For companies to move away from working in silos, managers need show leadership and get cross-disciplinary teams on board with transformation
New initiatives being introduced without warning, lots of duplicated effort, or teams just not communicating with each other: these are the hallmarks of a siloed organisation. And while silos are not uncommon, they can be crippling if not properly managed or addressed.
“Silos exist in every business, because traditionally businesses tend to structure themselves around functional departments,” explains Nerys Mutlow, who works as an innovation evangelist for ServiceNow, a leading digital workflow company. “But it can create a real lack of accountability and a ‘throw it over the fence’ mentality. Effectively, silos lead to a lot of unproductive work and complexity.”
