As an organisational design consultant at ON THE MARK (OTM), I’ve had the privilege of working on one of the largest whole scale change projects in our company’s 35 years of operation. It has been one of the most rewarding and challenging engagements I completed, helping a highly siloed organisation adopt a new operating model with a continued drive to perform operationally excellent. The results have been transformative: improved efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and a culture of collaboration that was once unimaginable. However, getting to this point wasn’t without its lessons.
Here’s what I learned while guiding this organisation through change, and what leaders should consider when embarking on similar initiatives.
1.Understand the Silos: They’re Symptoms, Not the Root Problem
When I first engaged with this organisation, the silos were immediately apparent: teams operated independently, information was hoarded, and duplication of efforts drove up costs. At first glance, it might seem like the solution is simple; “tear down the walls.” But silos are often symptoms of deeper issues, like misaligned incentives, lack of trust, or outdated structures.
Before redesigning the operating model, we conducted interviews and current state review workshops which helped to uncover what was driving the silos. Was it a fear of losing control? Competing priorities? Whilst these are often underlying causes of silos in other organisations, in this case it was simple. Outdated structures: whilst redesigning the operating model it was easy to see everyone saw the need to collaborate and work towards a common good. The complexity of the organisation and the work they delivered, meant deconstruct and reconstruct was never a desirable option in past redesigns but rather lifting and shifting. In general, “silos do not exist because something was intentionally done” [1]. Understanding these dynamics helped us address not just the structure but the culture that reinforced it.
2.Co-Design, Don’t Dictate
One critical mistake organisations make is assuming a top-down approach to change will be embraced. At OTM, we prioritise co-designing a new operating model with a diagonal slice of the organisation involving employees at all levels.
Through collaborative sessions, teams mapped out pain points in the current state and envisioned what success could look like in a more integrated future. Not only did this approach surface valuable insights, but it also builds commitment [2]. “People support what they help create” is one of OTM’s guiding principles – this being a fundamental part of implementing and embedding the new design as people were less resistant to the change because they had a hand in shaping it [3].
3.Don’t Underestimate the Emotional Side of Change
Change isn’t just structural; it’s deeply personal. For many employees, the silos represented a sense of identity, security, or expertise. Removing them can feel destabilising. To address this, we invested heavily in change management; however, it is important to be ahead of the emotional curve, thus being in a position of readying the organisation for change. This prepares the employees psychologically and behaviourally to implement change. Studies show there are two facets of organisational readiness [4]:
a. Change commitment; the extent in with employees show a willingness or shared resolve to implement change
b. Change efficacy; the amount of confidence shared across employees in their ability and capability to implement change
When organisational readiness is high, employees are more likely to initiate change implementation, persist in the face of obstacles or setbacks, and engage in cooperative or even championing behaviour in support of the change effort [4].
We call this process “Accelerated Change Readiness™” which was based on the Depth of Change™ model [5]. The idea is to take a holistic and systemic approach as we examine and target both the social and technical aspects simultaneously whilst approaching top-down and bottom up. We achieve this with regular communication through various modes, leadership commitment and visibility, and forums for feedback created a sense of transparency and trust. We also championed and trained change advocates, empowering them to model the collaborative behaviours we wanted to see in the organisation.
4.Measure Success, But Be Patient
Finally, one of the biggest lessons was the importance of measuring success—but with realistic expectations. We established milestones tied to the organisation’s goals, such as reducing duplication of effort, improving project turnaround times, and lowering operational costs.
However, we also reminded leaders that change takes time. It’s tempting to expect immediate results, but the real value of a new operating model often reveals itself gradually as behaviours, processes, and outcomes align over months or even years.
Final Thoughts
Implementing whole-scale change isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. The lessons from this project reinforce that success depends on addressing not just structural issues but cultural and emotional ones too. For organisations looking to break free from silos, the key is to design change with your people, invest in trust, and remain patient as the benefits unfold.
Breaking down barriers isn’t just about operating models—it’s about creating a better future for everyone involved. And that’s a transformation worth striving for.
References
- Serrat, O. and Serrat, O., 2017. Bridging organizational silos. Knowledge Solutions: Tools, Methods, and Approaches to Drive Organizational Performance, pp.711-716.
- Bento, F., Tagliabue, M. and Lorenzo, F., 2020. Organizational silos: A scoping review informed by a behavioral perspective on systems and networks. Societies, 10(3), p.56.
- Levasseur, R.E., 2001. People skills: Change management tools—Lewin’s change model. Interfaces, 31(4), pp.71-73.
- Weiner, B.J., 2020. A theory of organizational readiness for change. In Handbook on implementation science (pp. 215-232). Edward Elgar Publishing.
