The silo effect describes a lack of common goals, communication and collaboration between departments in an organization.

The word silo is used as a metaphor for separate entities that stockpile information and effectively seal it in. In business, organizational silos refer to groups of employees or business divisions that operate independently and avoid sharing information.

  

 
 

Departmental silos are seen as a growing pain for most organizations of all sizes.

  

Barriers to successful TQM

  

 
 

Losing Organization

Silos are created when the individual departments lose sight of the overarching goal of market success and instead focus on departmental goals.

Silos impede knowledge sharing, cross-pollination of ideas, and innovation.

  

 
 

How To Break Silos

  
 

Here are some ideas for breaking silos and reducing barriers to communication:

Share the corporate vision and strategic intent with every employee

Align division goals with your corporate strategy

Adopt cross-functional management practices

Establish and empower cross-functional teams

Develop a team culture that encourages and rewards open communication and collaboration

Communicate corporate initiatives, expectations, and results to every employee regularly

Create a digital visibility room that displays corporate vision, strategic intent, projects, and opportunities knowledge and ideas sharing for easy reference by all employees

Celebrate cross-functional successes.

 

 

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