Eradicate Organisational Silos Before Change Implementation
- Peter F Gallagher
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
“For the change to be successful, organisational silos must be eradicated quickly and ruthlessly. This is one change sponsor task that cannot be delayed or evaded”
Organisational silos refer to the separation of different functions or departments that essentially operate independently to some degree. Silos are formed when a leader of a department and its employees develop more loyalty to a specific group than to the wider organisation. Over time, employees within these silos become insular and distrustful of other employees and departments. They lose sight of the overarching goal of organisational success and instead focus on departmental goals. They cause high deficiencies in operating performance and limit the value the organisation can create. Customer relations could also be damaged if they see this silo mentality and start to think that the organisation is dysfunctional or simply incompetent. Lack of intervention from other leaders (and the sheep that follow them) allows this to happen. The narcissistic and deluded leaders that create these silos damage and corrupt the organisation.
The inherent problems that silos cause during normal day-to-day operations make successful change and full employee change adoption highly unlikely. Some of the problems that silos cause are:
~ Poor Communication:
Silos make it difficult for organisations to have good communication, which is essential for a high performing organisation. Poor communication usually results in business problems. Effective change communication is at the heart of successful change; it acts like the blood in our bodies, but instead of supplying vital oxygen and nutrients, communication supplies information and motivation to the impacted stakeholders.
~ Limited Collaboration:
Silos make it difficult for collaboration to occur across the organisation. Collaboration is a key success factor of a high-performing organisation, enabling good productivity and teamwork. Collaboration involves multifunctional teams working together, sharing resources and expertise across the organisation to develop new solutions and ways of working. Strong collaboration is a non-negotiable enabler of successful organisational change.
“Change implementation cannot afford the luxury of organisation silos, the leaders that create them, or the behaviour that tolerates them”
Extract from: Change Management Sponsorship - Leadership of Change®
Change Management Body of Knowledge (CMBoK) Volume 7
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
He works exclusively with boards, CEOs, and senior leadership teams to prepare and align them to effectively and proactively lead their organisations through change and transformation.
For insights on navigating organisational change, feel free to reach out at Peter.gallagher@a2B.consulting or schedule a free consultation
Peter F. Gallagher is a leadership guru, change management global thought leader, organisational change authority, international corporate conference speaker, 15X author, and C-level change leadership coach.
Listed #7 in the “Top 30” for Global Gurus Leadership (2025) by Global Gurus.
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2025-2024-2023-2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2026) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #6 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (April 2024) by Thinkers360.
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