The Problem with Silos

One sinister thing that the global pandemic left in its wake is isolation. I heard it from almost every lieutenant governor during my one-on-one conversations with them in early 2024.

• “The club is not responsive.”
• “They never answer my e-mails or return my calls.”
• “They just want to be left alone.”
• “They don’t want to have anything to do with District stuff.”

In the corporate business world, sometimes functional departments do not interact enough (or at all) with each other. Sales does not talk to Marketing. Marketing does not talk to IT. IT does not talk to Operations. No one talks to HR. Much like grain silos sitting side-by-side in a field with no connectivity, the teams effectively silo themselves from each other.

This results in a dysfunctional culture that, AT BEST, slows things down and, AT WORST, disrupts progress, innovation, and even basic processes significantly. On the surface, it makes no sense. Of course, Sales needs to work with Marketing, and Marketing needs to communicate with IT.

So, why does something so logical not happen, even in otherwise great businesses? Silos typically happen for one (or more) of these four reasons that I observed in my corporate career.

• Previous bad experiences where the interactions went poorly, the results were awful, and no one wants to go back there.
• The sense that the other department does not “understand us” or won’t listen to us and our ideas anyway, so why bother?
• We think we work best when left alone.
• We are in disarray ourselves and do not want you to see that.

I would bet most clubs that are considered unresponsive now have siloed themselves for one or more of those reasons. They had a rotten experience with another club or a past lieutenant governor. The whole District thing does not appeal to them anymore. They are struggling and do not want to admit it. Their scarce time is better spent on the club and its members (“ourselves”) alone because they see no value in the opportunities available through working with others.

Kiwanis International began in 1915as a networking organization. In due time, it morphed into a community welfare cause and then a group dedicated to meeting the needs of children. However, its initial reason for being was to assist local Detroit businessmen in networking together (and creating a group benefits plan).

Networking is in the Kiwanis DNA, not isolation. To see Kiwanis Clubs turn away from outside interaction is to ignore who we are historically as an organization. The Kiwanis Club of Metropolis not only should interact with Gotham City Kiwanis occasionally. Metropolis and Gotham City need each other! (Sorry. I grew up a DCU kid.)

Kiwanians, this is why we must find our way back to Interclub visits and Division Council Meetings. COVID killed the Interclub and Division Council Meeting. Resurrecting Interclubs will bring Kiwanians closer together and give us all the perspective of seeing how other Kiwanians engage their community. Getting back to a consistent cadence of DCMs, particularly in person, can bring back the camaraderie that only Kiwanians on mission can develop.

Kiwanians need each other’s ideas and socialization. Clubs need their divisional leaders for support, encouragement, and equipping. Clubs need district resources to be the best that they can be. Interclubs, DCMs, Division, and District Leaders increase the capabilities for individual clubs to meet the needs of children in their communities.

The craziest, saddest thing to me is when a Kiwanis Club closes with no warning. They never said anything to anyone, just folded. That should never happen, but it does happen because the club silos itself, stops doing things, loses its sense of mission, and struggles alone.

We must rebuild our network. We must collaborate. We must grow together. Please work with me and with each other to recreate a culture of growth and mission throughout the Mighty T-O District!

2024-2025 District Governor Bobby Quinten