Research about organizational improvement has come from several disciplines--business management, organizational sociology, communications, and education. Across these fields, much of the research involves case studies of effective organizations (e.g., Collins, 2001; Johnson, 1996). Review of these case studies suggests several commonalities among…

Uses analogy of a farm silo to explain how departments within a college operate as separate entities. Suggests that, when departments are self-contained and unconcerned with work of others, students face long lines and duplications of services and get different answers from different offices. Describes how the combined efforts of admissions and…