Silo Effect in Organisation

When one person running for a marathon it is only that one person hold his/her own free will of how fast to run. The person will, without saying it loud what he is aiming for and how he/she want to get there. When the race is a three legged race and starting to involve two people, one person can no longer operate only in his own mind but will need to exchange information, reciprocally sharing thoughts and physically coordinate with another person in order to win the race. 'Silo thinking even in this simple context can make a disaster to the team.In large organization insists of different sizes of teams which make up of many different departments. Each department play a vital role in the company contributing to the success or vies versa, blocking the company to move forward to the pace it should be.

In Scouts Bloch 2006, it metaphors an organization as a human body and clearly illustrate the importance of each component of a human body (representing different departments) that any parts is fracture will lead to dysfunction of the human body and how it works.The 'Silo virus' is according to the Scouts Bloch 2006 is the central disease that creates these cross-departmental malfunctioning. In other word, poor communications between departments greatly affect the overall productivity of a company. The impact of Silo thinking has for organization is considerably damaging.

The larger the organization, more subdivision are separate for the purpose of achieving its functional goals. Its own subcultures will commonly shape up. These subunits of organizations are more likely to develop their own subcultures because of their shared core technologies and their different learning experiences. ' (Scheme, 1993, pig 41) I would extend that the functional management style also conform part f this subculture. Scouts and Bloch 2006 reveal there are 7 typical role models that could dominate and adopt by the department group thinking. Subculture become problematic if there is no learning across cultural boundaries.

If inter-department is not talking or no common goal in consensus, inevitable conflict will occur. Taking my work experience in an International Express Courier Company for example. Two departments, operational & sales heads are sitting in a meeting room discussing issue raise by recent cases of customer complaint that need to be addressed. Sales head need some solution for meeting customers' needs of having a later pick up parcel time by the courier.

Sales head is not willing to share more than he needs to as fear that the operation team will 'pull their legs'.Operation on the other hand think that they have well achieved their KIP and speculating Sales over promising again and end up the operational team will have to pay the price. 'Talk continues different opinion across but in the end nothing came out from the meeting. The Sales down-line receive the unsolved outcome and feel the sense of 1) stress - to suspend back to the customers and possible further complaint or losing a customer and 2) denominated that the cross-department is not willing to help and further stereotype the operational people as the ego bunch.These two departments will go further in conflicts and misunderstanding.

From the company's perspective, this silo effect between departments is inefficiently wasting time, money and quality. This non-productive meeting, useless phone calls and pointless emails is wasting management tale Ana Jeopardize ten quality AT services Tanat ten company snouts De able to provide and ultimately hurt the company's image and bottom line. To a greater extent of the severity of the matter, business will gradually turn downwards as customers will turn away by the internal tug-of-war'.As mention earlier, the management or the leaders within the company play the most vital role if it is to change or alleviate this silo effect s that only could fractiousness departments in which they should be working together to achieve common goals.

How the leaders can do to achieve that? 'The most effective remedy against the silo-virus is a respectful look at the work and motives that prevail in other department. (Scouts Bloch 2006).It gives a clarity explanation that cross-department communication can be built and coordination can be gained through getting into each others' shoes and see it from each others' perspective. However, this learning process can be achievable if a dialogue can be established.

'Learning across cultural boundaries cannot be created or sustained without initial and periodic dialogue' (Scheme 1993,pig 51) The larger the organization will require a longer time to re-build trust and understanding across departments.Managers of the company should first agree on what they want to achieve and arrive at common goals. Organizational learning is not possible unless some learning first takes place in the executive subculture' (Scheme 1993 page) CEO needs to set each department a very clear big picture of the company strategic goals are and divide each function a realistic target to achieve in order to meet that goal. Managements realizing in order to keep their seats warm and comfy, they cannot achieve it solely on their silo shell but need collaboration with other relevant departments.It is very likely there are lesser complaints for down the line about implementing it.

For example, Sales department is given an annual Roth of 10% business plan to achieve. It needs to outgrow the economic forecast of 7%. In the competitive market currently under, the sales department know that they need Marketing to set competitive prices and promotion to help stimulate the business revenue and also the need from Operation to maintain the service level in order to maintain customer retention.Operation department need to realize it is crucial of helping to maintain the customer's satisfaction hence loyalty as the number of courier headcount and vehicles are closely associate with the business forecast/ Lana. Fail to meet it will eventually losing their headcounts and increase operational burden.

Now the synergy effect is created. "In a dialogue....

....

.. Everybody gains. It's a situation called win-win, in which we are not playing a game against each other but with each other. In a dialogue, everybody wins" (Boom 2004, p.

7).This mentality of win-win should be highly promoted from the management to their peer groups. As stated previously, cross department/cultural issues will require more lengthy and elaborate periods of dialogue (Scheme 1993 page), thus the leaders of the organization should give more opportunity for cross-departmental group dialogue that not only can open up one's mind and closing the gap of corruption mentality but also allow these groups to make changes, good constructive changes that improve the overall productivity of each department.Thus, cross-departments committee is often a good practical way for problem-solving. One more point to note for organization to promotion dialogue is that dialogue is a way for groups to work with integrity. (Ginsberg, Goodly, They're 2009) In an organization it is particular together rather than 'having thoughts individually (Boom, 1996).

A conscious ability to values others thoughts and actions who are differ to each other. The more employees embedded such integrity the better the work environment it becomes.One of the example of a effective dialogue leads to a good outcome that is that in the department of Marketing which I am responsible in had conducted a large scale customer survey, a survey that gathered the customers satisfaction towards our service level. We have done this survey on a yearly basis.

Each year Marketing will present to other department heads of our findings and what to improve on. Each apartment heads will involve in the discussion and left with acknowledgement. Frankly, will other department heads will bring this information to their down to line for discussion? Err unlikely. I then started to ask my subordinates, to conduct a briefing session to all team leaders and peer group heads within the company sharing with them on the survey findings. From operation, customer service, sales team and finance department, completion in one month time. My subordinates clearly indicate how related these findings are to each of our yearly bonus (common language and mindset).

E, the customer satisfaction index is influential factors for customer retention thus affecting the overall business increase.The feedback was surprisingly constructive and each cross department team has forward some initiatives to improve the service level related to their field. 'All problem-solving groups should begin in a dialogue format to facilitate the building of sufficient common ground and mutual trust, and to make it possible to tell what is really on one's mind' (Scheme 1993, p. 42) From many research Dialogue is one essential technology and skills for a groups to understand each other perspective, bridge the AP in order to reach a common ground for problem solving.

I found that apart from an effective dialogue, a leader should encourage and arrange their subordinates having cross departmental visits can also have a good understanding on others working in different shoes. Egg. Putting the courier uniform on and Join them on the road for a day seeing how the frontline works or attending customer visits with sales to see how they interact with customers could fasten the pace of understanding on how others work. Of course this arrangement should be done under minimum interruption to their routine tasks.

It is suggested to the leaders of the organization to fully recognize the importance of allowing the cross-departments to make the changes or carry through commitment. It could be ideas to improve interdepartmental relationships, initiatives that could improve the company bottom line or simply the changing of behavior from silo thinking to a group learning environment. It's requiring each individual or team to develop discipline and practices on a regular bases, on both thinking and action.In other words, the changes are not an outcome from dialogue but a process resulting in effective dialogue.

It is often reach this critical stage that the managers fail to 'really want to make such changes. People will realize their effort wasted and return to their normal habits of silo acts. 'Leaders must learn to sustain a stance of unwavering support and appreciation, so that the voice of the organization might actually emerge. (lilacs 1993, pig 355) Everyone within an organization is a valuable asset which contributes towards the success of the company.Effective cross -departments communication promotes snared unreasonable, learning Ana collective problem solving.

It enhances functional best to reach good results. Poor cross-functional communication across business units encourages silo acts which denominate collaboration. It put stress to staffs not able to get sufficient information and data for problem solving which led to low in moral, decrease in productivity, eventually customers will turn away and affecting the overall business as it fail to respond to the customers or the market efficiently.Managers should first understand the advantages of coordinate in a common goal. The leaders in the organization should creating dialogue and promoting communication among their staffs could turn the situation of conflicts, countermanding and in the box thinking to openness, trust, new ideas and good changes.

People would realize that through dialogue, everyone wins in their workplace.It is vital for the leaders not only to promote it but to support it as this mindset and behaviors changes needs continue encouragement and positive feedback to maintain it. It changes the overall company into a healthy culture and sustain these positive energy within the organization good enough to compete in the ever -changing world.