Cooperation dies in mental silos

We often talk about cooperation as a goal to be achieved, but we forget that in order to cooperate… we must first be able to think together.

And that’s not automatic. Because very often, we are not working against others, but each within our own logic.

And this is exactly what blocks us: not a lack of effort or desire, but a silent radicalization of ways of thinking.

The problem is not divergence. It is certainty.

The more cooperation is needed, the harder it becomes. And it’s not a matter of ego or bad will. It’s a matter of different professional logics, which close in on themselves:

• everyone acts according to their professional culture,

• everyone defends their priorities, their constraints, their indicators,

• everyone thinks the other doesn’t understand or complicates things.

70% of employees say they do not understand the priorities of other teams in their organization, and 86% of managers identify silos as a major cause of dysfunction. (PwC, Gallup, McKinsey 2019-2022)

The radicalization of positions comes from the fact that we no longer recognize the logic of the other as legitimate. We don’t have the same framework, so we disqualify. And the other does the same.

The result: No one is intentionally slowing down, but everyone moves forward in their own lane, convinced that theirs is the only valid one.

Like in an NBA defense that no longer switches.

In basketball, a good defense is not five players each staying on their own man. It’s a defense that switches, adapts, and compensates to maintain balance. But when each person stays fixed on “it’s not my player” or “it’s not my job”…

the gap appears. And the team suffers.

Take the Brooklyn Nets of 2021: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving. A trio of superstars. But only 16 games played together in two seasons. Each with their own tempo, their logics, their priorities. No framework, no common culture: the collective never took off.

On the other hand, the 2008 Celtics won an NBA title with three stars (Garnett, Pierce, Allen)… who redefined their roles to serve a system. 23.5 assists per game, a fearsome collective defense, and a mantra:

Ubuntu – “I am because we are.” When Doc Rivers took over the team, he didn’t just give them a game system. He offered them a culture. A philosophy in which my performance only has value if it elevates the team. Everyone had to let go of a part of themselves to bring out the “us.”

No individual sacrificed, but a shared commitment to a collective dynamic. Ubuntu means believing that the collective is stronger than the sum of the talents. And that’s exactly what made the difference. Not just a tactical adjustment. But a transformation of mindset.

Thinking together doesn’t mean thinking the same.

The heart of the matter is here: Cooperation is not about doing everything together. It’s not about thinking the same thing. It’s about understanding that the other thinks differently — and that’s normal.

75% of cross-functional projects fail or are delayed due to a lack of inter-team coordination (Harvard Business Review, 2020). Not due to a lack of competence. But due to a lack of articulation of logics.

Cooperating means accepting to cross different perspectives without hierarchizing positions. And this requires: time, curiosity, and above all… humility.

We don’t break down silos by decree. We break them when we accept questioning our own reflexes. When we go from “I’m right” to “we all have a part of the truth, but not the same one.”

Cooperation begins in the mind. And often, that’s where the first kick in the door needs to be placed.