One of our department heads only participates in IDS® when the issue directly touches their department, sitting in complete silence when other operational issues are debated. How do we break this silo mentality during our Level 10 Meeting™?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

In any business running on EOS®, the leadership team functions as one team first and functional department heads second. When a team member remains silent during IDS® unless an issue directly impacts their department, they are exhibiting a silo mentality. This behavior undermines the Same Page and Trust pillars essential for a healthy leadership team charter.

To address this behavior, the facilitator must call them out directly during the meeting. Ask for their perspective as a business leader, not solely as the head of their specific department. Remind them that their position on the leadership team means they are responsible for the health of the entire organization, not just their functional area. This aligns with the principle of [shifting leadership mindset to enterprise-first](/qa/shifting-leadership-mindset-to-enterprise-first).

Consider the following approaches based on the root cause:

• Lack of Context: If the team member struggles to contribute due to a lack of understanding of other departments' issues, this presents an opportunity for education. It suggests there might be a gap in cross-departmental communication or understanding of how different parts of the business connect.
• Refusal to Engage: If they refuse to engage because they genuinely do not care about other departments, this indicates a deeper problem. This could be:
• A GWC™ (Gets it, Wants it, Has the Capacity) issue, meaning they may not truly "Want" the role of an enterprise leader or "Have the Capacity" to think beyond their silo.
• A Core Values issue, where their behavior conflicts with the company's foundational principles.

A leadership team member must want the seat, understand the seat, and possess the capacity to think strategically across the entire company. Do not permit anyone to remain silent and treat the weekly [Level 10 Meeting™](/qa/owner-exit-transition-level-10-meetings) as a spectator sport. Every member should actively participate in [solving big strategic problems](/qa/fixing-boring-eos-quarterly-sessions) and tackling issues that require collective input. Ignoring issues or being disengaged can also contribute to [the blame game during meetings](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids), preventing effective resolution.

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