To Remove Organizational Barriers, Start Here

This is part two of a four-part series on Organizational Barriers. You can find part one here. Look for part three, “Designing Future-Proof Organizations” and part four, “In Practice, Removing Real-World Barriers” soon.

In part one of this series on organizational barriers, we discussed what siloed organizations feel like and how fractures form: seeded through poor personal behavior, incubated in our relationships, and reinforced in the design of how to work together. We also learned about how organizations might traditionally attempt to remove their barriers – mostly by implementing organizational design changes and restructuring (but end up just designing around their brokenness).

Knowing how stubborn silos can be and how rarely they are actually removed, we will need to tackle them with fresh perspectives. Serious aspirations about removing silos will require an approach that is:

Holistic. Instead of starting where our instincts normally tell us to start (on system design, replacing leaders, or structure changes), perhaps we should do the opposite and address the underlying reasons our systems, frameworks, and methodologies aren’t helping. Perhaps we should finally look at how our hierarchies are enabling and strengthening our silos and why our people are unable to recognize and remove their own silos.

Personal. Instead of focusing on the “mechanics” of change (i.e. the right framework, structure, methodology, or approach) perhaps we should provide fuel and energy attempting to bring the change to life. Perhaps we can replace our long list of “things to do” with a list of people who need strength and encouragement. The removal of long-lasting or deep-rooted silos will take a substantial amount of energy and this energy will be spent by the people in the organization – they must be healthy and strong for the journey.

Sustainable. Instead of attempting quick fixes and patchwork solutions to keep our silos tolerable perhaps we should build up a fleet of silo sensors and resistors. Knowing the amount of energy and “pain” involved in removing silos, we damn well better not have to do it again – and our sensors will warn us of the first sign of their return and our resistors will hold us accountable to make sure the silos don’t return.

To accomplish what feels like a daunting task, it’s time to walk through a mental model illustrating a potential way to begin thinking about how to knit an organization back together. It looks like this:

We will cover the details of this model in two articles: this one will focus on where to start the silo removal (1, 2, and 3 in our diagram above) and part three will cover how to design an environment of coaching and sustainability (4, 5, and 6 in the diagram) to keep silos away in perpetuity. Let’s get started!

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Guide people through a personal change journey. (1)

As mentioned in part one, consistently accepted poor personal behaviors are the most likely place to start looking for the root source of silo formation. Attempting to re-design or re-structure your silos without addressing these behaviors will continue the cycle of “designing around the brokenness.”

Why is this?

For some people in your organization, they need a chance to heal. Some need to start over. Some need to be forgiven. Some need to forgive. Some need a reboot with a fresh personal operating system. Some need to unwind what they’ve always been told about management. Some need to fight initial instincts. Some don’t want to change. Some don’t know how to change. Some need to be equipped with the humility and sensitivity necessary to lead others through change. Some will resist change. Some will embrace it.

So the road to silo removal always starts with giving the people in your organization the opportunity for a fresh start. Because of the wide-ranging condition and needs of the people in the organization, to do this we will need to meet them where they are and guide them on a personal change journey.

Just what is meant by a change journey? Let’s start with what it is not…sending people to training classes and hoping change occurs. It’s also not found in completing a 360-degree assessment or taking a personal profile assessment and leaving the behavior change to chance.

This journey feels more like a guided “trek through the wilderness” – an immersive experience “breaking each of us down” just a bit so there is room for new growth to emerge. This journey also provides the space for a clear personal purpose to be confirmed, discovered, or re-discovered – am I doing what I’m was designed to do.

While every organization, training group, or coach will design personal change journeys differently, the characteristics of a silo-resisting personal change journey should include exercises to:

• Go below the waterline. We are shaped by our past experiences and we are all works in progress in some way or another. Meaningful and noticeable change only happens when we diagnose the root cause of why we act (or lead) the way we do. This initial leap off of the diving board is the courageous first step on the journey of discovery and awareness. See endnote (1).
• Bring up what needs to be brought up. Diving into the depths of our past experiences and probing our current experiences will uncover the deep-rooted reasons why we treat others the way we do and why we relate to people the way we do. While this is certainly uncomfortable (it is for me), when handled with care what is brought to the surface becomes a cherished treasure. This diving into the deep will provide the information we need to decide what to do next – which is to get to work.
• Do the work of change. The hard, challenging, sometimes painful, often heart-wrenching work of habit change. This isn’t just talking about changing or even making a commitment to change – this is actual, visible, noticeable change. We are not waiting for people to “buy-in” to a change. Change. Is. Happening.
• Continue diving. This isn’t a one-time expedition. The people in your organization continue exploring the depths, bringing up treasure, and doing the work. People quickly discover this journey really is a life-long journey.

How will you know personal change journeys are working?

One of the side-effects of going through a personal journey “through the wilderness” is an increase in awareness and empathy. Initially, when you go below the waterline, you will think you are alone down there. But as you look around, you will discover others with the same struggles, the same pains, or similar experiences.

From my experience, deep organizational change comes when the people of the organization develop a collective awareness of the system they are working in and the discomfort being inflicted on each other in this system. When we can feel the pain our siloed actions are causing and respond with a touch of humility, we will finally know there is a chance for silo-busting to take hold.

So we will know a personal change journey is working when people become aware of the system they are working in and there is an increase in empathy for those in the system. For me, this is the first “mindset” change we should focus on for the people in the organization – awareness and empathy.

For large organizations with thousands of people, it may seem impossible for everyone to be engaged in a personal change journey but I will cover ideas to get this started in practice during part 4 of this series.

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Teach people what it’s like to be in fellowship. (2)

As people embark on their personal change journeys something magical begins to happen. The organization begins to sound different. That’s right…you can hear it. It’s the sound of facades, masks, egos, and fake smiles crashing to the ground. It’s the sound of a collective exhale as the weight of impressing, climbing, and striving is replaced with vulnerability, openness, laughter, and the hum of joyful productivity.

What you are hearing is the sound of fellowship.

This is the minimum level of connection necessary for people in a network to thrive…to be in fellowship. Fellowship is defined as a “friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests.” While our teams and communities will hopefully reach a deeper level of connections being in fellowship is the baseline.

The article “The Nature of the Network,” discussed how the strength of a network of people is defined by how fast they can connect, disconnect, and reconnect. Essentially, this means how well and how quickly can people create an environment of fellowship leading to joyful productivity.

We often believe we can create an environment of fellowship through coaching new ways of working or through team-building experiences without focusing first on the health and condition of the humans on the team. But I have come to believe achieving fellowship and personal change journeys go hand in hand. Allow me to walk through why this is so important.

Imagine two people in your organization. Imagine these two people in complete fellowship with each other. When these two people interact with each other there is a buzz of energy about them – there is a hum of joyful productivity. Sometimes you’ll catch them finishing each other’s sentences. There is nothing keeping them from what I call “maximum productive flow.” This is an ideal state for all relationships in your network.

But as you can imagine this is a rare find. Person A and person B in our diagram are indeed quite human and will bring things into their working relationship restricting the amount of fellowship possible. We all introduce our own set of habits and behaviors molded from our past experiences into every interaction we have so they are not alone in this.

Now let’s say person A has gone “below the surface” and has become aware of some areas in their life they would like to address. Person A is excited about the possibilities and starts to do the work of change through a personal change journey. Noticeable change begins to emerge in their language, behavior, and habits.

Person B, however, has not made the same decision to embark on a change journey and instead continues to treat Person A much the same way they always have. Those behaviors, even if not truly growing, will feel like they are expanding into space where fellowship could be flourishing. The poor behavior and habits of Person B often minimized and excused away in the past, will become magnified and overwhelm the good things Person A is accomplishing in their life.

When this unbalance occurs in any working relationship, when one person is working at personal change while others are not, the characteristics of silo creation will emerge – isolation leading to indifference and indifference leading estrangement. Person A will begin to distance themselves from Person B and will eventually leave the situation.

This tension is magnified even more when person B is person A’s one-level up manager. Person A is now torn between two worlds. How do I keep my boss happy (and keep my job) while still doing the hard work of change? Not an easy task. (We’ll get into hierarchies and their contribution to silo creation in part 3 of this series).

Now imagine these same two people enter the arena of personal change. They begin to open up about what they have discovered below the surface. They share the habits they are starting to work on and ask each other for help when they stumble.

They decide to draw a line in the sand and state, “From this day on, we will create the space for fellowship to grow.” I can tell you from experience that when this begins to permeate your team, you will be surprised at how fast the vibe of the team improves. The sound of fellowship!

I recognize this may require an increase in bravery from person A to take the first step if the relationship with person B is especially bad. It’s a step worth taking. (see endnote 2)

To bring fellowship to life, to be as close to “maximum productive flow” as possible, will require practice and discipline. Vulnerability and openness is not the natural condition for most of us – especially me. If you want to weed out your silos this must become a natural part of everyday working life. If you are a coach, this is your mandate.

Not sure what habits to start with? Here are a few to get you going:

• Connecting as humans. Develop the habit of learning about each other, of acknowledging each other, and accepting each other. We may need to teach people how to connect with each other in ways that might seem strange or perhaps a little awkward in the workplace. It’s actually ok to be human.
• Incubate transparency. Develop the habit of openness. Start small. People should become comfortable with speaking up but more importantly with hearing each other speak. And not just with work things but with their life outside of work. Over time, you will begin to hear things like, “I’m struggling with this and I could use some help.” It took me a long time to believe this but vulnerability is strength.
• Modeling grace and sacrifice. Develop the habit of forgiveness and being responsible for each other. Nothing will begin to knit a team together faster. Grace will allow groups of people to strengthen when mistakes are made or conflicts emerge and sacrifice means if one of us is struggling we drop whatever we are doing to run to their aid.

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Embed accountability. (3)

If fellowship is the minimum level of connection needed then the minimum level of accountability needed is to be able to sense the moment we are out of fellowship and do something about it.

That’s it.

Put simply, accountability requires those who observe or sense when a relationship is becoming fractured and to take action immediately. It looks a little like this:

If a group of people cannot be in fellowship, it should be disbanded and reformed – that’s how serious this is. That’s why accountability is so important. If the network of people in your team, group, or organization is not looking out for your relationships, no one else will.

How can accountability be embedded into teams? Here are a couple of thoughts:

• Create anchors for the group to hold on to. Be explicit with the actions and behaviors expected in a silo-free environment. This can be captured as team norms or agreements but everyone should contribute to creating them.
• Jumpstart with coaching. If living out your anchors is a challenge you may need some external help through a coach. Sometimes all you need is a neutral third party to hold up a mirror to the group to address the gaps between the anchors and reality. Identify people in each team who can play the role of coach when the external coach is not there.
• Teach people how to have tough conversations. You’ll know you are ready to break down your walls when ANYONE in the organization is addressing any relationship fractures regardless of position, level, or title. Not sure how to start these conversations? Here is an approach to consider.

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You may have noticed the solid black line in the middle of the diagram above.

This represents the ideal situation of creating an environment of growth and openness through personal change journeys, knitting ourselves together in fellowship, and holding each other accountable BEFORE designing (or re-designing) an organization free from silos. We don’t always have this opportunity but I would recommend it if you can. At the very least, do personal change journeys, fellowship connecting, and accountability-embedding concurrently with any design activities. More to come in part 4 of the series.

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So that’s it, if you want to remove your silos, start here. Everyone starts working on themselves, everyone focuses on being in fellowship with each other, and everyone is holding each other accountable.

Now on to the fun and excitement of creating your silo-free system as we jump to part 3 in this series. We’ll cover how to design a silo-free organization, coach that organization into existence, and how we can keep them from ever coming back.

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Endnotes:
(1) An example of a “below the surface” experience is The Iceberg Exercise. Here is a link if you would like to try it. iceberg model – Ecochallenge.org
(2) It might be challenging to introduce this type of experience into your organization, department, or team – especially with those in leadership positions. People must be in place to catalyze these conversations if internal bravery has not yet been developed. Use the techniques of “On Having The Tough Conversations” if there needs to be a place to start.