The ‘boundaryless’ organisation is chaotic. Verticals work, and exist for good reasons — to aggregate expertise, assign accountability, and give a sense of identity. Companies should build bridges between verticals and institute checks and balances, instead of completely dismantling structures. Here are four ways to make silos work:
Company values: By including “one-company” behaviour in its corporate values, a company signals that people should think and act beyond the boundaries of their verticals.
Operating model: Building a good interface between verticals by defining clear procedures for approvals, consultation, and communication across boundaries, enables effective collaboration.
Community and people: Companies need to introduce cross-functional innovation initiatives. Once familiarity is established, people will connect more easily whenever a concrete need for collaboration arises.
Leadership: Leaders should demonstrate collaborative behaviour themselves by showing loyalty to the joint decisions made in the management team.
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