It’s Not Hybrid Work
A large organization brought me in to fix their ‘silo problem.’ Leadership was convinced hybrid work created these divisions. But here’s what I actually found.
A large organization recently brought me in to help them fix their “silo problem.” Leadership was convinced COVID and hybrid work had created these divisions.
But here’s what I actually found: We didn’t invent silos during the pandemic – we simply digitized the ones that were already there.
Marketing lives in their Slack channels. Engineering in their stand-ups. Finance in their spreadsheets. Parallel worlds. Minimal intersection.
The distance wasn’t the cause. It just made the pattern impossible to ignore. Silos aren’t just operational headaches – they’re psychological defaults. And if we don’t intentionally design against them, they end up running the organization for us.
Three Shifts That Actually Break Silos:
1. Create Cross-Functional Rituals. Not just project teams – rituals. Weekly demo days. Monthly “walk a mile” shadowing. Quarterly collaborative problem-solving sessions. Repeated exposure reduces the us-vs-them mindset and builds real relationships.
2. Reward Collaboration, Not Just Individual Wins. If bonuses and recognition only reward isolated success, you’re funding silos. Tie rewards to cross-functional outcomes. Celebrate the marketer who helps product understand customer pain points… and the engineer who translates technical constraints for the business team.
3. Make Information Radically Transparent. Silos thrive in information asymmetry. Share OKRs across departments. Make meeting notes accessible. Use open channels for projects. Transparency feels vulnerable – that’s exactly why it works.
The uncomfortable truth: your org structure is probably creating silos right now. The good news: understanding the psychology behind them gives you the tools to push back.
