Organizational Fragmentation and How it is Reflected in User Experience

One might think, if we have all the available outlets to interact with one another remotely and our message and information transmission are instant, then any informational or communication gaps could be eliminated. However, this is not the case. The digital interaction merely extends the inaptitude and fragmentation of different departments within one organization.

It does not really matter what organization is focused on or what service or industry it is in; they all have one thing in common: promoting and priding themselves in tribal knowledge, where valuable information is contained within a closed circle of people and is not shared with the external groups within the same organization, even though this information is vital for performing a task or completing a process efficiently and error-free.

Example #1: Public College

• The student reaches out to the registration department, asking for help registering for an online summer course to later transfer it to her home college.
• The registration department advises reaching out to the pathway advisor.
• The student reaches out to the pathway advisor via Zoom, and she tells the student to send an email to career coaching.
• Career coaching replies back and suggests scheduling an appointment with a career coach, and provides a list of available coaches.
• The student books the next available appointment with the career coach.
• Later, the student receives an email reply from someone else on the email list requesting to provide transcripts via email.

Example #2: Online Marketplace

• The customer calls to process a refund for something that he does not need, and wants to return it to the seller.
• The operator transfers him to another department.
• Another department listens to the customer's inquiry once again and transfers him to yet another department.
• One hour later, the customer is still getting passed from one department to another in circles, returning to the status quo: original operator.

It really does not matter what industry or service is involved in the process; the problem persists on all levels of hierarchy and structure. For reasons that are hard to identify firmly, people hold a tight grip over valuable information with fierce stubbornness, refusing to share it with colleagues even when they know that it would maximize the overall benefit of the greatest number of people both within and outside the organization, as prescribed by the utilitarian principle.

Is it a competitive spirit that stands in the way of efficiency?

Does it involve a fundamentally individualistic mindset where we separate ourselves from the rest?

Or maybe both?

Thanks for reading! #UXDesign #DesignForAccessibility #Communication #UserExperience