The document discusses the problems that can arise from siloed organizational cultures where different departments focus only on their own goals and agendas. Specifically, it notes that silos can cause departments to lose sight of the big picture, communication breaks down between teams, and employees report a lack of support from colleagues. While silos may form naturally, the key is to eliminate the problems they cause, such as decreased social capital and disordered decision-making. This can be addressed by defining shared company values, encouraging innovation, and creating opportunities for employees to collaborate across departments.

1. CREATING
CULTUREI N S I L O E D
O R G A N I S A T I O N S

2. Departmental silos are
seen as a growing pain for
most organisations of all
sizes.
W H A T I S Y O U R
B I G G E S T C O N C E R N
W I T H A S I L O E D
C U L T U R E ?

3. MATTHEW HARRIS, CEO
- SENDWITHUS
“Departmental silos become problematic when departments
develop tunnel vision, solely focused on their own functional area.
They can lose sight of the big picture and fail to take into account the
impact of what they’re doing in other departments. Communication
and transparency between departments breaks down, resulting in
organisational dysfunction on multiple levels,”

4. "DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS HAVE
THEIR OWN
AGENDAS"
A recent survey
from My
Customer.com,
shows that 40
percent of
company
employees report
that they aren’t
adequately
supported by their
colleagues
because
T H E S O C I A L E X P E R I M E N T A U S T R A L I A P T Y L T D
MUSIC
FASHION ART

5. GILLIAN TETT
Financial Times: Can You Work without Silos?
h t t p s : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = 8 k C V a A 8 v r d U

6. BREAKING DOWN THE
BARRIERS
T H E G O A L I S N O T T O D E S T R O Y S I L O S
T H E M S E L V E S B U T T O E L I M I N A T E T H E P R O B L E M S
T H A T S I L O S C A U S E

7. DEFINE YOUR COMPANY’S VALUES
AND ALIGN THOSE VALUES TO
YOUR GOALS (OR SOMETIMES
EVEN YOUR GOALS TO THE
VALUES)
INNOVATIVE CULTURE AS THE
FOUNDATION FOR BUSINESS
LEADERSHIP BUY-IN IS A GIVEN
TRY FAST, ITERATE FAST, FAIL
QUICKLY, AND STOP
CREATE PLACES FOR EMPLOYEES
TO MEET BY CHANCE
INCORPORATE WELLNESS FOR
EMPLOYEES
ATTRACT DISRUPTIVE MINDS
Creating Culture

8. KEY
TAKEAWAYS
Silos may decrease social capital, create disorder and complicate the
decision making process in a company.
Silos themselves do no create these problems, the mentality that comes
with them does.
Silos are more apt to form in big companies, but small ones are not insured
against them either.
Forming of silos in the organization is a natural process.
Silos do not need to be destroyed if they are used correctly.
T H E S O C I A L E X P E R I M E N T A U S T R A L I A P T Y L T D

9. Director, Business Strategy & Growth
Josephine Otimi
josephine@thesocialexperiment.com.au
0402 724 214