I am in need of a quick activity to aid in the breakdown of department silos I have in an HR division. We will have 8 HR departments together for a short time (I will have about 30 minutes from start to finish to conduct an activity). I need something without "fluff". "Fluff" activities have been used in the past and were not received well. (games, pictionary, etc.) For the most part, I would say those attending mostly want the meeting information and then want to leave, if that gives you an idea. Granted, 30 minutes isn't much to accomplish this goal, but it is all I have.

I will be facilitating this exercise/activity in a couple weeks. Any thoughts other than good luck?? :-)

Can you expand a little more on the goal of the meeting? What do you want them to be able to do when they leave? Generally speaking, breaking down silos (at least the way I interpreted your question) is a cultural change, not something that is going to be done in a 30 minute session.

siegert,

Wish I could offer some encouragement...but don't think you can get there through the activities route. By giving people good ideas about breaking down silos...then having them go back to their silos to work on it....simply reinforces the problem. Don't let it happen.

Rather than mask the real issues and pathways with an activity, why not treat this as an intervention opportunity for the Division leader? If it is an important issue then the leader should be making a compelling call to action, engage the department mangers in a collaborative effort to get an agreement on the problem, root causes, alternatives, and an agreement on next steps all can live with and actively support.

This can also become a great opportunity for everyone to model the behaviors they seek in others.
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From the "There's A Lesson Here for Us All" department: If HR managers don't receive "fluff" well....maybe we should pause before we decide to inflict same on our internal/external clients.

dragon and silverspur, thanks for your responses. Both of your responses resonated with me - I had similar thoughts when I was approached with this project.

dragon - I am not completely certain what the goal of the meeting is. This is a project that has been given to me and I am seeking further clarification. I agree I need a solid outcome.

In the meantime, I am thinking of a way to bypass the activity and replace it with something useful. Is there a question or two I could throw out to the group instead of an activity - such as, "How can we break down HR department silos?" and use this data to give to the division leader? Or is this a filler activity that continues to mask the problem?

I think silverspur had it right. Get them to collaboratively explore the problems, root causes, possible solutions, and next steps. Focus on the business problems caused by having silos, not merely the fact that you have them.

Also emphasize the individual benefits. If I am in this workshop, why should I care about breaking down silos? How can this help me do my job better? Ultimately if you don't have a good answer to this question, no one will care.