Episode Duration: 45 minutes
Hosts: Kumar Dattatreyan & Glenn Marshall

The average company spends 21% of its time (one full day every week) in meetings just trying to get different departments to talk to each other.

Organizations inevitably mirror their communication structures in their products. Siloed companies create siloed experiences for customers, while connected organizations deliver seamless value.

Glenn shares how Elon Musk's famous memo empowers employees to bypass hierarchy entirely: "If you encounter an issue, go directly to where it originates. Don't go through your manager—go to the source."

In one major North American bank, 85-90% of the IT budget goes to moving software between environments rather than creating customer value. This isn't just inefficiency—it's organizational madness.

The controversial take: Silos aren't inherently bad. They're an inevitable result of organizational growth and specialization. The key is making them permeable rather than trying to eliminate them entirely.

Test your organization's silo health with these questions:

"Can any employee easily get the information they need to serve a customer?"

"Do decisions get made by the people closest to the impact?"

"When something goes wrong, do teams blame each other or work together to solve it?"

4,000 autonomous teams with P&L accountability, supported by leadership in a servant model. Each team operates like a mini-company within the larger ecosystem.

Complete reorganization around customer journeys rather than traditional banking functions, creating cross-functional "tribes."

Small, autonomous teams that own entire customer experiences, eliminating the unclear ownership of large cross-functional groups.

Myth: "Regulatory industries need lots of hierarchy"
Truth: Regulations require certain outputs and audit trails, not specific organizational structures. An auditor at an Agile conference revealed: "We hate the garbage you send us as much as you hate creating it. Let's work together instead."

Instead of eliminating silos, create bridges and tunnels between them:

Silos will form naturally as organizations grow. The question isn't whether you'll have them, but whether they'll help or hinder your ability to serve customers. Make them permeable, not permanent barriers.

Resources Mentioned:

Blog post detailing the 3-Question Silo Diagnostic: https://www.agilemeridian.com/blog/The%20Ultimate%20Silo%20Buster

What silos exist in your organization? How much of your week is spent in "coordination meetings"? Share your experiences in the comments below.