Routledge Collaborating for Results: Silo Working and Relationships that Work

Where collaboration is needed and silo working creates barriers to achieving this, the cost to organisations can be very high: a lack of shared learning and innovation; unproductive conflict and stress; and significant financial costs due to programme failures. Collaborating for Results focuses on the human reasons for unproductive silo working in organisations, combining psychology with broader organisation development theory and practice. The central theme is that a visible agenda for building and maintaining working relationships across organisations is required by those seeking competitive advantage. It describes the contours of working relationships at three levels - individual, team and organisation - and proposes practical actions en route to collaboration and high performance. In doing so it acknowledges the complexity of people and relationships, the interrelationship of the three levels and explains the value of developing Open Teams at the heart of an integrated approach to business and organisational development. Organisation silos can feel like different countries, or even parallel worlds. Even in a single organisation, people in separate divisions or teams can talk a different language and have different work cultures that they each find difficult to understand and relate to. David Willcock’s Collaborating for Results reframes organisation culture to bridge the divide, develop working relationships that save time and money and improve organisation performance. Review 'Leaders at all levels in complex organisations know the difficulties of achieving truly effective cross-functional and cross-business team working. High performing local teams can themselves become the stovepipes and silos that inhibit broader collaboration and innovation. Here is a book to help you - starting with the characteristics and behaviours of individuals and working through to the concept of Open Teams and how to develop them, as an integral part of your business and organisational development.' Professor Dame Julia King, Aston University, UK ’Wide-ranging and comprehensive. Willcock provides an excellent explanation of how change can really occur in organizations. He simultaneously illustrates the details of the change process and provides relevant examples from his considerable experience while keeping the big picture squarely in view. This is an immensely valuable roadmap for people in organizations and professionals alike.’ Ethan Schutz, President & CEO, The Schutz Company, New York ’This is a practical guide to harnessing the power of relationships between people and teams in organisations to achieve strategic vision and to be future-capable in a fast-changing world.’ Dr Mike Clarke, CEO, RSPB, UK ’This is a thoughtful and very perceptive examination of our natural tendency to want to work within silos and the problems this creates for businesses, small and large. The strategies suggested for encouraging collaboration both within and across different organisations are practical, sensible and easily implemented. They should be widely and universally adopted.’ Alan Cook CBE, Chairman, Highways Agency, UK About the Author David Willcock has been helping people in organisations overcome unproductive silo working and build better working relationships for over 25 years. He started his career in general human resource management in the public and finance sectors before specialising in people and organisation development work whilst working with a leading global finance company. After a 15 year in-company career he started his own organisation development consultancy, now Liberating Potential Limited, coaching and developing leaders and their teams across a range of sectors in the UK and abroad. David is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (Chartered FCIPD) and an Accredited Master Executive Coach with the Association for Coaching. More information available at ww