Human beings are wired to assort based on similarities, seeking those who are like themselves. This inclination translates into siloed behavior in workplaces, where people tend to gravitate towards those who share the same job roles or ways of working. By setting up mission-based teams, organizations can leverage this innate desire to assort by channeling it towards a common purpose. Mission-based teams essentially function as a more constructive form of silos, uniting individuals around a shared goal or value creation instead of personal preferences. This approach harnesses the natural tendency to assort and directs it towards achieving the most important work of the business, fostering collaboration across functions and enhancing team cohesion.
Ask anyone about organizational silos and they’re bound to tell you they’re bad. When we run Tension and Practice exercises with clients, “We work in silos” often shows up as Tension No. 1 holding a team back. Yet like a moth to a flame, we keep gravitating toward them, building walls that are higher and more insurmountable than ever before. What gives?
In this episode of At Work with The Ready, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin dive into the bottomless ball pit that is organizational silos, exploring why we think they’ll solve all our problems, how they’re actually sabotaging organizations from being effective, and why trying to build bridges between them (rather than designing something new from the ground up) is one of the worst things we can do.
Mentioned references:
We’re on LinkedIn! Follow Rodney, Sam and The Ready for more org design nerdery and join the conversation around episodes after they air.
Looking for some help with your own transformation? Visit theready.com
Want future of work insights and experiments you can try delivered to your inbox twice a month? Sign up for our newsletter.
We want to hear from you. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@theready.com.
Read the book that started it all at bravenewwork.com.