Breaking Down Silos Workshop
Product, operations, project teams, leadership
Improve collaboration between teams, surface cross-functional misalignment, and build shared ownership of priorities that span team boundaries.
Workshop Goal
Improve collaboration between teams, surface cross-functional misalignment, and build shared ownership of priorities that span team boundaries.
- Lower the social barrier between teams who rarely interact
- Surface cross-team misalignment and silo patterns
- Reveal shared dependencies and tradeoffs
- Generate ideas for improving cross-functional collaboration
- Align on the top cross-team priorities
MyWorkshopTools handles the technology, timing, and participant experience. You focus on the conversation.
Workshop Timeline
A step-by-step structure for the full 75-minute session.
- Icebreaker Experience 10 minLower the social barrier between teams who rarely interact.Cross-functional groups often feel like strangers. Start with something personal, not work-related, to build human connection first.
- Team Polls 12 minSurface cross-team misalignment, silo patterns, and shared dependencies.Polls are the diagnostic core. Pause on splits — they reveal where teams have different assumptions about shared work.
- Networking Bingo 10 minGet people from different teams meeting each other.Bingo is the social anchor for cross-functional sessions. Give it full time. The goal is cross-team conversations, not just card completion.
- Idea Storm 15 minGenerate ideas for improving cross-functional collaboration and breaking down silos.Keep discussion focused on systems, processes, and shared priorities — not team blame. Long-standing frustrations may surface; redirect to: "What would you change?"
- Priority Poker 18 minAlign on the top cross-team priorities and collaboration improvements.After reveal: "This is what the group said matters most. Who owns each of these across teams?"
Facilitator Guide
Key Notes
- Cross-functional sessions often surface long-standing frustrations. Keep discussion focused on systems and shared priorities — not team blame.
- Bingo is the social anchor. Give it full time — the goal is cross-team conversations.
- Polls surface misalignment. Splits in poll results are the most valuable data in this session.
- Priority Poker output should name cross-team owners, not just priorities.
- Close by asking: "Who owns each of these across teams?" Ownership is the output.
Discussion Tips
- What assumption does another team make about our work that is most often wrong?
- Where does the handoff between our teams create the most friction?
- What would better cross-team collaboration look like in practice?
Closing Prompts
- "What's one cross-team commitment you're making after today?"
- "Who is one person from another team you want to stay in contact with?"
Delivered Through Workshop Plans
When launched, this Playbook becomes a Workshop Plan that guides facilitators through each activity, tracks workshop progress, and supports structured delivery from beginning to end.
Ready to run this workshop?
MyWorkshopTools guides you through every step. No facilitation experience required.