Ending Silos & "Us vs Them" Teams
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How (and why) to build connection between functions and departments inside organizations.
Taking a look this week into a topic that often gets overlooked but is massively important: ensuring people inside your organization understand — and have connection to — the roles and functions of other departments.
This simple yet impactful idea can make a world of difference in improving overall team culture as well as reducing strife, chaos, and dysfunction.
The “Us vs Them” poison.
Too often, departments within companies fall into the trap of ‘tribalism’ or thinking, We’re the ones that make this place work, and everyone else is just wasting time.
If left unchecked, this kind of thinking breeds division and creates a toxic “us versus them” mindset. However, to the benefit of company and everyone in it, by fostering understanding and collaboration between all functions of the organization, you can build more cohesive, high-functioning teams.
Building bridges across departments.
Here are a couple of practical ways to encourage interdepartmental understanding and connection.
1. Job Shadowing
One of the simplest and most effective ways to build understanding is through job shadowing. Take an employee out of their regular role for a few hours/half day to spend time with someone in another department. By observing the “day in the life” of a colleague, employees gain insight into:
The specific tasks and responsibilities of other roles.
How their work impacts other departments and vice versa.
The challenges and priorities faced by other teams.
Beyond understanding, job shadowing helps foster friendships and builds a network of understanding and connections inside the entire company.
*A bonus tip: Incorporate this practice into your onboarding process. New hires should spend time with people across the organization, not just their immediate team. This creates a stronger foundation of understanding and interdepartmental relationships right from the start and sets them up for success.
2. Department Show-and-Tell.
For a more lighthearted approach, consider hosting a company-wide event where each department presents what they do. You could use a fun format or slide template that everyone builds off, like the popular meme structure:
What my job is.
What the public thinks I do.
What my coworkers think I do.
What my parents think I do.
What I actually do.
This adds some playfulness to the mix, allows teams to debunk misconceptions, highlight their contributions, and have a little fun in the process. HR, for instance, could share that people perceive their work as “firing people” but in actuality the reality of managing compliance, loads of paperwork, and having to remind people 100 times to sign up for insurance during open enrollment.
There are plenty of opportunities with every department to debunk some myths and bring some levity with it.
Connection & understanding matters.
When employees understand the roles and responsibilities of other departments, several powerful things happen:
Improved Morale: Mutual respect and appreciation grow, creating a more positive work environment.
Enhanced Collaboration: Teams work together more effectively when they understand how their work intersects.
Stronger Culture: A connected workforce is a resilient one, ready to tackle challenges together.
Take these ideas and run with them. Whether you implement job shadowing, a department show-and-tell, or some other way to build bridges and connection, the benefits will ripple across your organization.
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop