It was a time defined by Feudalism which was a lack of unity, and lots of competition; mostly over resources. Fiefdoms competed for land.
The more land a feudal lord held, the more powerful their house and the more tax they could excise from their subjects. These fiefdoms actively sought to sabotage smaller fiefdoms to get at their resources and consolidate and grow their power. The people working these lands suffered under this system as they were forced to work hard in return for protection but very little satisfaction. Serfs were at the bottom of the social structure.
Each feudal lord saw themselves as a separate, and entitled, entity, and they did not cooperate. The time is characterised by the phrase:
Divide and conquer.
Today, fiefdoms are more commonly seen as socio-political structures within companies rather than within continents. And this situation is just as destructive to company culture as was Feudalism was to countries. Each fiefdom fighting the other for domination rather than cooperating for a common goal.
How do these fiefdoms get started in a company and how can we turn them around?
Breakdown of Collaboration
- Fiefdoms often prioritize their own goals over the company’s shared mission.
- This leads to siloed communication, where teams don’t share information or resources, making cross-functional collaboration difficult.
It’s important to minimise fiefdoms in a company and instead encourage groups to mix, breaking down the barriers that might form between them.
Erosion of Trust
- When departments hoard information or act in self-interest, it breeds suspicion and resentment.
- Employees may feel like they’re competing with colleagues rather than working together.
Often this hoarding is a defensive reaction where a department feels it’s under threat and thus has to “hoard its gold” in case it needs to defend itself from invaders. Defuse this and the fiefdom is no longer necessary and it will happily rejoin the rest of the company.
Inconsistent Values and Practices
- Each fiefdom may develop its own subculture, which can conflict with the company’s core values.
- This inconsistency confuses employees and weakens the overall identity of the organization.
Left unchecked, a fiefdom isolates itself from the rest of the company and strives to block collaboration in an effort to further protect its turf. When one group breaks away, odds are the rest will follow as they start to feel vulnerable as well.
This situation gets much worse if left to fester.
Stifled Innovation
- Innovation thrives on diverse perspectives and open communication.
- Fiefdoms discourage this by creating barriers to idea-sharing and collaboration.
Innovation is stifled by a lack of collaboration like starving a fire of oxygen.
Leadership Conflicts
- Power struggles between department heads can lead to political maneuvering rather than productive leadership.
- This distracts from strategic goals and demoralizes employees.
When teams are busy protecting themselves they start clashing and disagreeing rather than cooperating. The desire and benefit of collaboration dissipates in this environment.
It’s important to hear and encourage differing viewpoints so that fiefdoms are not necessary.
Employee Disengagement
- When employees see favoritism, lack of transparency, or internal turf wars, they may become disengaged or cynical.
- High-performing talent may leave for more cohesive environments.
It’s a rare employee that enjoys being stifled. If they feel there’s no future for them at the company, your instinct will be to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Encourage healthy conflict and discussion.
Customer Experience Suffers
- Disconnected teams often provide inconsistent or fragmented service to customers.
- This can damage the company’s reputation and bottom line.
An unhappy team communicates poorly with the rest of the company and also externally. It’s very hard to hide discontent once it takes root in an organisation. Stamp it out by acknowledging the problem directly, and positively, and by supporting positive change.
Build bridges to unite your company
A company thrives with collaborative unity. Once fiefdoms can let down their guard and come out from behind their walls, they are then free to share ideas and resources and do great things.
And then you can get back to the adage:
United we stand, divided we fall.
