Recently I did a survey that asked people what one of their most common issues was when it comes to workplace collaboration.  You’re probably not surprised to learn that one of the most common issues was that many people feel like they’re working in a silo. They feel disconnected from other departments or from the company’s overall direction.  There is a lot of flow going up and down but none through and across.

It’s not surprising that working in silos is such a common problem. Often silos are built out of necessity, to group things together as organizations get larger, and it’s easy for the flow between departments to disintegrate.

I'd like to tell you about an experience I had during the early stages of my career as an orchestral musician and how I first learned about breaking through silos.