While it may sound messy at first, but shaping team members into a multifunctional team can do wonders for your launch. The team will have at least one member involved in the process from all the departments.
So you will have a representative from marketing, engineering, product, sales, and customer support all working together for one specific goal. When they are working in this close together, it is highly unlikely that they will feel tempted to hold back any kind of information.
Strengthen their communication and even make a separate group chat app for them where they can communicate 24 hours.
Change Behaviors with Employee Training
If you feel like there are silos already in your organization, then you need to change the mindsets and behaviors of your employees by training them. Training for accountability, leadership, and communication can help them build qualities to fight silos.
You must also educate them on silos as learning more about its disadvantages will encourage them to work closely. Training also makes them understand that it is not just the organization that gets affected by silos, but it affects every individual.
