Rising to the Occasion of Corporate Silos

I attend a lot of trade organization conferences, and not even for the same trade.  It’s all over the map, really— from child support, to government finance, to merchant services.  When you have the opportunity to attend so many conferences of such a wide variety, it becomes clear that many organizations share the same challenge of effective communication or lack thereof.  I’ll give you an example. 

I recently had the distinct pleasure of attending the Money Transmitter Regulatory Association conference in Kansas City, Missouri.  Sounds dull, right?  But, turns out, this industry has the same problems as other industries; and it struck me loud and clear when I heard a particular session. I attended a session lead by Heidi Wicker Partner,  Schwartz and Ballen LLP and Craig Timm, Deputy Chief, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, U.S. Department of Justice.  While their topic was on eCommerce compliance, the conversation turned to corporate communication.  As in many companies, areas such as banking, compliance, marketing, and operations are often siloed and therefore struggle with or lack needed communication.

This lack of communication leads to a lack of accountability and in the case of a money transmitter, can cause big legal problems, including possible state and/or federal prosecution.  It isn't good enough to say that the non compliance was reported, rather management has an obligation to react appropriately and timely.  Ignoring the problem is not an option in the world of government regulation.  And silos within the company can mask the problems,  making them insurmountable when finally exposed.

Internet Photo

In many companies, the silo effect is a natural evolution of any organization that is expanding and adding new divisions, bureaus or departments. As the organization expands, it often relies on communication practices that have slowly become obsolete and ineffective. This can sometimes be exacerbated by the limited subject matter that the employee(s) are focused upon in each division.  Another major cause of siloed communication is unhealthy culture development within the organization, a culture promotes defensive behavior about sharing ideas, responsibility, and accountability - which ultimately leads to infighting and turf wars.  This kind of silo is particularly difficult to tackle as the parties are usually wary of change, as change can represent losing control of the turf they are protecting and view the desire to change as a threat of power or control.  In the case of regulatory compliance, they would be right.

It does seem ironic that these kinds of problems don't surface in audits or management discussions, but it is quite natural that they are concealed.  If the main goal is to protect the status quo and keep things the same, then revealing information that could lead to change- even if for the better- is still a threat.

So how does a company change from the silo effect to a collaborative effect?  Strong leadership by example.  It has to come from the top and it has to have teeth.  Bringing in a one time communications or organization consultant and singing kumbaya for two hours in a "retreat" will not suffice.  That will vanish as soon as the team return to the office.  Nope, this has to be a  good old fashioned hand wringing upset of the structure.  Can you keep the existing managers in place and instill a new spirit of collaboration?  Perhaps, but in order for it to work, the managers need to develop empathy for each others goals, strategies, plans and corporate place.  The best way to do that is to reassign the managers to new areas for a time period.

"What did you just say?" I heard.  Yes, reassign them.  Put the Compliance Manager over the Governmental Affairs office.  Put the CFO over IT and put the Communications Manager over Accounting.  For three months or at least one month.  Same performance standards and goals.  Make them feel the empathy for the other staff and what the other manager must deal with day to day.  Take away the protectionist mindset, the isolating circle the wagons approach, and have the managers learn to work with a whole new crew.

CHANGE

So how does a company change from a silo culture to a one that supports the collaborative culture?  Before we can answer that question, we must first answer the question, “What is culture?”   A healthy organizational culture is a result of strong leadership by example.  Yes, it’s that simple. Its not what leadership says they do, it is what they actually do and these actions affect everyone in the organization, no matter how big or small.   The best way to start is to take a hard look at the current roles each leader and department manager is in. Often, an unhealthy culture has nothing to do with the employees themselves, but much more to do with whether or not they are best suited for the role they are in. That IT Manager that is always chiming in on issues in the Government Affairs Department, but is seemingly uncaring about issues that directly affect the IT Department, is telling you something through their actions or lack thereof.  So, reassign based on their actions, not their words or current title!

I know it sounds crazy.  But, what if it works?  What if the CFO learns more about the company by running IT?  What if the Communications Manager becomes more effective at corporate presentations because of what he or she learned in finance?  What if we did the same thing with middle managers?

And what if they all started having more respect for each other and wanting to protect the entire company, versus just their division.  PollyAnna.  I know.  But people are basically the same and if they are put into the situation to develop empathy, if they are given a new chance to grow and if they are supported through the process, it could change the culture.

No one likes drama in the workplace.  No one wants to work for a culture of protectionism and defensiveness.  True change in communication and collaboration doesn't come from taking classes or learning to tweet. True communication comes from trust and respect.

Ironically enough, as I write this, another industry enews sends a link on collaboration.  It is Collaboration Begins With You  a new book by Ken Blanchard, Jane Ripley and Eunice Parisi-Carew.  Their site states, "Collaboration Begins with You helps leaders at all levels create and develop a culture that uses differences to spur contribution and creativity; provides a safe, trusting environment; involves everyone in creating a sense of purpose, values, and goals; encourages the sharing of information; and turns everyone into an empowered self-leader."  I can't wait to get my order in for the book.  In my world, it is essential to ensure collaboration.

In the world of regulatory compliance, it is not just about communication and collaboration, it is about following the spirit and letter of the law.

quickfacts

(#KCMO is a wonderful place to visit.  I was pleasantly surprised at all the things to do!)

of Something Else

My daughter recently cut her long tresses, blonde curly long tresses, to a Mohawk or an equivalent thereof.  She gave the long locks to wigs for kids.  But the change was shocking, tempting, inviting, regrettable  joyful, and changing.

Change continues to be hard for many and impossible for most.  Change is not tolerated well, even when it is positive.  My daughter's hair will grow, or she will cut it, but the change is hers to manage.  If she had chemo and the hair fell out, it would be a much harder change.  And definitely more difficult to manage.

Change is something that I personally excel in embracing.  New, technical, exciting, improving, shiny, fun are all words that I generally associate with change.  Nervous, scared, out of control, unplanned, harem scarem are all words that my son would use to describe the same experience.  He doesn't like surprises, even the good ones.  He likes predictable, measurable, planned.

So it is amazing to me that I am amazed when change at work is perceived as negative.  It doesn't matter whether the change is successful. And every time that I or someone else introduces something new, the response is the same: negative. Bad. Why?.

When I went to graduate school, I had lots of courses on change, but when it really matters, most people don't want to change or to manage change.  They don't accept it, they don't want it and they damn sure don't appreciate it. Like the movie Groundhog Day they want the same day over and over. Get up, go to work, go home, repeat.

So when the morale falls in the toilet for the change agents, the marketers, the accountants (yep, they change according to the rules) and the HR folks, who is the problem? why not them. not us. not anyone, except her. or him. or the government. or the stupid apple people or the wierd google plus people.

First impulse is to look for new jobs, second is to complain to your friends and look for a new job, third is to get mad and look for a new job.  Lastly, I think the true change embracers do what they do naturally, they embrace the search for a change, a solution.  So I am going to try to resist the temptation to complain and whine about the foot draggers.  I am going to lead by example and tell them over and over, like the lessons of kindergarten, that change can bring good things. Some change is good.  New things and approaches and products and classes help people stay interested and help companies compete.

But I will say this for the foot draggers, you at least gave me a topic to write about and that is a good change for me.

Doctor's point of view

Rising to the Occasion of the Seven Year Itch?

Perhaps its just my age, or maybe my friends age, but it seems like several of the "midlife crisis" set are changing big time.  It used to be that you heard about men leaving their wives of twenty years to find the new trophy wife or to pursue the sports car of their dreams.  http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trophy%20wife

But the people I hear about are women making mid life choices to leave their spouses or their comfortable habits and pursue a new lifestyle.  Some are leaving to change their life in big ways.  One I know of left her home and job to pursue marathon running competitively.  Another left because she wanted to live in a big city, having lived in the country for the last 20 years (could have been the commute).  And just tonight, my husband told me about another woman that we both know, planning to leave for a new love.

Perhaps it is just my imagination, but perhaps it is just my generation.  We are the ones that had to pursue it all: families, jobs, social activity, community service.  The soccer moms with their anti-tiger mom approach of giving theirs all the things they never had as youth.  My generation stormed in and now is changing the with the tide of age.  We may be tired of being it all, or we may just need to rejuvenate.  Some are doing it with their families, others are desiring to pursue who they are....  sort of like the teen years of finding one's self.  Many (mostly those left behind literally or figuratively) think they are making a bad trade and a poor choice.  But I am not so sure.  It isn't so much that the choices they made to begin with were right or wrong, as the choices they made twenty or thirty years ago don't apply anymore.

Articles on Crisis for Women

Several of the women I know are just plain unhappy with where they are.  They rose to the top of their game, raised their children, performed the house chores and were active wives.  They were challenged and took the challenge, rising to the occasion of ever more demands.  And now they face a long future.  Isn't 40 the new thirty? and 50 the new 40?  Don't they have another 30 years of life at least to pursue happiness and fulfillment?  Didn't they give enough and deserve a second shot?

What if their situation is not bad, it just isn't enough?  When one reaches the top or the plateau of career and a full family, you face more of your self.  You look in the mirror and see the inevitable change and maybe you think its now or never.  Maybe you think that you have so much time left, there is enough to be a whole new person with different aspirations and emotions and growth.  It is real; we do have a long time to be new or renewed when our children leave and our jobs top out - or are even gone.

AARP has many resources for those who want to enter a second career  ttp://www.aarp.org/work/working-after-retirement/

Other sites have info on rebranding yourself http://hbr.org/2011/03/reinventing-your-personal-brand/ar/1. I think people stop and wonder if they should be looking at a second life....  You know sort of the trophy wife scenario only now it is the trophy me instead.  I understand that feeling and the need to expand, to find something meaningful at this age and this time.  I look back on my mother's life and my grandmothers' lives and wonder if they didn't think and feel the same thing.  One of my grandmothers had already started a second family late in life.  I doubt she had time to think of new pursuits.  But surely those like my mother, who married at 19 and lived their entire life married and mothering, thought of pursuing a different dream or another course at some point.

I am not writing to advocate for leaving your spouse or changing your life.  That is a deeply personal choice that is way too complicated to indulge.  But I do understand the desire to be more than the supermom and the super employee.  I understand wanting to be a super you with a new identity and new purpose.  The options that we have are far greater than those who came before us. And those options present the challenge of choice.  Choosing is hard, as it is probably not reversible and not easy.  Even those who are certain that it is right will tell you how difficult the transition is.  Frightening really.  It does require some bravery to be someone new.

Don't be crabby about change.

I just wonder how it will turn out in thirty years.  I wonder if we look back and say that the choices we made on our second wind were as gratifying as the first.  This generation of women s broke a lot of ground and raised a fantastic group of children. They changed the workforce, the congress, and maybe the path of marriage for the future.  Now they are changing themselves again.  I guess the challenges aren't over.  I wish all of those looking down that path well. And I wish the ones that aren't going to change with you well too.