Resilience of the Silo Organizational Structure in the European Commission

This article investigates whether the organizational reforms that President Jean-Claude Juncker introduced strengthened the Commission's political role, enhanced co-ordination among Directorates General and affected the policy governance with respect to the circular economy. Drawing on organizational theory, the article demonstrates how Juncker's reforms empowered the Commission's leadership by centralization of powers and close monitoring of DGs' work. The inter-institutional interactions among the DGs formally increased, especially with respect to information clarification and the allocation of competences and resources. However, the top-down reforms undermined the DGs' and the services' entrepreneurial role in policy governance and innovation. In response, the individual DGs demonstrated resistance and resilience to these reforms. The article attributes this resistance and resilience to the DG's distinctive administrative capacity, practices, culture and the 'logic of portfolio', that reinvigorated the silo structure in the Commission and intensified inter-DG competition.

Automated summary

This article explores the impact of President Juncker's organizational reforms on the political role of the Commission, coordination among Directorates General, and the policy governance of the circular economy. The reforms centralized power and increased monitoring of DGs' work, strengthening the Commission's leadership. However, they also undermined the entrepreneurial role of DGs and services in policy governance and innovation. DGs demonstrated resistance and resilience to these top-down reforms, which can be attributed to their administrative capacity, practices, culture, and inter-DG competition.