Breaking organizational silos: Removing barriers to exceptional performance

Posted January 2006

By Rodney K. Bell

This article, which appeared in the June 2005 edition of the AWWA Journal, explains that, “Water and wastewater utilities, like most organizations, are commonly organized into functional departments that tend to become organizational silos focused on achieving their own individual objectives.” While the silo organizational structure has it merits, Bell argues that ultimately “it imposes definite limits on the utility’s ability to work as a team for greatest service excellence and profitability.”

He recommends that management efforts “focus on streamlining, perfecting, and coordinating daily end-to-end business processes rather than on managing and controlling functional divisions.”

For the complete article, click here.