And Turf Wars, Politics, Silos

What a great book on what actually happens in the corporate world. As a corporte director for a fortune 500 company, I find these "silos" at every turn. And once I recognize it, my interface with these departments take a different tactic from the normal interactions with "normal" groups. Indeed, this book solidified my viewpoint on staking out claims to certain areas and have help me to get beyond the hurdles they represent.

I applaud the author for his insight and deep understanding of this annoying yet critical topic. I also appreciated that a large part of the book was in "story style", that is a good story creates images and for us Adult Learners, we need that extra help. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR - Author of Wingtips with Spurs

In recent years, a great deal of attention has been paid to what is generally referred to as a "business narrative" in which all manner of business concepts are presented within a story which consists of a sequential plot, a cast of characters, conflicts which generate interest and create tension, and then what is almost always a "happy ending." The best examples include Stephen Denning's Squirrel Inc., Eli Goldratt's The Agenda, and Marc Allen's Visionary Business.

After having read and then re-read it, I include Patrick Lencioni's Silos, Politics and Turf Wars among them. It is really quite entertaining as well as informative, indeed thought-provoking.

Here's the situation. Jude Cousins is a talented, energetic, and ambitious young marketing executive at Hatch Technology who, with his wife Teresa's support and encouragement, decides to leave his secure job after Hatch is purchased by Bell Financial Systems. He establishes an independent consulting practice and almost immediately obtains three clients: The Madison Hotel (San Francisco's oldest, largest, and most prestigious independent hotel), JMJ Fitness Machines (a manufacturer of high-end consumer and institutional exercise equipment), and Children's Hospital of Sacramento. Jude also agrees to help Father Ralph Colombano, pastor of Corpus Christi Church (in Walnut Hill, California) on a pro bono basis. Later, he adds his former employer as a consulting client but only after he has learned some important lessons.

One of the many challenges when writing a business narrative is to create fictional characters and relationships which are plausible. Although Lencioni calls his book a "leadership fable" (and it is), he anchors Jude in familiar, real-world situations during his journey of discovery so that the lessons he learns are relevant -- and applicable -- to most readers' own experiences. I also appreciate the fact that, while demonstrating with fictioinal characters how to destroy "the barriers that turn colleagues into competitors," he never allows those characters to sound like they are lecturing or preaching. Wisely, Lencioni includes only as much dialogue as is absolutely necessary. For example, involves Teresa Cousins only when it serves his narrative's purposesqe well-conceived novels have been ruined by clunky sub-plots? I can think of at least a dozen. The same is true of several films which have lurching back stories.) Silos, Politics and Turf Wars succeeds as a "realistic but fictional story" precisely because Lencioni achieves and then sustains an appropriate balance between what is fact (e.g. constant infighting among those in its workforce can tear an organization apart) and what is believable. After its "honeymoon," Cousins Consulting proceeds through a period which resembles a ride on a "roller coaster" until Jude experiences several "moments of truth."

Stated another way, if Jude were not a credible fictional character, nothing he does would be interesting and nothing he learns would be worth sharing. Moreover, what he learns is what Lencioni wants his reader to understand.

Lencioni has some quite serious objectives in mind. As he explains, "To tear down silos, leaders must go beyond behaviors and address the contextual issues at the heart of departmental separation and politics. The purpose of this book is to present a simple, powerful tool for addressing those issues and reducing the pain that silos cause. And that pain should not be underestimated." Indeed not.

One of Lencioni's cleverest devices is to have Jude complete a journey of discovery which reveals precisely what he (Lencioni) wishes to share with his reader. Hence the importance of the use of a third-person anonymous narrator which juxtaposes the reader (as observer) with Jude as well as with those with whom he interacts. Trust me, it works. Of much greater importance is what Lencioni has to say about how to reduce (if not totally eliminate) counter-productive "silos, politics and turf wars." He fully understands that some silos can be beneficial (usually on farms), probably agrees with President Harry Truman and others that politics are "the art of the possible," and recognizes that there are at least some "turf wars" that must be fought...and won. What he's concerned about in this book, obviously, are the contextual issues which can disrupt, weaken, and eventually destroy any organization. If its people are unwilling and/or unable to communicate, cooperate, and collaborate effectively between and among each other, they certainly cannot do so with anyone else in the organization's value chain.

Congratulations to Lencioni on a brilliant achievement.

In my opinion, the best advice on writing an effective business narrative is provided in Denning's The Leader's Guide to Storytelling, Annette Simmons' The Story Factor, and Doug Lipman's Improving Your Storytelling. Also worth consulting are Strunk and White's The Elements of Style and Brooks and Warren's Modern Rhetoric (although out-of-print, copies are available) which provides a brilliant explanation of effective exposition, description, narration, and argumentation.

"Pleeease write that book. The silos in this company are driving me crazy...," so writes one of Pat Lencioni's readers after they meet.

Pat Lencioni has spent his career focused on the "heart" of organizations and identifying behaviors blocking personal and organizational excellence. Lucky for us, he has found another niche, as a best selling author, sharing his observations and remedies in fable form. His first four books - "The Five Temptations of a CEO", "The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive", "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team", and "Death by Meeting" have now sold over one million copies and are being translated into foreign languages.

With "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars," Lencioni has tackled a perplexing problem that has frustrated humanity since the beginning of recorded time. `Silos' is a metaphor drawn from the large grain silos that one sees throughout the US Midwest. It is a term of derision that suggests that each department on an organization chart is a silo and that its stands alone, not interacting with any of the other departmental silos.

Lencioni addresses a serious problem facing most organizational leaders. A recent study by the American Management Association found 97% of executives believed `silos' have negative effects on organizations, 31% believed they have extensive destructive consequences, and 83% believed they existed in their companies.

As with earlier books, "Silos" centers on a fictional story and ends with a separate insightful analysis providing tools to help readers minimize or possibly eliminate Silos, and the aftermath (politics and turf wars), in their organizations. This book will appeal to anyone who works for or leads any organization, as well as community and political leaders.

Lencioni's "Silos" centers on Jude Cousins and what follows after his life at Hatch Technology. Cousins leaves Hatch after a merger which leaves Batch, the newco, with two heads of everything, no direction, and discontent. Soon after setting up his own shop, Cousin Consulting, Theresa, his wife, announces she is pregnant increasing the pressure for income and benefits.

Faced with twins on the way and a tanking economy, Jude quickly learns he will be unable to provide for his family as a generalist and begins to rethink his future. With the help of existing customers -The Madison Hotel where he did market positioning, JMJ Fitness Machines where he advised on reducing costs, Children's Hospital where he helped a friend transition into the role of CEO, and Sacred Heart Church - Cousins finds his niche as he observes silos and its offspring, the resultant politics and turf wars.

He becomes determined to find a solution for the problem and sets about to convince his customers, all of whom complained about `silos,' to give him a chance to implement a solution. He gets a green light from Madison Hotel first and fails in his attempt.

While at John Muir Hospital for the delivery of the twins, Cousins observes how hospital personnel from different departments serve in the ER as a cohesive team. "It was a bizarre and beautiful mix of chaos, coordination, and communication"....and, why was this not true for the entire hospital? That's when it all clicked. There were no silos in the ER, yet everyone came from different departments. Why?

Cousins then heads off to JMJ and starts to put it all together. With success in reducing silos at JMJ, he moves on to all of his customers learning new twists from each. Eventually, his success brings him back to Batch.

"Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars" will provide the reader with Cousins' learnings, and Lencioni's underlying theory and remedy. Breaching cultural barriers within an organization is a big challenge. Ultimately, it is the path of openness. In an open environment, people work towards a single goal and share information seamlessly with one another. Instead of pursuing hidden agendas, they collaborate. Instead of indulging in turf squabbles and political infighting, they work towards overarching goals. One needs to ask fundamental questions about the organization's goals, metrics, and strategies. The organization needs to know what it wants to be when it grows up. And each member of the group needs to know how they fit into the scheme of things and how they're working in relation to other groups.

This is an important new addition to the Lencioni library and a must read for all organizational leaders and all who seek personal and organizational excellence. Rapidly increasing competitive pressures from new technology, non-traditional competitors, and rapidly changing markets demand open systems where information and action can flow quickly...and where `Silos' have been sent back to the farm.

Patrick Lencioni strikes an appealing tone in this fable about a genuinely good-hearted consultant who wants to help companies function better and show their people how to get along. His core message is that while many forces compel people to group into silos and fight each other, a leader can unify them around a common goal. It's a good message, even a sensible and enlightening one. While you are reading this book, resolving these situations seems quite possible - and in many cases, it well may be. We, therefore, recommend this book to companies that are plagued by internal warfare. However, for some of them, it will serve only as an inspiration and a starting point, because its simplified structure does not address certain key issues. Fundamentally, since many of the fable's examples emerge from unified meetings, what happens if your managers are so fractious you literally can't get the whole team in the same room? Even more daunting, what if your leaders meet but cannot agree on a thematic goal? Since some management teams disagree about day-to-day functions, they'll certainly have a tough time once individual silos are cemented in place. So, if you have sophisticated problems to solve, this book could be sort of hit or myth.

Lencioni has written a very good fable that depicts the typical "silos" or turf wars that take place in any organization. Using several different case scenarios, Lencioni does a great job in describing the subtleties of turf wars and places the blame square at the top of the organization. (The ground troops are simply doing their jobs as described for them by their bosses.)

The answer to the turf war, according to Lencioni, is a thematic goal. This is not to be confuse with a vision statement or a BHAG (big fat hairy goal), as Porras and Collins describe. But it is more than strategic goals and objectives. I must admit, this was a new concept for me and I'm not quite sure of the concept even after reading Lencioni's concept.

Lencioni clearly states that a thematic goal does not exclude the need to develop a good, functioning executive team (cf. Dysfunctions of Teams). Indeed, good executive teams are a priority for Lencioni. But contends that even well functioning teams with good personal relationships will sometimes have organizational/structural weaknesses that allow "silos" or turf wars to develop.

Overall, Lencioni has written a very readable book that clearly describes the problem of politics among divisions in an organization. But the concept of a "thematic goal" (as opposed to organizational vision) is still a bit vague to me -- but it is clearly not to be dismissed.

Elton John once opined (through Bernie Taupin--his lyricist)in a popular song, "Burn down the mission...if we're gonna stay alive." In some companies, the same advice (and consequence) applies to their organizational silos--burn 'em down!

Lencioni tackles an all-too-common organizational problem (silo mentality) in fine style. His signature fable approach worked well in keeping interest while concurrently teaching. It's a quick read and provides a thoughtful approach in breaking down organizational barriers and the embedded self-interests of those that lead the silos. Highly recommended for senior execs of all stripes and those involved in 'change' initiatives.

Bill Wiersma

Author: The Big AHA!

This book was fantastic. Out of all the companies I've worked for, I can't think of one that doesn't deal with Silos as one of their major problems. The book does a great job analyzing the problem across just about any business. With this and his other books, we feel we're well on our way to resolving some very real issues with our company.

Consistently great employees say they want two things: a place where what they do best can be used in meaningful and signficant ways, AND a great environment in which to do that work. In his previous books (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team; Death by Meeting) Lencioni addresses these two components of a great company, and I have seen his material work from large Fortune 500 companies down to small non-profit organizations. His stuff is just brilliant.

With his new book, Silos, Politics and Turf Wars, Lencioni refuses to view these things as necessary evils, but rather gives organizations hope that they can be overcome, and in the doing of that, enormous amounts of energy expended toward maintaining them, can be released toward the better efforts of the organization.

I would recommend this book to anyone serious about the job of leadership.

Patrick Lencioni again uses a great story to confront what every organization has to deal with - Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars! This book provides some strategies on how to approach and attack this problem. You will get the most out of this book by looking at the progression that is established through the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and the Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. Well Done!

This book builds on the ideas discussed in the "Dysfunctions" book by Lencioni as well. Though this one particularly discusses unique facets of many company cultures. Again a sub-6h read depending upon your processing speed. Start with the Dysfunctions book and move into this material thereafter.

My boss made her "team" read this, apprently because her boss made her & all of the people at that level read it. Hint: if you think this book is profound you are so utterly irredeemably stupid that you shouldn't be a manager.

I haven't seen any change in our workplace, except perhaps a downward spiral of more and more people saying "not-my-job" and "go through channels" which is completely contrary to the point of this insipid little fairy tale. Communication stinks. Cooperation is non-existent. Everyone is protecting their turf. Nobody trusts anybody. Everyone is too busy covering their arses and hiding their incompetence to give any thought to actually getting things done.

If your boss tells you to buy this book, buy it used and with the leftover money get a good resume writing book.

I have experienced the silos problem in many places and the explanations about the problem and the causes are spot on. The model that this book explains very well how to over eliminate the causes and overcome the problem. Managers should read this book.

Patrick Lencioni has done an excellent job describing one of the most frustrating and mystifying problems of leadership; why even high performing teams can fall into the trap of allowing silos, politics and turf wars get in the way of their organization's success. Again using a light-hearted fable as a way to convey his message, Lencioni makes a convincing case as to the importance identifying a single `main thing' or in his words, a thematic goal, as the way to break down barriers and achieve true organization alignment. I found the book fun to read, thought provoking and immediately applicable to my work.

This book was well-written and lays out the problem very clearly. For those interested in finding a solution to the age-old problem of conflicts of interest caused by function-based departments, you may want to check out a book called "Pyramids are Tombs" that details how to design a professional service company to eliminate conflicts of interest and align people towards a common cause.

Lencioni is in fine form, and both his consulting insights and writing talent flow together well. His points are timely, and in any organization larger than 15 or 20 people, on the mark. His articulation of the thematic goal concept has application not only in the for profit world in which he spends most of his time, but in the non-profit sector where I reside. The conversation about the theory at the conclusion of the fable cinched the learning. Well done indeed.

I believe the problems Lencioni highlights in this book are as relavent now as they were then. It just so happens that I am a consultant trying to build a business and I have twins. Regardless, I thought this was a well done, easy to read, antidotal book that provides great value and insight for all readers.

Lencioni delivers yet another "ah-ha" moment in Silos, Politics and Turf Wars. Just like his other best-sellers, SPT is a quick, entertaining read with a powerful message--"Why wait for a crisis?" I agree, why wait for a crisis? Start eliminating politics in your organization immediately with Lencioni's thematic goal concept.

Mr. Lencioni has captured the essense of corporate politics and create a compelling tale to explain strategies to reduce its impact on an organization. This book is definitely worth the few hours it takes to read.

This is the first review I write because I wasted time (not a lot though..) on this book. The author is very succesful in dumming down a prevelant and very important issue. The book is written as if the target group is five year olds. The "case studies" will make a first grader cringe. I am at a loss to understand why books like this get published.

The "great abs in 4 weeks" approach just doesn't work with a subject like this. I am afraid you got to take it more seriously and dig deeper.