At Herringshaw Group, we have the privilege of getting an inside look at a wide range of organizations. While the intricacies of effective leadership and organizational strategy can often be nuanced, many clients are already aware of the areas where they can make improvements. One area that consistently emerges across various industries is communication. The challenge of information pooling and stagnating is a common one, and it’s crucial for leaders to address it proactively. 

In this blog, we'll delve into a set of proven exercise we've utilized to help leaders ensure that information is not only recorded properly but also delivered to the right people at the right time. This exercise aims to prevent information from becoming isolated in silos and to ensure that your team operates with the most up-to-date and relevant information available. 

Step 1: Create Customer Timeline (Time Required: 2 hours) 

First, set up a two-hour meeting with departmental leaders. The exercise's effectiveness hinges on their participation, so full attendance is paramount. If necessary, reschedule until everyone who needs to be there can be there. 

The first hour of the meeting, ask departmental leaders to create a visual timeline, mapping out the process that has to take place in order for an "unaware customer" to become a "customer referral." Feel free to substitute whichever terms fit your business best. 

For best results, follow the detailed instructions below: 

• On a large whiteboard, draw a timeline. 
• On the right-hand side, at the end of the timeline, write “Customer Referral.” Nothing says “you’re doing it right!” better than a customer referral. It’s the ultimate pat on the back. So, for the sake of this exercise, we’ll use “Customer Referral” as the ideal end result in a customer journey. 
• Then, work backward from that point, asking: “What needs to happen right before a customer refers us?” Write the answer on the timeline. Ideally, you would already have some metrics around this. For example, on average, customers who refer us have an average Lifetime Value(LTV) of $X. So, your answer would be “LTV of $X.” Or, maybe you ask for referrals from customers after a particular event. 
• Every time you log an activity on the timeline, list the department(s) responsible.
• Work back as far as possible until you arrive at the “unaware customer.”
• You can (and some have) get creative and consider whether there is anything even further to the left. Go as far back as your company or organization can for best results. 
• Now that you have finished your customer timeline, list all the “departmental handoffs” that occur. These will be obvious because each timeline entry lists the responsible departments. Any time the responsible department changes, a handoff happens. ○ Tip: Use a different-colored sticky note for these sorts of handoffs. 
• Now, look at the department handoffs in your customer timeline and identify the information that must be transferred at each one. Write down each data entry or process that must be captured and shared for the handoff to succeed. This is the "meat" of this exercise, so be as precise as possible. some text
  • For example, the customer may sign a contract to purchase your product. The Sales Department then sends the finalized contract and payment terms to the Finance Department for invoicing and payment processing. some text
    • In this case, the contract would likely have all the information that the Finance Department needs, but be sure to write down anything else that would be included in that handoff.

Step 2: Concentric Circles Exercise (Time Required: 1 hour) 

Once you have identified the department handoffs that occur in your customer timeline and the specific information that must be shared in those handoffs, it's time to establish the degree of responsibility that each one demands. 

In the second hour of the meeting, take the information from the previous exercise and build upon it, following these instructions: 

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• Split the group up into departments. 
• Have each group or individual draw three large concentric circles on a page or whiteboard (see below). Each circle indicates a degree of responsibility. some text
  • The inner circle is your core responsibility. This means you have both the authority and responsibility of a particular task or domain; ultimately, the result or goal falls upon you. 
  • The middle circle is your involved responsibility: Here, you have influence, partial control, or a stake in a particular task or domain. You may or may not make the final call, but you influence results and have “boots on the ground” access. 
  • The outer circle is your informed responsibility: Here, you are aware of goals and outcomes but aren’t involved in the day-to-day execution of the associated tasks. You have a top-down view of particular goals or results and often provide accountability to the other involved and core individuals. 
• Now, take sticky notes and make a copy of each of the “departmental hand-offs” from the first hour's exercise. You only need to do this for the handoffs that involve your department. some text
  • Once you have a sticky note for every applicable departmental handoff, identify which circle each handoff belongs in. Your goal is to place these handoffs inside one of the three circles. 
  • Strive for unanimity in this exercise–that way, everyone will agree on who is responsible for what. 
• At the end of this second step, you will have categorized all departmental handoffs into three layers of responsibility: core, involved, and informed. Understanding these layers helps to break down silos, reveal surface assumptions, build empathy, and allows you to have meaningful conversations about the team and your work.

Step 3: Establish SOPs (Time required: TBD) 

The third and final step of this exercise consists of asking the group, which has already been split into departments, to identify or create the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) necessary for ensuring consistency and clarity in how information is handled and shared across departments. 

1. Identify or develop SOPs for each circle: For each level of responsibility, determine if there are existing SOPs. If not, create them collaboratively. This process should involve detailed procedures for sharing information, who is responsible, and the expected outcomes. 

2. Collaborate on SOPs: The “involved” circle is the toughest because it requires teamwork with another department. Ensure that the SOPs are developed with input from all the relevant parties. This helps align expectations and responsibilities. 

3. Answer Key Questions: Address the following questions for each departmental handoff:

• Does the other department understand your team’s objectives? 
• What time commitment is necessary for successful collaboration? 
• What communication methods and frequency are preferred? 
• What decisions need to be made, and who has the authority to make them?
• What is the impact of failing to collaborate effectively? 
• What benefits does collaboration provide? 
• Who will be the primary contact for each handoff? 

4. Turn your answers into SOPs: Once you have answered the section above, and each departmental handoff is categorized by responsibility circle (core, involved, or informed) carry out the following steps: 

• Draft SOPs: Define how each handoff should take place. Use clear language, define roles, and incorporate key answers directly into the SOPs, specifying who is responsible for each action. 
• Review and Refine: Have departments collaborate to review and adjust the SOPs. When a new SOP is implemented, pilot it to ensure effectiveness. There is often a gap between theory and practice, so make necessary tweaks. 

This exercise will be a helpful step toward increasing the free flow of information in your organization, and is a part of a greater conversation about the relationship between information sharing and organizational health. We recently published a blog about increasing information -sharing, titled The 5 Keys to Democratizing Information Within Your Organization. It's a 12-minute read, and well worth your time.