Silos allow staff to specialize in their unique talents, give them accountability, and provide clarity about tasks that need to be accomplished.
“When we start talk about silos, it goes immediately to the negative,” Clancy says. “It's important for leaders to talk about what silos add. They do have a place in organizations to allow for focus on what you're responsible for, moving things forward and getting jobs done. To a certain degree, they are a necessary requirement to getting work done.”
Of course, the problems begin when the intensity of organizational silos shifts to the extreme, and inefficiencies and animosity bubble to the surface. Fortunately, there are many ways to break down silos. It's an ongoing process, and nonprofits are continually striving to improve the way people interact with one another.
blog post by Sondi Bruner at Charity Village on 7 ways to break down silos, November 5, 2012. Also recognizes some of the positive things that come from the right degree of silo-ism.