How leaders can prevent entrenchment on their teams

If you have identified subgroups in your team, division, or organization that pose the risk of becoming entrenched into silos (and worse, polarized), there are several strategies that might help to increase cross-group collaboration. Below are a few ideas that may help you weaken the boundaries between emerging subgroups:

Change up the team members. Leaders can shift people in and out of teams through job or resource allocations so groups are forced to shift their dynamics.

Move the physical spaces around.  Moving workstations so different people are near each other and more likely to change their interactions can be a very effective way to change the dynamics of group interactions.

Be conscious of pairing virtual and co-located people. Particularly in breakout groups, make an effort to make sure you vary who is…