Pop quiz! What do email threads, restricted documents, and water-cooler conversations have in common? They are the raw materials with which information silos are built. We think of silos as rock-solid structures that can (and sometimes do) survive a category five tornado. But in truth, the information silos we encounter at work aren’t as indestructible as they seem. With a few techniques for more open, effective communication and a little bit of moxie, you and your team can beat the system.

In any organization, large or small, a defined strategy and tireless accountability are essential to making sure all teams are aligned and focused as they go about their day-to-day work. For a company operating in a scaled agile environment, where teams are empowered to make decisions, strategic context must be crystal clear to create a trusting environment where teams can do their best work and drive business results.

By 2022, the skills employees will need to thrive will include creativity, trustworthiness, emotional intelligence, and leadership, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2018. Intelligence matters. But recently, business leaders have begun to place more emphasis on “soft skills” – you know, those intangible qualities that make the difference between being a dear or dreary coworker.

It’s been a few years since the “Spotify Model” became the latest trend for structuring an engineering team. But, like its predecessors, the model based on tribes and squads has some pitfalls. How to structure an engineering team is a question that’s been covered at length, from the strengths and weaknesses of common team structures to a matrix of organization based on risk and scale to why you should choose your own model.