To that end, the CMO can develop a functional and usable Intranet, arrange cross-silo events, and form silo-spanning teams. He or she can go out and visit the silos to explain strategy and foster communication by gathering and sharing ideas. Without that kind of leadership, no effort to create a truly silo-spanning marketing effort will succeed. 
Edward H. Baker, former editor of CIO Insight magazine, is a contributing editor at strategy+business.
