Silos are what separates a community, whether that community is a neighborhood, school, or workplace, they cause division among groups, which causes tension, judgment, and negatively affects culture. It’s important to have people in leadership positions who practice emotional intelligence and are aware of the culture in their organization. A leader who is involved encourages collaboration and promotes a team environment that will influence their organization and can prevent silos from forming within their company. 

“A good leader sets the tone and creates a culture of collaboration and teamwork!”

In the leadership World this form of indirect leadership is often referred to as “cascading”. It occurs when the direct influence of the leader is transmitted down the authority hierarchy of an organization from the CEO to middle managers, to lower-level managers, to employees. The influence can involve changes in employee attitudes, beliefs, values, or behaviors. For example, a CEO who sets a good example of ethical and supportive behavior may influence similar behavior by employees at lower levels in the organization. 

“Good leadership is a deal-breaker for the success of an organization and a good leader will ensure silos are not being built within their walls”

Silos are built because people tend to gravitate towards people who are either similar to them or they are comfortable/ what they are used to. Gravitating towards individuals with similar interests is normal, however, when individuals do this in social settings silos can start to form without warning. The difference with silos being built in the workplace verse outside of the workplace is the negative impact it has on the overall success of the organization, primarily employee morale and culture. 

Silos in the workplace can be seen through lack of collaboration and communication. It can also be seen when groups within an organization become their own ‘island’, meaning there is little to no collaboration with a team and they stay to themselves. Silos are built without people realizing it so when leaders can recognize them forming and stop them from getting larger, they do their organization a favor by creating a culture of collaboration and one team.

Advice for Leaders:

If you find yourself noticing silos being built on your team, department, or workplace I encourage you to acknowledge them and break them down. Break them down by addressing them, leading by example and engaging and collaborating with people outside of the silo. It’s critical that you as the leader acknowledge this problem and bridge the gap. Otherwise, you risk losing employees to a negative work culture with low employee morale. 

You’re the leader because people look up to you. Be the change and tear down all those silos being built within your team.