Book SummarySilos, Politics and Turf Wars, by Patrick M. Lencioni

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Silos, Politics and Turf Wars

Sometimes, workplaces can feel like political thrillers, full of feuds, infighting, and backstabbing. But in reality, divisions between employees aren’t exciting—they’re stressful, unpleasant, and bad for business. In Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars (2006), Patrick Lencioni explores the nature of “silos”—closed-off groups of employees that compete and fight with one another, while explaining how they cause harm and how to eliminate them.

Lencioni is a business consultant, motivational speaker, and author of numerous leadership books, including The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive and Death by Meeting, in which he typically uses a business fable to explain his principles. In Silos, he uses a more extensive, multifaceted fictional tale in which a business consultant explores friction within a variety of companies to explain what silos are, why they form, and how you can fix them through clear planning and communication.

Do Business Fables Work?

Since the late ’90s, fables have been a popular format for management books—many authors prefer to use fiction...

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars Summary Part 1: What Silos Are

To understand how to fix silos, it’s important to understand their nature. Lencioni starts by exploring what siloing looks like in practice and how silos form. Part 1 of our guide will cover the main characteristics and causes of silos, and we’ll introduce a running example in which Michael, the owner of a chain of gyms called Mike’s Fitness, struggles with silo problems.

What Silos Look Like

Lencioni explains that silos—groups working in isolation from each other—can form on many levels—for example, within or between departments, at the managerial level, or even between two merging companies. No matter where they form, however, silos share two major characteristics: They reduce communication and increase competition.

(Shortform note: The term “silo” was coined by American consultant Phil Ensor in the 1980s. Ensor, who was from rural Illinois, used it to compare organizations that “stockpile” information to the grain silos in his hometown. “Siloing” as a verb was coined [around the same...

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars Summary Part 2: Fixing Silos—Create a Unified Plan

After discussing the nature of silos, Lencioni turns to how you can fix siloing. Part 2 of our guide will focus on the first step of that process: creating a single plan shared by everyone in your business. We’ll discuss why unified plans solve siloing and Lencioni’s step-by-step process for making your own.

The Importance of One Plan

As we discussed in Part 1, silos form when employees lack context around the overall goal of the business and their role in it. Lencioni explains that for many businesses, employees aren’t the only ones who lack this information—management teams often aren’t on the same page when it comes to the business’s goals, priorities, and how they intend to reach them.

By creating one plan that accounts for the entire business, you make sure your whole management team is on the same page. Having one plan also helps your employees see your business’s big-picture goal, which can motivate them to put aside their differences and collaborate. This will also stop your employees from receiving mixed messages and make interdepartmental communication easier (which we’ll discuss in Part 3).

(Shortform note: In addition to addressing silos, unified...

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars Summary Part 3: Fixing Silos—Communicate Your Plan

Once you’ve developed a unified plan, you need to ensure everyone understands it from the management level down. Lencioni recommends accomplishing this through regular, focused, and purposeful meetings. Regular meetings will ensure everyone stays on the same page, especially when a thematic goal ends and you need to create a new one. However, you don’t want these meetings to become bloated slogs that make everyone tunes out.

(Shortform note: While meetings can be helpful for getting your plan across, having too many causes more harm than good. Business experts explain that every meeting uses up paid time that could be spent on work. Holding too many meetings also prevents your employees from “locking in” and focusing intently on their work, a mental state that boosts productivity. To strike the right balance, try surveying your employees about your current meeting strategy and...

Shortform Exercise: Identify Siloing In Your Workplace

Lencioni defines silos as groups that work in isolation from each other, and he writes that silos can form on many levels within an organization. Look for examples of siloing in your workplace and consider how you might address it.

Have you experienced poor communication or competitiveness at your workplace? How might silos have contributed to or created these problems?