When was the last time you stopped and took a good look around your organisation?
Have you evaluated how your departments collaborate with one another? Do you know how many data and technology environments exist? How long does it take your business to take an idea to execution?
One of the factors holding your company back in these areas is organisational silos. It’s when data and information are locked to specific departments. It then becomes challenging to share it across the business to achieve goals and objectives.
Do you have to accept that this is the way it has been and always will be? Fortunately, you don’t. Integrated business management systems can disrupt organisational silos and benefit your business in multiple ways. Here’s how they do that.
What are Organisational Silos?
Silos are primarily utilised for storage. In a business environment, it refers to departments within the company that stockpile data or information and don’t freely share it with the rest of the organisation.
These divisions might also use software or applications unique to them. It can cause single points of failure and dependencies as only team members within that department can access critical data.
How do Organisational Silos Impact Your Business?
There are several ways organisational silos can negatively affect your business. Besides creating a toxic company culture and increasing your operational costs, there are other issues that can arise from this mentality in the workplace.
One of the most important is that there is no single source of truth within the company. Data and information become fragmented across the business and is gathered in multiple ways across various platforms. It becomes challenging to make evidence-based decisions in the interest of the organisation.
While multiple team members are collecting information, valuable hours are wasted validating the data. During this time, trends come and go, and opportunities are missed. It can result in financial losses and failed business objectives. The exercise can also take precious resources away from executing ideas and strategies that could provide more incredible benefits to the organisation.
What is an Integrated Business Management System?
The best way to describe an integrated business management system is that it’s a collection of web and mobile apps that share the same database. They can manage all of the interdependent parts of your organisation. It can even provide all departments with the single source of truth they need to make evidence-based decisions.
In addition to hosting a single database, it streamlines processes and procedures. It becomes much easier to monitor and control them as well as ensure there is a consistent approach to accessing information.
How Does Integrated Business Management Systems Disrupt Silos?
Implementing an integrated business management system doesn’t immediately eliminate organisational silos. However, it does disrupt the mentality and forces a cultural shift to a new way of working within the company in multiple ways.
Promotes Stronger Communication and Collaboration
When there are multiple data and technology environments, it becomes difficult to communicate and collaborate. But an integrated business management system allows data and information to be shared efficiently across all levels of the organisation. It’s even possible to receive updates in real-time. This is useful for making rapid decisions rather than scheduling a workshop to discuss the pros and cons, allowing an opportunity to pass.
Achieves Organisational Alignment
You can’t get everyone within the company on the same page when they’re utilising different software and applications. It also makes it difficult to onboard new staff when there are multiple process maps and training documentation. When all employees operate from the same technology environment, it is easier to work towards the same business objectives and identify new opportunities to pursue as a team.
Centralises Information for Easy Access
It’s much easier to gather data from one technology environment compared to multiple databases within different departments. When organisational silos exist, you may need to interact with several team members to get the information you need. Integrated Business Management Systems make it easier and faster to get what you need. It also doesn’t require validation as it becomes the single source of truth that everyone uses to make evidence-based decisions.
Eliminates Inefficiencies
Centralising data also helps remove inefficiencies within your organisation. Especially when it comes to gathering details from various departments. Instead of multiple people working on collecting information, you can assign the task to a specialist without impacting other projects or strategies currently in motion. It also streamlines processes and procedures. It even makes it easier to meet compliance obligations as you’re not maintaining multiple systems.
How to Implement an Integrated Business Management System
Without an integrated business management software, organisational silos can have detrimental effects on your ability to meet your company goals and objectives. It also makes it challenging to make evidence-based decisions when there is no single source of truth. It can even hinder your progress as multiple resources are pulled from projects to gather requirements and collect data from their individual departments.
When you implement an integrated business management system, you disrupt organisational silos. It promotes a culture of collaboration and communications, achieves alignment across departments, and eliminates inefficiencies by centralising information for the entire company.
At ContinuSys, we are passionate about providing you with the tools to disrupt organisational silos within your company. Our integrated suite of web and mobile apps empowers every employee to operate at their best at all times. Want to find out more about what sets ContinuSys apart from other providers? Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you.