Workplace Doctor: Teams operating like isolated nations are unhealthy in the workplace


  • English
  • Arabic

I have four teams under my watch and over time I've noticed them become increasingly compartmentalised, to the point they are operating as silos. They almost see themselves as completely separate entities, yet we are all part of the same company with the same goal. How can I create a shift in what I consider an unhealthy culture? DK, Dubai

Teams in your company appear to be operating in a similar way to how some countries function in this modern era. The world is more connected than ever and provides fantastic opportunities for us as a global economy to drive towards common goals. Yet disappointingly, it is more and more typical for leaders of some of the world’s most powerful nations to operate in isolation, move in very different directions and focus solely on the needs of their nation at the expense of others.

Unfortunately, it seems your business teams are suffering from this “silo mentality” where the belief tends to be to not share information and that the function succeeds through operating independently and autonomously and is held back or hindered by other business units. This mindset is flawed and if it continues will reduce efficiency in the overall operation, decrease morale and create a counter-productive company culture.

Silo is a term that has been discussed in boardrooms for the past 30 years. Yet, unlike other archaic management terms, it has not disappeared. Team, departmental and even organisation-wide silos are rife and seen as a thorn in many leaders’ sides. Creating the shift in this unhealthy culture can feel like bringing warring countries together for peace talks.

Fortunately, to see a complete antithesis of the “silo mentality” you only have to look at the GCC as an example of collaboration and cooperation. The region has experienced unprecedented economic expansion over the past 30 years by working together to achieve economic integration. In today’s global context, nations will only show the resilience needed to thrive by working together.

As with so many things in organisations and nations it trickles down from the top. A silo mindset does not appear accidentally. Often the cause of the issue is due to conflict, mistrust or misunderstanding between the leaders themselves who promote “me first” or “team first” rather than the “organisation first”.

Research has shown that where leaders successfully lead together, they have a clear sense of who is responsible for what. Mapping out these roles and responsibilities early, and refining them along the collaborative journey, ensures a smoother road. This results in teams working together, sharing information and feeling comfortable to connect on projects. Therefore, it is imperative that team leaders agree to a common and unified vision for the organisation and destroy the boundaries that have been placed by letting go of the “my department” “my budget” “my recourse” mindset, truly seeing the collective strength of cross-functional teams.

Once you have a degree of diplomacy and understanding between the team leaders then you must create the conditions for collaboration through legitimate time and space. Teams want to get things done and it can feel faster in the short term to do so independently. For it to succeed, people need to feel like collaboration is worth their time and they must be incentivised to do so. Find successful cases from the business and convey how this led to results. Many organisations integrate collaboration into their vision. At a business level, leaders need to highlight why this particular request for collaboration matters and define what effect it will make. Rather than it being a broad corporate “buzz word” it needs to be a specific, actionable and rewarded process.

Doctor’s Prescription:

With teams operating like isolated nations, it takes true diplomacy to bring people together. Culture change always begins with leaders modelling the culture they aspire others to follow. Therefore, collaboration begins with you and your team leaders. Help them see how a united front is good for business, especially in this challenging economic time.

Alex Davda is a business psychologist and client director at Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, and is based in the Middle East. Email him at business@thenational.ae for advice on any work issues.

business@thenational.ae

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter

Profile Box

Company/date started: 2015

Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif

Based: Manama, Bahrain

Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation

Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads

Stage: 1 ($100,000)

Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)

The Year Earth Changed

Directed by:Tom Beard

Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough

Stars: 4

The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT

Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km

North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

Company profile

Date started: December 24, 2018

Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer

Based: Dubai Media City

Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)

Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech

Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year

Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The Gentlemen

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant 

Three out of five stars

War and the virus
THE%C2%A0SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.4-litre%20four-cylinder%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Starting%20from%20Dh89%2C900%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

While you're here
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

And%20Just%20Like%20That...
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sarah%20Jessica%20Parker%2C%20Cynthia%20Nixon%2C%20Kristin%20Davis%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Meg%202%3A%20The%20Trench
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBen%20Wheatley%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJason%20Statham%2C%20Jing%20Wu%2C%20Cliff%20Curtis%2C%20Page%20Kennedy%2C%20Cliff%20Curtis%2C%20Melissanthi%20Mahut%20and%20Shuya%20Sophia%20Cai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets