"Shift from My growth to Our Growth"
Removing silos from an organization is something that everyone has heard, said or done. Silos are vertical organizational constructs that decentralize an organization and disrupt success.
Silos are disruptive as they cultivate a mentality of distrust amongst peers. It handicaps cross-functional teaming, bilateral communication exchanges, and, thus, organization growth. If an organization wants to optimize its value, eliminating silos is a must.
I have encountered organizations that claim to have dismantled silos, but upon closer inspection, silos are still firmly entrenched within their organizational structure. This might happen because of a lack of genuine commitment to change. If all of the leadership, from the C-suite to the middle managers to the leads, are not dedicated to organizational growth, then those old habits that break down communication and cross-functional teaming will reappear.
A paradigm shift from My growth to Our growth must occur throughout every level of the organization. Leadership must understand that if one fails, everyone fails because organizational growth results from all its parts working together, not independently.
For example, Department X might be performing exceptionally well, while Department Y could be doing better. However, Department X must recognize the struggles of Department Y because, in the grand scheme of things, the company is affected by any department performing poorly. Department X needs to realize that supporting Department Y ultimately helps itself. Teamwork is a simple concept, yet it can be challenging to put into practice and maintain.
The reason it is so hard is because of human psychology. We are beings who seek pleasure. We seek pleasure from being gratified or feeling superior to our peers. I know this might be difficult to hear, but it's an unspoken truth that must be addressed openly.
However, we can use the same psychology of hedonism to create a growth organization by giving more attention to those who help others and less to those who help themselves. By doing this, we are normalizing cross-departmental support.
At Clarity Metrics, we utilize our proprietary framework, the "Shift, Promote, and Design Decision Framework." This approach emphasizes transforming organizational culture to embrace a growth mindset before making any changes to decision-making processes. We emphasize the significance of shifting from a "ME" mentality to a "WE" mentality, recognizing its favorable influence on an organization's growth and overall success.
