When teams are separated by departments, floors, or even geography, it becomes harder to share ideas, solve problems quickly and make aligned decisions. Hybrid working has only amplified this divide, with fewer natural moments for teams to interact and connect.

But the flipside is powerful. When designed with intention, the workplace becomes a tool to break down the ‘us vs. them’ mindset, bringing people together in ways that strengthen culture, accelerate decision-making and encourage a deeper sense of belonging.

In this article, we’ll explore how leaders can use workplace design to remove silos and create environments that fuel progress through co-creation, teamwork and day-to-day interactions.

The real problem with silos

When teams are cut off from one another, productivity drops, creativity stalls and morale suffers.

A Harvard Business Review survey found that 67% of collaboration failures stem from silos, and 97% of executives say silos have a negative impact on their business.

Silos don’t just isolate people from one another, they disconnect them from the company’s mission. Information doesn’t flow, priorities clash and problems that have been solved together remain stuck in departmental loops.

Breaking down these physical and social barriers leads to tangible business benefits, including:

• Faster decision-making and fewer miscommunications
• Stronger alignment with business goals
• More diverse perspectives on solving problems together
• A deeper sense of belonging, with people feeling heard and valued
• Higher engagement and satisfaction.

But removing walls alone isn’t enough. Open-plan offices without structure can create new barriers – noise, distraction, and a lack of privacy. The goal isn’t just openness. It’s intentionality.

Shaping connection with intention

It’s easy to say, “We want more collaboration,” but unless leaders define what that actually looks like in practice, it risks becoming a vague ambition rather than a measurable goal. True collaboration isn’t just about being in the same room or adding more meeting spaces. It’s about shaping behaviours and building the right environment to support them.

To do that, organisations need to move beyond buzzwords and identify what collaboration really means within their organisation. As Craig Murray, our Workplace Strategy Director, puts it: “Spaces alone don’t collaborate. People do.”

Collaboration is about creating the right conditions for people to work with each other. Broadly speaking, workplaces should be designed to support both structured collaboration (like project meetings) and organic connection (like spontaneous conversations and idea-sharing).

To break down silos and improve collaboration, we need to get more specific:

• What behaviours do we want to see?
• What kind of conversations should be happening?
• Where are the missed opportunities for teams to align, share knowledge, or support one another?

Design strategies to break down barriers

Workplaces are so much more than a container for desks. They influence how people behave, how often they interact, and how easily they work together. Offices shouldn’t just house work, they should shape it.

As workplace strategists and designers, our role is to create spaces that support how people work best so businesses see the outcomes that matter most. It’s about understanding how people move, interact, and build relationships across the business. These behaviours can’t be forced, but they can be enabled by design.

Design approaches to break down silos and encourage daily interaction might include:

• Open-plan layouts that support spontaneous conversations and make it easier for departments to come together and share ideas.
  

• Central staircases and amphitheatres designed to encourage natural ‘collisions’ and unplanned interactions.
  

• Multi-purpose social spaces with flexible furniture that adapt to a range of uses, from town hall meetings to yoga classes or after-work events.
  

• Activity-based work (ABW) settings that prompt colleagues to move between quiet, social and collaborative settings throughout the day.
  

• Neighbourhoods that bring departments together in designated areas, making team connection and knowledge-sharing part of the daily routine.
  

• Hot-desking instead of fixed desks, to prevent static silos and increase movement, visibility and cross-team connection.
  

• Informal meeting spots such as kitchens, games rooms, coffee stations and cafés, where relaxed, everyday conversations happen naturally.
  

• Tech-enabled spaces that make it easy for remote and hybrid teams to participate fully.
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Connected workplaces in action

Direct Line Group (DLG)

After 35 years in Bromley, DLG’s siloed and hierarchical departments were preventing them from staying competitive in an increasingly digital landscape. Their ambition was to create a modern environment that would support their digital transformation and culture shift.

Through an in-depth consultation, we analysed occupancy levels, employee needs and business goals. This led to the decision to move to a new London HQ, where DLG now occupy just a quarter of their previous footprint. The new environment is a celebration of togetherness – a fun and collaborative space where staff can make the most of in-person opportunities.
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DLG have adopted a ‘managed hybrid’ work style, bringing teams in on synchronised days to focus on collaborative activities. To support this approach, we designed five ‘dynamic zones’. For example, the learning zone is assigned to training, the focus zone is for projects requiring privacy, and the social zone is the place to grab a coffee and catch up with colleagues. Each zone is equipped with the right tools for its purpose, from mobile whiteboards to sound-absorbing materials. Rather than organising the office around traditional departmental boundaries, such as marketing or IT, the new setup promotes an agile work mentality. Previously dispersed teams are now drawn together and encouraged to move around, connect with one another, and interact more freely.

Read the full case study

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SilverDoor

SilverDoor’s office spanned three floors, which made it challenging for teams to collaborate and connect. When their lease ended, it was the perfect opportunity to relocate from a multi-floor office to an open-plan headquarters that would strengthen connections between its employees, clients and partners.

The new layout at the award-winning Chiswick Park development in London brings everyone together on a single floor. There is a mix of settings, including flexible collaborative areas, focused individual zones and a lively social area – The Den – strategically positioned at the heart of the space to draw people through the building and encourage interaction.

Designed for both work and play, the space also includes hybrid-enabled meeting rooms with advanced technology and acoustics for seamless collaboration with clients and colleagues worldwide.

The office isn’t just a workplace, it’s a hub for creativity, connection and community. It’s designed for hosting events, welcoming clients and partners, and showcasing SilverDoor’s services.

• Read the full case study
• Behind the Design

Where should workplace leaders begin?

One of the most overlooked aspects of workplace design is understanding how people actually work. Connection doesn’t happen by accident. That’s why we help leaders define the type of culture and behaviours they want to see, then translate that into a space that brings it to life.

We start every project by gathering deep insight - whether that’s through observation, employee interviews, surveys, or utilisation studies. This research uncovers how employees move and interact, where processes and interactions break down, where silos form, and what infrastructure supports or blocks connection.

If you’re responsible for team performance, workplace strategy and company culture, here are three steps to get started:

• Be intentional: Prioritise connection as a core objective, not an afterthought.
• Define outcomes: Identify the types of interactions you want to enable, and the blockers you need to remove.
• Co-create: Involve your people in shaping the space and its purpose.

Want to break down silos in your organisation?

We help organisations break down silos and build high-performing, connected teams through workplace transformation. Get in touch to explore how we can create extraordinary outcomes for your company.