Creating a Culture of Coordination and Collaboration: An Extrovert’s Guide to Slaying Silos

?In early December, I saw a headline (“When Leaders Struggle with Collaboration”) in the Harvard Business Review about the difficulties some leaders face when it comes to collaborating.

The article struck a chord for sure.

If you are like me, CliftonStrengths and other assessments paint the picture of a person who relishes relationships, loves to influence activities, and thrives under an intense spotlight. Nothing makes us happier than connecting the dots and creating a magical, integrated plan of action, free from the institutional silos that fuel disjointed internal communication and poor partner relations.

In truth, we are not wrong about the harmful effect of silos. That same HBR article referenced a study where 67 percent of participants cited silos as the top reason for collaboration failure. As influencers, our instinct is to publicly slay said silos. We independently develop a meeting style that strives for the kind of cohesion we know is possible. Taking on this task will make us heroes, we say to ourselves.

Bless our extroverted, influencing hearts.

In reading the HBR piece and reflecting on past experiences, I offer a more inclusive way to slay the silos and thus create a culture of coordination and collaboration.

For context, this approach probably best applies to folks who hold senior-level roles that require cross-organizational interaction and have the institutional power to convene meetings. In terms of defining the objective, coordination means everyone is operating on the same page, while collaboration reflects the inclusive, curious way in which the team members (one from each department, at least) work together.

Consult with Your Immediate Team

Taking on the task of creating a culture of coordination and collaboration is not about you, the influencer. Re-read that sentence, please.

As an extroverted influencer, you should use this professional development opportunity wisely. Start with the team you supervise. Explain the concept and ask for feedback, especially their thoughts on why barriers to coordination and collaboration exist. Be receptive to changes in your approach. Re-name your intra-departmental meetings coordination and collaboration sessions to socialize the approach. Establish norms about sharing information and raising questions.

Pro Tip: Ask your team members what they need from you to be ambassadors for the cause with their peers. Your colleagues in similar positions across the organization will notice your team’s collaborative spirit. Make the concept buzzworthy.

Get Advice from Different Operating Styles and Perspectives ?

Outside of your immediate team, confer with someone at a similar leadership level whose style is much different than yours. Ask for advice on how this could best go over with others in the organization. Remember, you are in the listening and learning phase, so gain an understanding of what motivates them. ?

In a similar vein, look across the organization to find the institutional tastemakers at all levels. Take the time to reach out to broach this topic. If done correctly, these team members will appreciate being on the ground floor of something new. This phase should also include consulting colleagues in the administrative offices who are often left out of the programmatic planning. They see expense reports, invoices, and other examples of disjointed management and may feel empowered to share ideas on how better coordination and collaboration could benefit the parts of the organization for which they are responsible.

Pro Tip: Don’t leave these conversations without an ask. In addition to acknowledging and repeating back what you have heard, ask these colleagues if you can call on them when it comes time to present this idea. Some colleagues will not want the attention, but that is okay, they will appreciate the genuine gesture.

Introducing the Coordination and Collaboration Concept

At this point in the journey, it is time to make the case for coordination and collaboration. Rather than relying on your typical take-over mode, you have focused on securing institutional curiosity.

When it comes time to presenting the concept, be aspirational and positive. Avoid providing examples of what has not gone well; instead, focus on the future. Incorporate the words you heard during the listening phase in a way that speaks to people’s interests and priorities. ?

Clarity is important. Reinforce that this approach only works if 1) a broad range of perspectives and working styles is represented and 2) the members of the team are charged with making recommendations or decisions. The point here is to invite others to join the cause in a way that they see the skills and perspectives they bring as valuable, most notably in these three categories:

• Notetakers and Timekeepers: They are empowered to flag the clock halfway through the allotted time and refer back to previous notes if things get repetitive.
• Idea Generators: The folks who love throwing out ideas provide energy and humor.
• Observers: Not everyone fits neatly into a category, but these types often pipe up with insight or information that makes the collective process better.

Pro Tip: When presenting, identify a project for the team to test run this concept. It could be creating an internal survey asking all employees what they want from the coordination and collaboration team. On the other hand, pick an awareness week or similar moment that the organization always participates in. The long and short is to be publicly accountable for showing results. This timeline will save the coordination and collaboration team from becoming like the last working group announced at that one meeting from which no one ever heard anything.

Sustaining coordination and collaboration takes time, patience, and institutional intention. If this concept resonates with you, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] . Let’s work together to create a culture of coordination and collaboration for your cause.

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