How to fix organizational silos (Part 1 with Julian Chender)

This week, Chris and Lucie had the pleasure of chatting with Julian Chender, an expert in organizational design, to explore the difficulties of communication and structure within organizations.  Julian shared his journey in organizational design, emphasizing the need for strategic alignment and the human elements that influence organizational behavior.   Most importantly, he talked about how silos aren’t a 4-letter word, but leaders make common mistakes in managing change and fostering collaboration across silos.

Big Takeaways

-        Organizational design is about setting the container in which an organization operates.

-        Silos are necessary structures that support organizational goals.

-        integration across silos is crucial for effective strategy execution.

-        Silos should be designed with 'doors' to facilitate collaboration.

-        Understanding the strategic purpose of silos can enhance organizational effectiveness.

 About Julian

Julian is the founder of 11A Collaborative, a social impact consulting firm dedicated to creating healthy society through healthy organizations. 11A supports purpose-driven businesses, nonprofits, foundations, public offices, and government agencies seeking to increase their impact by translating strategy into action through organization alignment. This means defining and refining strategy, designing the organization that will achieve the north star goals, and then stewarding the change to get there.

Over his career, Julian has consulted to purpose-driven organizations across sectors, from the Fortune 10 to nonprofits in education, arts, and public health, from intergovernmental European agencies to New York City public offices. He is a Certified Organization Design Practitioner and an ICF-Certified Coach who holds a master’s degree in Organization Development from American University and a B.A. in History from Swarthmore College. In 2020, he received the Emerging Practitioner Award from the Organization Development Network (ODN). He has served on the Board of Trustees of ODN and currently sits on the Board of Advisors for the Organization Design Forum.

 Connect with us:

Email – [email protected]
Chris – www.linkedin.com/in/chriswonglmhc and download the Difficult Conversation Playbook for Leaders
Lucie – www.linkedin.com/in/lucietesarova and take the Saboteur Assessment