Break down silos

We work constructively and positively with people in the company no matter which location, division, project, or team they might be in today. We share what we know freely, ask when we don’t know, and refrain from using "us and them" words. We proactively communicate across the natural silos that do form and are acutely aware that we succeed or fail together.

Porridge Beta

Back to the universal principles

Calibration

Under, just right, over.

SituationUnderJust RightOver
Us and them languageTalks about the other site, team, or project as the obstacle.Names the shared goal and the specific handoff, and drops the us-and-them wording.Polices other people's wording and never fixes the handoff.
A fact another group needsKeeps it inside the team because they did not ask yet.Sends it to the people who will trip on it, before they trip.Broadcasts every detail to every group and the signal disappears.
Asking when you do not knowGuesses, or waits, because asking would cross a boundary.Asks the person who knows, wherever they sit, and shares the answer back.Asks so many groups that you create a second project out of the question.
A silo that formed on its ownTreats the silo as inevitable and routes around it.Puts one regular touch in place with the other group and uses it for a real decision.Dissolves every working group in the name of unity, and the work loses its owners.
A win told as only yoursReports the win as your team's, and leaves out the group that made it possible.Reports it as a shared result and says what each side did.Refuses to name any team, so nobody knows who to ask next time.
We succeed or fail togetherCelebrates your date and ignores that the other group will miss theirs because of you.Moves your date, or your scope, when that is what keeps the joint outcome intact.Holds your work until every other group is ready, including groups this release does not need.

Further reading

Sources and essays on this principle.

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