Before coronavirus, silos and the associated thinking that was restricted to one area of the company were a big issue. We all wanted to get out of that; collaboration across departmental boundaries was the big goal. After all, ideas and innovations are rarely created in a quiet room. Different angles and perspectives can be found where other tasks are managed, where perhaps other working methods and cultures are practiced. In the April issue of “changement!”, we read an interesting article by Prof. Dr. Erika Regnet on study results from the USA that confirm the retreat into silos during the coronavirus years. We can only recommend it: “Changing communication and collaboration through remote work”.
At the heart of the matter is this: people working remotely are increasingly turning to asynchronous media such as email or chat. They spend less time in synchronous formats in which gestures, facial expressions and body language are essential for a real dialog. This refers to exchanges in person, but also in online meetings. Now you’re probably raising your eyebrows and thinking: “Fewer meetings? I feel like I’m on video calls all day!” That may be true, but the study suggests that these conversations are more likely to take place with the already well-connected members of my silo than with the more casual connections of an extended network.
We are also increasingly noticing this trend among our customers and see it as the task of internal communication to counteract this. First of all, it makes sense to raise awareness: how has our communication behavior changed and why is it good to counteract this? In a second step, IC can identify relevant topics, create networking opportunities and moderate them until they stand on their own two feet. After the technical implementation, hybrid cooperation will also present us with communication challenges that lie in the IC’s playing field.
What is certain is that we need to adapt to a new way of working together in the long term. And this should not mean that we disappear back into our silos. This also applies to internal communication, which should start now at the latest to overcome any boundaries that may still exist with other departments.