Management Tip of the Day: Give Up Your Guild Mindset

Give Up Your Guild Mindset

Guilds were set up in the Middle Ages to protect and further the skills and knowledge of their members. For example, blacksmiths might band together to defend trade secrets and corner markets. Unfortunately, this mentality is still alive and well in many companies today in the form of silos. Functions like marketing, sales, and IT have their areas of special expertise and at times expend energy trying to guard it from others. Competition between functions can be helpful, but not if it leads to unproductive jousting. Nurture the healthy instinct to compete but focus it on external forces — not internal ones. Functions should work together to become a team of specialists that spans silos.