Break Silos and Build Bridges in a Rapidly Changing 2025

Break Silos and Build Bridges in a Rapidly Changing 2025

The new administration has hit the ground running, shaking up the federal landscape—and to borrow a line from Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.” For AE firms in this blustery environment, the ability to collaborate effectively across teams is not just a nice-to-have—it’s the difference between slicing through the waves and taking on water. But collaboration looks very different depending on your organizational structure. Whether your firm is organized regionally, by market, in a matrix, or some hybrid of all three, the key to improving collaboration lies in adapting your approach to fit the structure you’ve built.

Let’s break down how you can foster better collaboration, structure by structure, and ensure that your teams play nice.

1. Regional Structure: Avoiding Silos Across State Lines

Common Challenge: Regional structures offer autonomy, speed, and deep local market knowledge—but they’re also breeding grounds for silos. Offices can end up functioning as mini-companies, which limits knowledge sharing and cross-regional collaboration.

Fictitious Example: SapphireWave Engineering is a 500-person firm with offices across the Southeast. The Atlanta office specializes in rail and transit, while the Orlando office leads water infrastructure projects. When a major city plans a transit-oriented water system, the firm struggles to collaborate because no one has defined how cross-office teams should work together.

Collaboration Tips:

• Appoint regional connectors: Designate “connectors” in each office whose primary job is to share information and resources across regions.
• Cross-regional projects: Encourage regional offices to co-lead select large projects, making collaboration a contractual necessity, not just a suggestion.
• Incentivize knowledge sharing: Build knowledge-sharing metrics into performance reviews. Consider awards for cross-office collaboration.

2. Market-Based Structure: The Battle for Resources

Common Challenge: In a market-based structure, where business units are organized around sectors such as health care, transportation, or energy, competition for internal resources can create a “me-first” mentality. Collaboration can take a back seat to protecting market turf.

Fictitious Example: BrightBuild Group organizes its business around three core markets: health care, higher education, and civic. When a federal resilience grant becomes available, the health care and civic teams both want access to the same internal sustainability experts to win their respective projects. The result? Internal gridlock and missed deadlines.

Collaboration Tips:

• Create a central resource pool: Build a centralized team of key specialists (e.g., sustainability, digital solutions, BIM experts) who can be deployed across markets.
• Set up a collaboration council: Form an internal collaboration council with representatives from each market to resolve resource disputes quickly and fairly.
• Align incentives: Link bonuses to firm-wide performance, not just individual market success, so employees have a vested interest in collaboration.

3. Matrix Structure: Complexity Overload

Common Challenge: The matrix structure, which combines functional expertise (engineering, architecture, business development) with project-based leadership, promises flexibility but often delivers confusion. Who’s in charge? How do decisions get made without stepping on toes?

Fictitious Example: SuburbanEdge Design is a 300-person firm using a matrix model, where project managers oversee multidisciplinary teams while discipline leaders control staffing and budgets. When SuburbanEdge takes on a major airport renovation, both the transportation lead and the project manager disagree on who decides staffing priorities, causing delays and more.

Collaboration Tips:

• Clarify decision-making authority: Develop a clear RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) chart for all major projects.
• Train teams on navigating complexity: Invest in conflict resolution and negotiation training to help leaders collaborate effectively in ambiguous situations.
• Focus on communication tools: Adopt real-time collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack, etc.) to reduce communication gaps and clarify decision-making.

4. Hybrid Structure: The Best (and Worst) of All Worlds

Common Challenge: Hybrid structures combine aspects of regional, market, and matrix models. They offer the most flexibility but also the greatest potential for confusion. Without clear alignment, hybrid organizations risk becoming chaotic and unmanageable.

Fictitious Example: FutureBuilt Engineering operates in a hybrid structure with regional offices, market-focused teams, and a matrixed approach for staffing expertise. When a large transportation project kicks off, the regional office sees it as their project, while the transportation market team wants to drive it. The matrixed staffing leader adds another layer of complexity by deciding to reassign critical staff mid-project.

Collaboration Tips:

• Align around strategic priorities: Clearly define which structure takes precedence in different situations (e.g., markets lead on business development, regions lead on execution).
• Simplify where possible: Avoid complexity for complexity’s sake. Consolidate decision-making where appropriate.
• Strong project sponsors: Assign high-level project sponsors to oversee large initiatives and break through organizational gridlock.

5. The Collaboration Toolbox for Every Structure

No matter your firm’s structure, some collaboration tools and tactics work universally across AE firms:

• Vision and values alignment: Make sure everyone understands how collaboration supports the firm’s broader mission and vision. Reinforce the importance in every relevant communication.
• Collaboration metrics: Measure and reward collaboration. Metrics could include shared revenue across offices or project delivery time improvements, for example.
• Technology investment: Collaboration tools aren’t just for tech companies. Use real-time project management tools to increase transparency and efficiency.
• Celebrating wins: Publicly recognize and celebrate successful collaborations. Create internal case studies of projects where cross-office or cross-market collaboration led to a big win.

How you organize and manage collaboration within your structure can be your greatest strength—or your biggest obstacle. The good news? It’s entirely within your control.

Contact Mark Goodale at 508.253.3914 or [email protected].