How communication can dismantle workplace silos

Picture this: you’re halfway through a major project when you discover priorities have shifted and your work is no longer needed. What if you’re waiting on information from another team, but it never arrives, or perhaps you have no idea what’s happening elsewhere in the business and worse, no one seems to know what your team does either.

These are classic symptoms of siloed workplaces. When teams operate in isolation, communication breaks down, priorities clash, and trust erodes. The consequences are bigger than simple inefficiency because silos lead to duplicated effort, lost opportunities, disengaged employees, and, in some industries, even safety risks. They’re often a reflection of culture, starting at the top with leaders who aren’t aligned.

While communicators can’t transform culture single-handedly, we can help bridge divides and reduce the impact of silos. Here are four practical ways to start.

1. Get your single source of truth

One of the most effective ways to overcome silos is to create a central, shared communication channel. This could be an intranet hub, a weekly internal newsletter, or a simple update cycle where every department contributes the top priorities their colleagues should know about.

Done well, a single source of truth:

• Ensures employees have direct access to the information they need.

• Makes it clear if a department isn’t contributing updates.

• Builds trust through transparency and consistency.

The key to success is simplicity. Try to give leaders an easy template to submit updates and remove barriers to sharing.

2. Rotate leadership voices

In many organisations, the CEO is the only voice heard in company-wide communication. While this provides clarity, it can also reinforce silos by leaving other leaders in the shadows. A more powerful approach is to share the spotlight. Rotate responsibility for major updates across the executive team and you’ll be able to demonstrate better alignment at the top, but also showcase the value of different departments.

Consider experimenting with formats such as short videos, written updates, or conversational interviews with pairs of leaders. By positioning this as a chance to highlight achievements and strengthen personal brands, you’ll secure more enthusiastic participation.

3. Empower your employees to communicate

Communication shouldn’t be limited to leaders. To really dismantle silos, organisations need to democratise communication and empower employees to share updates across departments.

This could involve:

• Encouraging peer-to-peer knowledge sharing on collaboration platforms.

• Creating cross-department ‘information squads’ that meet briefly to exchange updates and then cascade them back to their teams.

• Building interactive spaces where people can self-serve information.

When employees see communication as everyone’s responsibility, silos begin to dissolve.

4. Hold your leaders accountable

Sometimes progress requires uncomfortable truths and a lot of that is driven by data, feedback, and real-world examples. All of these show leaders the tangible impact silos are having on productivity, engagement, or customer experience.

From there, guide executives to identify their own solutions. Public commitments, particularly when made in open forums or anonymous Q&A sessions, increase accountability and create momentum for change.

It’s worth remembering though… silos won’t disappear overnight. They’re often deeply ingrained in organisational culture, but communication can be the bridge that keeps people connected, aligned, and moving in the same direction.