I'll take my RCT with milk, no sugar...
I'll take my RCT with milk, no sugar...
What has milk and sugar got to do with a Randomised Controlled Trial...?
...But wait – it’s not that kind of RCT!
I’m talking about a ‘Randomised Coffee Trial’!
What is it?
It’s the lovely idea that managers randomly assign organisation members to a coffee and chat.
Who knew something so simple could be so powerful?
The power derives from these factors:
Giving workers permission to take a short break, just to check in with each other, without any particular agenda or goal.
Totally random conversations, as well as some beneficial work-related conversations, break silos a in an effective way.
Because it offers the chance to make time to talk to people workers should be talking to anyway, and to meet people who they won’t be directly working with, it’s excellent way of revealing links within the organization and encouraging collaboration.
All this helps build social connection – the glue that holds teams together.
All this can help boost productivity!
I particularly like the idea of ‘breaking silos’ which can be very detrimental to workplace collaborations and effectiveness…
What is an 'organisational silo' anyway?
While agricultural silos seperate assets vital to a farm, like grain or milk; the term 'organizational silos' refers to the separation of a different kind of vital asset: people.
Organizational silos form when leaders, and ultimately all staff, are allowed to develop more loyalty to a specific group or team than to the company as a whole.
Explore More
If you fancy learning more, here’s an interesting read on silo mentaliy. And read more on on Randomised Coffee Trials here & here!
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
