APU Careers Careers & Learning

Improve the View from Your Work Silo

work-siloBy Jill Kurtz
Online Career Tips Contributor

We all know that having people work in silos isn’t the desirable way to operate a business. Yet, many of us do. Some of the sure signs are a limited range of work and minimal interactions with other teams. Like the storage silos found on farms, work silos are places with no view beyond the inside of one area of the operation.

Many employees are not empowered to make the types of cultural shifts that are needed to break down these silos, but there are things that anyone can do to at least create a window-view beyond their own work task silo.

Create a Window to the Work of Others

Talk to co-workers about their tasks. Find out what they are working on and where they are finding successes as well as any pain points. If you are interested, they will share what they are doing.

Share Resources

Understanding the work that coworkers do will help you to identify resources that may be helpful to them. Share information that you have access to that can help them in their work (as long as the information is not confidential or sharing is not prohibited.) When you come across an article or a post online that is related, pass it along.

Invite Input

Even though you may not be required to reach out to other teams, when there is an opportunity to get meaningful input, ask for it. As long as you aren’t asking for more time than someone can spare, few people mind offering their expertise and opinions. No manager will mind a more informed work product.

This blog offers more ideas for how to avoid working in a silo. While your organization may not encourage you to reach out, your work will benefit when you do.

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