Mike 
When I’m helping a church or ministry with strategic planning or organizational issues, one of the senior leaders will frequently proclaim the need to break down the silos that exist. Silos occur when a department acts independently, as if they are the only ones that matter. This kind of behavior can cause tension or conflict within the organization. It can lead to duplication of effort or poor allocation of resources.
While I recognize these problems, I’ve also begun to think that silos are not always bad. The youth director and his/her team should work hard to build the best possible youth ministry. We want them to have great ideas for advancing their ministry and to advocate for those ideas. We want the same for every other leader and department within the church. In that respect, it’s good for these leaders to function within their silos. It’s not a good idea for the youth director to spend 10 hours a week “helping” the accounting staff!
Rather than proclaiming the end of silos, look beyond the leaders of those individual ministry teams. If you want to avoid the problems caused by silos:
- Be sure that the vision and corresponding priorities are clear. The plans being developed within individual departments should flow directly from the vision.
- Have a senior leadership team that looks at the big picture. The primary responsibility for those at the “top” of the organization chart is to chart a course based on overall needs. This requires making the time to think strategically and setting aside favoritism or protectionism.
- Create fair and effective systems for making decisions. Department leaders need to believe that their proposals will be heard and that the senior leaders are making decisions by looking at the big picture. When this happens, they are much more willing to accept whatever decision is made.
