I have worked with some extremely talented people in many organizations around North America. These people and the companies they serve are passionate about their work and using the Web. Why is it then, that the majority of these organizations have difficulty executing their work and maximizing their digital efforts? Certainly, this does not mean every company has this issue but  75-85% that I have worked with suffer from organizational and behavioral issues that hold them back.

I have come to two conclusions: 1) a lack of strategic integration and 2) collaboration are the key perpetrators that affect results and maximizing most online brands. Don’t believe me? Look at some of the popular book titles from recent years and you will see topics related to these very same issues:

  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
  • Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars
  • Connecting Organizational Silos
  • If Only We Knew What We Know
  • Organizational Culture Change
  • The Advantage

This is not a new thing, is it?

I once heard somebody say, “Work would be so much easier if I didn’t have to work with people.” Working with others is hard. It would be so much easier if I could do my own thing, my way, and not be bothered by someone else but, that’s not the world we live in. Living in a silo does you, me, and no one else any good.

A Word About Silos

What are silos good for? Silos do not promote growth. They were never created for growing things.

Dictionary.com defines a silo as:
1. A structure, typically cylindrical, in which fodder or forage is kept.
2. A pit or underground space for storing grain, green feeds, etc.
Military. An underground installation constructed of concrete and steel, designed to house a ballistic missile and the equipment for firing it.

The bottom line is silos are for preserving dead things – not for growing things. This is also true for our personal lives – we need healthy interaction. Living alone, working alone, and being alone is not healthy. The same is true for our organizations. Silos are unhealthy and can be downright destructive.

Remember this: Silos Separate They Don’t Integrate

What are the good things and bad things about organizational silos? I will cover this in the next post.

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