Silos Belong on Farms, Not in Companies

In today’s world of constant change, many companies have recognised the need to change with the times. However, what we find is that the change happens in silos. Whether they are organizational structure silos or process silos, I have one thing to say.

Silos belong on farms, not in companies.

Change Gone Wrong

Here is an example of change gone wrong. A company executive is not happy with the production results from the team. Without talking to anyone or defining the actual problem, the executive decides that the problem is middle managers not doing their jobs. He decides that the best solution is to reorganize the company into a different reporting structure. The company reorganizes without any explanation of why it is happening, by receiving an email from Human Resources announcing a new organisation chart effective on Monday. 

Six months later, the executive sees no change and is still unhappy with the productivity. He decides that he just didn’t make the right changes, and that he has a few “weak” managers whom he needs to let go and replace with others. He again reorganizes the company, and HR sends out an email announcing the changes, including new managers to whom the staff has not been introduced.

This is a classic example of an executive working in a silo, making changes without identifying the problem, and expecting a new result by repeating the same bad behaviours over and over again.

Ramifications of Company Silos

What are the ramifications of making corporate change in a vacuum or a silo? Here are just a few. 

• Employees who resent the change, or don’t understand the purpose of the change.

• Groups working at cross purposes and canceling out each others’ efforts.

• Processes have gaps due to cross-over with other groups not included in discussions.

What other ramifications of silos can you identify in your organisation?

Seven Steps For Successful Organizational Change

So how does effective change start? At Agility for All, we follow these seven steps to get companies started on the path to successful change:

• Identify the actual problems to solve.

• Assess the cultural readiness to change.

• Create a transformation roadmap.

• Set realistic expectations of what this change requires.

• Share the strategy across the organisation.

• Develop a backlog and establish an iterative process.

• Implement slowly, with a constant feedback loop.

Learn more about the work that we do and the programs that we offer. Set up a call to start planning how you want to change the culture of your organization.

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About the Author:

INDRA A. BOOKS

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