Nick Law on Breaking Down Silos and Fostering Creative Collaboration

In this episode of “Tame the Mobile Beast,” Tom Butta speaks with Nick Law, Creative Chairperson at Accenture Song, about the pervasive challenge of business silos and their impact on the customer experience. Nick shares his perspective on how companies can break down these internal barriers with a clear vision, guiding principles and a collaborative culture driven by strong leadership.

Short on time? Here are five key takeaways from the conversation:

Silos Emerge Naturally with Scale but Hinder Creativity and Customer Experience

Functional, regional or vertical silos often develop when an organization grows. While specialized teams are intended for efficiency, these divisions can impede the collaborative creative process and unified execution. This often translates to disjointed, frustrating customer experiences across various touchpoints. Navigating a website with a different feel and login than the mobile app, or receiving different or repetitive messages across engagement channels, erode trust and can drive customers to seek more seamless alternatives.

Collaboration Beyond Information Sharing is Crucial

True collaboration involves “compound connections” where one team’s work enhances others and “synthetic connections” where the combined efforts of individuals from different backgrounds lead to innovative outcomes that wouldn’t be possible in isolation. Nick shared an example of the synergy between a copywriter and art director in advertising, or the integration of hardware and software development at Apple. Designing for these deeper levels of collaborative creation is essential for both innovation and delivering unified customer experiences.

A Singular Vision and Guiding Principles Are Essential for Alignment 

Overcoming silos requires a clear and consistently communicated company vision that everyone can rally around. This vision, coupled with enduring principles such as customer-centricity, simplicity or the intersection of message and behavior, provides a framework for decision-making and ensures that practices, which evolve with technology, are aligned with the overarching goals. Nick cautions against mistaking practices for principles, as clinging too tightly to outdated methods can hinder agility and innovation. 

Leadership Must Embody the Vision and Incentivize Collaboration

Leaders play a critical role in breaking down silos by embodying the company vision and consistently reiterating it. They must also structure the organization and incentives to reward contributions to the overall company success, not just individual departments or P&Ls. A strong collaborative culture, where individuals are recognized for their cross-functional contributions, is vital. Leaders can ultimately counteract the natural tendency towards siloed thinking and behavior.

The Customer Experience Suffers from Internal Disconnection

The consequences of internal silos are most acutely felt by the customer. When different teams operate independently, each focusing solely on their specific touchpoint without a holistic view of the customer journey, the resulting experience can feel fragmented, inconsistent, and ultimately frustrating. Designing integrated internal processes is key to delivering seamless external experiences.