Silos; cliques; good ole' boy networks; and workplace posse. How do you know that you are in one? The easiest way to identify that you have been gang initiated is by referring to the rest of the organization's structures as "they," or "them."
It starts out very subtly. The test question of the self-appointed "recruitment officer," of this particular gang hits you with the question, "Sooooo, what do you think of (fill in the blank)?" You'll notice that the curvature of their eyes change as they eagerly anticipate your answer. You'll also notice that post-answer, a smile or a nonchalant shrug will follow, depending upon how you respond to their inquisitive inquiry. This is inevitable in every functioning organization. But the "they and them," epidemic does not have to permeate and infect the rest of your organization. Appropriate leadership response to observed silos can turn "they and them," into "we and us."
As My Great Aunt EDNA teaches, Accountability is a characteristic of a great leadership culture. Accountability is a 3-way street. Picture London; those intersections are confusing as hell. There should accountability from a leader to a follower. There should be accountability from a follower to their leader. And, there should be accountability from the team to the organization. Leaders should be held accountable to consciously create a culture of one team, subliminally and overtly, in everyday communication and speech. Leaders should also be held accountable to spot correct other team members when utilizing separatist verbiage that create walls of obstruction to Excellence.
An example would look like this: "Mac, they have not delivered their portion of the project, so my team is unable to move forward." I would simply respond with, "I think you meant to say we have not been able to completely gather all portions of the project deliverables, but I have already scheduled time to coordinate with my peer and offer assistance so we meet our deadline, correct?"
These type of subtle corrections need to occur often, in private, and on all-team settings so the culture of "we and us," takes root. Silos, cliques, good ole' boy networks, and work posse are expensive problems to have for any organization; all of which cause delays, unnecessary conflict, and sometimes outright stupid drama. Save the drama for reality TV. It works better there.
