One thing that angers me in higher ed and corporate entities is the silo mentality.
More specifically, people who love bureaucracy and take job responsibilities to the extreme -- i.e. you can't help out or touch work if it isn't "your job." (Note: I am not talking about union job duties here. I mean for us "unclassified" folks.)
Have you ever gotten your hand slapped for harmlessly trying to help a colleague through doing something as minor as making a phone call or sending an e-mail? I have. It stings.
What I've found is that my coworkers don't care -- as long as the work is getting done and we're helping each other out, they could care less if I do something of theirs once in a while. And throughout the occasional duty-sharing, we keep each other informed, i.e. "Hey, so-and-so stopped in while you were out, and I met with her about changes to the piece and gave it to the designer."
So we have this peaceful coexistence of duty-sharing, or a "flexible, collaborative environment" as one of my coworkers likes to call it. But then, when someone steps in and starts saying, "You can't send an e-mail about this -- it's your coworker's job," it creates an environment of silo conscientiousness (doing what's right according to silos).
You stop doing what's automatic and sensible to get something done. Instead, you have to think, "Is it OK if I do this, or will I get in trouble?"
Notice, you don't think "Is it OK to do this to help the office/your coworker/your customer?" It becomes, "Will I get in trouble with boss/administrator for doing this?"
That makes no sense to me, and it brings down the morale.
Not like we should be doing our coworkers' jobs 24/7 or if they don't want us to; but, if it's helpful to them once in a while and they appreciate it, what's the harm? Aren't we becoming workers who are more flexible and cross-trained that way?
When it comes to job descriptions, some times, it's good to step outside the bounds. Thankfully, no one insisted Jesus stick to his job description of carpenter.
Monday, September 22, 2008
On Silos
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
So, so true! I've recently started working from my school's branch campus instead of the main one to shorten my commute, and there are far fewer silos here because there are fewer staff. The camaraderie is great!
I hope your local silos open up soon!
D.W.,
Looks like your getting spammed here... hum. Just to chime in... I ABSOLUTELY HATE this part of institutional research. I also hate the other extreme of people who refuse to learn how to do something on their own because they know that I can do it for them.
Thanks grad school marketer and Kyle for posting.
I've heard smaller schools (like some privates) may not have this problem because the staff is smaller and there's more of a team effort. Our office staff is about 15 people for marketing alone -- which is a bit larger -- but I think with the right approach, it could have the "small" feel.
Kyle -- yes! I know what you mean. Some times, one's willingness to help can be a burden as much as an asset.
Silos are the death of me.
And I've seen them everywhere. Big institutions, small ones where the stakes shouldn't seem as high, but can be akin to school board politics in their pettiness.
It's astounding, yet...it's made me pretty cynical. Ha.
Post a Comment