Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: d1b12b21759b991706c30e11b0efbdb00d34b7ef3e1ea2389bd06df48766eb26

# Breaking Silos Workshop

Teams map cross-department workflow bottlenecks, conduct cross-role interviews, trade scarce supplies to build physical bridges, and produce a joint coordination agreement.

**Time:** 90 minutes. Source workshop structure outlines 90 minutes total across 6 distinct modules.
**People:** 6 to 24. Subgroups of 3 to 4, pairs (or one trio if odd count), and 2 to 4 bridge-building teams of 3 to 6

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Locate workflow friction points between separate departments and establish concrete coordination commitments.
**Use it when:** Use when departments or project sub-teams report delayed handoffs, duplicated effort, or lack of cross-group visibility.
**Skip it when:** Skip during an active interdepartmental personnel grievance or when team restructuring makes current operational roles unsettled.

## Materials and tools

- 1 flipchart pad or whiteboard space per subgroup
- 1 black marker per participant
- 2 pads of 3x3 inch sticky notes per subgroup
- 40 sheets of standard scrap paper
- 4 rolls of masking tape
- 4 balls of string
- 4 pairs of safety scissors
- 1 roll of painter tape to post charts
- 1 ruler or measuring tape for inspecting bridge spans

## Before participants arrive

1. Determine team count for the bridge challenge: use 2 teams for 6 to 9 people, 3 teams for 10 to 14, and 4 teams for 15 to 24.
2. Divide paper, tape, string, and scissors unevenly into bins matching the team count so every bin lacks at least one essential material.
3. Set up tables with sticky notes and markers for starting subgroups of 3 to 4.
4. Clear wall space to post task-flow schematics.

## Say this to open

Welcome. Today we examine how information and tasks move between our groups. We will identify shared goals, map operational handoffs, examine cross-role dependencies, test resource sharing under pressure, and agree on practical communication habits.

## How to run it

### 1. Establish shared goals (10 minutes)

Read the opening script. Divide participants into mixed groups of 3 to 4. Each group drafts a list of 5 goals or operational standards they believe apply to the whole team. After 5 minutes, call on each group to call out their single top item. The facilitator writes overlapping items directly onto the main board in 30 seconds per table.

### 2. Map functional disconnects (15 minutes)

Provide each group with a flipchart. Groups draw a schematic showing how tasks flow between their functions. Direct participants to attach sticky notes highlighting specific friction points or disconnects where handoffs fail or communication lapses. Post the task-flow schematics on the room walls.

### 3. Conduct cross-role interviews (20 minutes)

Pair participants from different departments. If there is an odd number, form one group of three. For 8 minutes, Person A describes their workflow and handoff snags while Person B takes notes. For the next 8 minutes, swap speaking roles (or rotate 5 minutes each in a trio). Spend the last 4 minutes agreeing on two practical ways their work connects.

### 4. Execute resource bridge challenge (20 minutes)

Form 2 to 4 teams of 3 to 6 people at separate tables. Give each team one incomplete bin of materials. Task each team with building a freestanding bridge spanning at least 30 cm without external props. Explain that teams must negotiate and trade supplies with other tables to complete their bridge. Stop building at 15 minutes and measure spans.

### 5. Draft unified coordination plan (15 minutes)

Reconvene the full room. Ask participants to propose operational improvements across three categories: regular check-ins, shared tooling, and milestone updates. Write proposed actions on the board. The group selects 3 specific coordination rules with assigned owners and deadlines.

### 6. Record individual commitments (10 minutes)

Give each participant 2 minutes to write one personal operational action they will start this week on a sticky note. Go around the room and invite each person to read their commitment aloud, or pass if they prefer to stick it directly on the exit board.


## Debrief questions

- Facilitate a full-group discussion using 1 or 2 of the following questions, inviting 2 or 3 participants to respond per question.
- During the bridge challenge, what caused negotiations between groups to stall or succeed?
- Which handoff friction point mapped on the wall has the biggest impact on everyday delivery?
- What specific cross-functional check-in mechanism will prevent these communication gaps next week?

**Finished output:** A posted visual map of interdepartmental friction points, three organizational coordination rules with owners, and individual action commitments.

## Remote

This workshop relies on hands-on construction with unevenly distributed physical items in the bridge challenge. Do not run it fully online without changing the core method. For a remote team, select an established virtual cross-team negotiation exercise instead.

## Hybrid

Because the resource bridge exercise requires tactile trading and physical assembly of uneven materials in shared room space, hybrid delivery where some participants are remote is not recommended. Conduct this session fully in person.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may sketch, write, or orally state handoff challenges during the mapping phase.
- Participants can submit their final individual commitment anonymously on paper or directly to the facilitator instead of speaking aloud.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants use the mapping step to blame specific colleagues for operational delays.**

Intervene immediately and redirect focus onto process steps, tooling gaps, or handoff criteria rather than individual names.

**Groups in the bridge exercise refuse to trade materials and attempt to complete the task with only what they have.**

Remind the room that the bridge must span the full measured distance and that groups are explicitly allowed and expected to negotiate trades.


## Terms used here

- Silo: An operational state where a department or unit works in isolation from related units, restricting information flow.
- Cross-functional: Involving members from different departments, specialties, or job descriptions working toward a common objective.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in WorkshopBank as 'Silos in the Team: Breaking Silos: Creating a Unified Team'.

Retained the six-part structure and core bridge-building mechanic from WorkshopBank. UWT adjusted bridge team counts dynamically (2 to 4 teams) to support 6 to 24 participants, added explicit trio turn rules for odd counts, tightened Step 1 sharing to 1 top item per table to fit 10 minutes at group_max, aligned Step 6 materials strictly to sticky notes, and documented the requirement for in-person delivery.

[WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/silos-in-the-team)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/silos-in-the-team-workshopbank/