In every organization, silos form naturally.
Departments focus on their own priorities, projects multiply, and communication starts to fade between teams.
It’s not a lack of goodwill — it’s simply the way complexity grows.
The problem is that these silos slow down decisions, blur strategy, and make collaboration exhausting.
Breaking silos isn’t about reorganizing boxes on an org chart.
It’s about rebuilding shared understanding — conversation by conversation.
The real cost of silos
When each department optimizes for itself, the organization loses its coherence.
You end up with:
- disconnected customer experiences,
- duplicated projects,
- unclear responsibilities,
- and a lot of wasted energy trying to “align” people after the fact.
In short: everyone’s working hard, but not necessarily together.
Seven key conversations to reconnect the dots
At &friends, we use the EDGY framework to help teams rediscover the big picture through a series of structured conversations:
- Who are we, really?
(Identity) — What’s the shared ambition that drives us beyond departmental goals? - Who are we here for?
(Experience) — Who are our clients, users, and partners — and how do they see us? - How do we deliver value?
(Architecture) — What systems, processes, and collaborations make that possible? - What holds it all together?
(Culture) — What values and habits guide daily decisions? - Where do the frictions appear?
— Which points of connection fail or create bottlenecks? - What’s missing in our shared map?
— What blind spots prevent us from seeing how the organization truly works? - What will we change first?
— Turning insights into concrete, collective actions.
These conversations reconnect perspectives that had drifted apart.
Mini-story: seven conversations that changed a merger
When two organizations in the same sector merged, the integration dragged on for months.
Everyone had a different definition of “the client,” “the product,” and even “success.”
By mapping their enterprise with EDGY and holding these seven conversations, they discovered surprising overlaps — and several contradictions.
Within weeks, they weren’t talking about merging systems anymore, but about aligning ambitions.
The technical integration followed naturally.
The hidden benefit: energy regained
When people finally see how their work connects to others’, alignment stops being a management exercise.
It becomes a shared motivation.
Teams start collaborating not because they have to, but because it makes sense again.
Metrics that matter
- Reduction in duplicated initiatives across departments.
- Time saved in decision-making once roles and dependencies are clarified.
- Employee clarity score: “I understand how my work contributes to the organization’s goals.”
And after?
Breaking silos isn’t a one-time effort.
It’s an ongoing discipline: keeping the organization’s “map” visible and alive.
The good news? When everyone shares that map, complexity stops being chaos — it becomes a system you can navigate together.
FAQ
Isn’t this just another reorganization exercise?
Not at all. This isn’t about moving boxes on a chart — it’s about reconnecting meaning and collaboration.
How long does it take to “break silos”?
It depends on the organization, but a few focused conversations can already reveal a lot. The key is to keep them going regularly.
Do you need to use EDGY for this?
No — but EDGY gives a clear, visual language to make the invisible connections visible and actionable.
