--- title: "Breaking Down Silos" description: "Teams map communication barriers, draft snapshot posters outlining what they need and offer, and co-design a concrete collaboration plan. Participants finish by posting an individual commitment to bridge working silos." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/silo-mentality-workshopbank/" --- # Breaking Down Silos Teams map communication barriers, draft snapshot posters outlining what they need and offer, and co-design a concrete collaboration plan. Participants finish by posting an individual commitment to bridge working silos. **Time:** 90 minutes. Source specifies a 90-minute workshop divided into 10, 20, 25, 25, and 10 minute blocks. **People:** 6 to 24. Intact functional department tables of 3 to 6 people for steps 1 through 3. If a department has more than 6 members, split them into two tables of at least 3 people to work as departmental sub-teams. Mixed cross-functional groups of 3 to 5 people for step 4. Whole room for step 5. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Identify inter-team communication barriers, clarify mutual operational needs, and build a shared cross-team collaboration plan. **Use it when:** Use when departments work in isolation, miss handoffs, or duplicate effort across parallel projects. **Skip it when:** Skip during active formal reorganizations, acute unresolved interpersonal grievances, or when leaders cannot alter workflows. ## Materials and tools - 1 flipchart pad or central whiteboard labeled 'Collaboration Strategy Plan' - Large paper sheets (1 per intact department table) - Sticky notes (2 pads per table) - Markers and pens (1 per participant) - Wall tape or pushpins - Timer or clock ## Before participants arrive 1. Arrange room seating by intact department tables of 3 to 6 people. 2. Place 1 large paper sheet, 2 pads of sticky notes, and markers at each table. 3. Post a central flipchart or prepare a whiteboard titled 'Collaboration Strategy Plan'. ## Say this to open Welcome. Today we are addressing silo mentality, the tendency for teams to work in isolation rather than together. Over the next 90 minutes, we will highlight recent successes, map where communication stalls, clarify what our teams actually need and offer, and build a concrete collaboration plan. Let us start at your team tables by sharing one recent success. ## How to run it ### 1. Share team highlights (10 minutes) Deliver opening script. At intact department tables, have each team spend 5 minutes identifying one recent team success they are proud of and how it supported overall organisational goals. Invite one spokesperson from each table to share their highlight with the whole room in 1 minute or less. ### 2. Spot the silos (20 minutes) Prompt intact tables to brainstorm visible signs of silo mentality in the organization, such as withheld information, duplicate tools, or slow cross-team handoffs. Participants write each symptom on a sticky note for 7 minutes. Spend the remaining 13 minutes gathering sticky notes on the main board, grouping them into broad themes with the room. ### 3. Create and exchange team snapshots (25 minutes) Instruct each department table to divide their large paper sheet into four quadrants: Who We Are, What We Do, What We Need, and What We Offer. Teams spend 15 minutes completing their poster using the template questions. For the next 10 minutes, have each team hang their poster on the wall and present it in 2 minutes, highlighting their mutual dependencies. ### 4. Develop collaboration strategies (25 minutes) Reorganize the room into mixed cross-functional groups of 3 to 5 people. Determine the number of new groups needed by dividing total attendees by 4 (e.g., 20 attendees require 5 groups). Instruct participants at each department table to count off from 1 up to that target number. Assemble all 1s at Table 1, 2s at Table 2, and so on. Mixed groups spend 15 minutes generating solutions. Spend 10 minutes recording top proposals on the central plan. ### 5. Commit and close (10 minutes) Bring the full room together. Ask each participant to write on an individual sticky note one specific personal action they will take this month to break down silos. Go around the room and invite each person to state their commitment aloud in a few words, or choose to pass, and post their note on the shared strategy board. ## Debrief questions - Facilitate a 5-minute whole-room discussion during the closing step by choosing 1 or 2 of these questions and hearing 3 or 4 brief contributions. - Which identified silo barrier surprised you the most across teams? - What is one practical change from today that can happen this week without senior leadership approval? - Where do our team needs and another team's offers clearly match up? **Finished output:** Completed departmental Team Snapshot posters and a central Collaboration Strategy Plan populated with cross-team actions and individual commitments. ## Remote Use breakout rooms for departmental work and mixed-team brainstorming. Replace paper sheets and sticky notes with a digital collaboration canvas containing four predefined quadrants for the Team Snapshot. Whole-room sharing uses spotlighted presentation or carousel review on the canvas. ## Hybrid Run the workshop using a single shared digital collaboration canvas for all participants so in-person and remote people see the same charts. In-person tables access the canvas on laptops, and the facilitator projects it in the room. Remote participants join designated digital breakout rooms for their intact department and mixed groups, posting directly to the shared digital canvas. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may contribute verbally, write directly on sticky notes, or partner with a peer to scribe. - During commitments, individuals may write a private operational habit or pass without providing personal disclosure. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants use the silo identification phase to launch personal grievances or blame specific people.** Intervene immediately. Remind the room to focus on systemic processes, handoffs, and structural communication gaps rather than individuals. **Teams struggle to name what they can 'offer' to other departments.** Provide neutral examples, such as early review of draft proposals, access to specialized tools, or a monthly 15-minute operational briefing. ## Terms used here - Silo Mentality: An insular mindset where departments or teams hoard information, resources, and priorities instead of working toward shared outcomes. - Team Snapshot: A four-part summary poster covering roles, objectives, cross-team needs, and available expertise. ## Participant material: Team Snapshot Poster Guide TEAM SNAPSHOT POSTER LAYOUT Draw four equal quadrants on your large sheet: 1. WHO WE ARE List key roles, functions, and primary responsibilities. 2. WHAT WE DO List core current objectives and major outputs. 3. WHAT WE NEED Specific support, information, approvals, or data required from other teams. 4. WHAT WE OFFER Resources, specialized skills, technical tools, or capacity your team can lend. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in WorkshopBank as the workshop 'Breaking Down Silos: Building a Unified Organisation'. Retained the five-part workshop structure and timing from WorkshopBank: Team Highlights, Spot the Silos, Team Snapshot Exchange, Bridging the Gaps, and Collaboration Commitments. UWT expanded these into 5 numbered facilitator steps matching the 90-minute total, added a concrete department splitting rule for large teams, an explicit numerical count-off routine for mixed groups in step 4, debrief facilitation guidance, and unified digital canvas rules for hybrid formats. [WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/silo-mentality) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/silo-mentality-workshopbank/