Are business unit silos affecting your NERC reliability compliance program? Here are some tips for improving your reliability culture, and breaking down silos in your organization.
What are silos, you say? As they pertain to the business environment, the Merriam Webster dictionary defines a silo as “an isolated grouping, department, etc., that functions apart from others, especially in a way seen as hindering communication and cooperation.” (2019 Merriam-Webster, Inc.)
Performing work in a siloed environment can exhaust an organization’s already limited resources and efforts. Narrow or conflicting objectives between business units and duplication of resources and effort can increase the overall risk to bulk power system reliability and introduce unnecessary added costs to your organization. Learning to improve the sharing and coordination between business units and developing some common and consistent goals for everyone involved in NERC reliability compliance efforts is something that will benefit your entire organization well into the future.
Unfortunately, communication and cooperation does not occur naturally without the role of senior management facilitating and promoting information sharing and coordination between business units. Improving a siloed culture begins with the tone at the top.
Listed below are five helpful steps for breaking down the silos in your organization:
Work with your senior leadership to develop a cross-functional team between business units to share information, collaborate on approach and solutions, and coordinate NERC related activities. An overall team administrator is recommended, along with a team lead from each business unit.
Develop cross-functional team goals and objectives to address all NERC related activities and the organization’s reliability obligations.
Hold periodic team meetings with each business unit’s lead to discuss, share, and collaborate on NERC activities.
Track the team’s goals and activities and communicate progress milestones to senior leadership and all team members.
Establish tools for internally sharing the cross-functional team’s activities (Intranet, newsletter, bulletins, etc.).
Developing a cross-functional team is an efficient method for improving overall consistency in your organization’s NERC reliability program. Need assistance with your NERC compliance efforts? Contact Dale Zahn at Proven Compliance Solutions Inc. today to see the full list of services we offer. He can be reached at (262) 436-4116 or visit our website at www.provencompliance.com. #NERCcompliance #NERC #criticalinfrastructureprotection #weccreliability #SPPorg #ReliabilityFirst #Texas_RE_Inc
