Don’t Destroy Silos - Rethink Them. 6 ways you can do it.

By Jayson Krause, Managing Director of Level 52 & Award-Winning Author of The Science Behind Success

Silos are one of the most common challenges leaders face. The word itself has become synonymous with dysfunction: teams hoarding information, departments working at cross-purposes, and collaboration grinding to a halt in service of speed. But here’s the thing about silos: they aren’t inherently bad. In fact, silos exist because they serve a purpose.

The problem isn’t that silos exist, it’s how we think about them. Silos are a natural byproduct of growth and specialization. They provide focus, structure, and accountability within an organization. But when silos become isolated, disconnected, and rigid, that’s when the real problems start.

So, what’s the answer? Don’t seek to destroy silos. Rethink them.

If you’ve been trying to “break down silos” in your organization, it might be time to take a different approach. Instead of trying to eliminate silos altogether, learn how to make them work for you. Let’s explore how to re-engineer silos into productive systems of collaboration, alignment, and innovation.

Why Silos Exist (and Why They Aren’t the Villain)

Silos exist for a reason: focus. As organizations grow, they create specialized teams to tackle specific challenges. Finance focuses on numbers, marketing focuses on brand, and operations focuses on execution. This division of labor is necessary as it allows for expertise, efficiency, and accountability.

But here’s where silos go wrong: when they become isolated. When teams start working as if their goals are the only ones that matter, the organization fragments. What begins as a system of specialization becomes a web of disconnection.

The result? Missed opportunities, wasted effort, and a culture of “us vs. them.”

The Conventional Approach: Breaking Down Silos

Most leaders respond to silos with the same mantra: We need to break down silos. The assumption is that if you remove barriers, collaboration will naturally flow. But here’s the problem: breaking down silos often creates chaos. Without structure, people lose clarity about roles, priorities, and decision-making processes.

When you destroy silos entirely, you lose the focus and accountability they were designed to provide. The better approach? Don’t break them down, find better ways to connect them.

The Divergent Approach: Rethinking Silos

Instead of treating silos as a problem to be solved, treat them as a system to be optimized. Silos don’t need to disappear; they need to be re-engineered to foster collaboration, alignment, and innovation. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Shift the Mindset: Silos Aren’t the Enemy—Isolation Is

The first step is to stop vilifying silos. They’re not the enemy; isolation is. Silos become problematic when they operate in isolation, disconnected from the larger mission of the organization.

What to Do:

• Reframe silos as centers of excellence. Instead of viewing them as barriers, see them as hubs of expertise that can contribute to the greater good.

• Highlight the shared mission. Continuously connect each silo’s work to the broader purpose of the organization.

2. Build Bridges, Not Walls

I’ll say this several times in this article - silos aren’t the issue, it’s the lack of connection between them. The key is to build bridges that link silos together without undermining their focus.

What to Do:

• Create Cross-Functional Teams: Bring people from different silos together to solve specific challenges. These teams act as the connective tissue that keeps the organization aligned.

• Institute Role Clarity: Clearly define how each silo contributes to shared goals. When roles and responsibilities are clear, collaboration becomes easier.

• Foster Relationships: Relationships are the foundation of collaboration. Encourage leaders and team members from different silos to build rapport, trust, and mutual respect.

3. Align Goals: From Silo Metrics to Shared Metrics

One of the biggest drivers of silo behavior is misaligned goals. If one team is measured on speed, another on quality, and another on cost reduction, you’ve created a recipe for conflict.

What to Do:

• Introduce Shared Metrics: Create organizational goals that all silos contribute to. For example, instead of each silo chasing its own KPIs, align everyone around a common goal like customer satisfaction or revenue growth.

• Involve Silos in Goal-Setting: When people are involved in setting shared goals, they’re more likely to buy in and collaborate to achieve them.

4. Make Information Flow Effortless

Silos often hoard information, not out of malice, but because there’s no system in place to share it effectively. When information doesn’t flow, decisions get made in a vacuum, and opportunities are missed.

What to Do:

• Create Transparent Systems: Use tools and platforms that make sharing information easy and automatic. Whether it’s a shared dashboard or regular cross-department updates, transparency reduces friction.

• Encourage Over-Communication: In siloed environments, it’s better to over-communicate than under-communicate. Make it a habit to share updates, insights, and challenges across teams.

5. Reward the Right Behaviors

Organizations unintentionally reinforce silo behavior when they reward individual or team performance over collective success. If your reward systems encourage competition over collaboration, guess what? You’re fueling the problem.

What to Do:

• Celebrate Collaboration Wins: Highlight and reward teams that work together to achieve shared goals.

• Reevaluate Incentives: Align rewards and recognition with behaviors that support the organization’s mission, not just silo-specific achievements.

6. Pause to Clarify, Challenge, and Align

One of the most powerful tools for overcoming silo behavior is the ability to pause. When silos are pulling in different directions, a pause creates space for clarity and alignment.

What to Do:

• Facilitate Regular Alignment Meetings: Bring leaders from each silo together to discuss priorities, challenges, and opportunities. Use these meetings to ensure everyone is aligned on the big picture.

• Ask the Tough Questions: Are we working toward the same goals? Are we sharing information effectively? Are we building on each other’s strengths or working in isolation

The Long Game: From Silos to Systems

Rethinking silos isn’t a one-time fix, it’s an ongoing process. It requires a cultural shift where collaboration becomes the default, not the exception. Leaders must consistently reinforce the shared mission, foster connections, and celebrate the power of working together.

When silos are connected, aligned, and optimized, they stop being barriers and start being the engines of innovation and impact towards your compelling vision.

The Bottom Line

The problem isn’t silos, it’s how we use them. Silos, when re-engineered the right way, can be a powerful asset inside the business. They bring focus, expertise, and accountability. The key is for leadership to connect them, align them, and make them work together toward a shared mission.

So, stop attempting to destroy silos. Put your efforts into rethinking them. Build bridges, align goals, and create systems that turn silos into sources of strength. Because the future of your organization doesn’t depend on eliminating silos, but leveraging the power by doing the right things, in the right way to transform them into a high performing system.