Silos are often maligned as one of the largest problems in an information ecosystem, but as someone from an agricultural background, this characterization has always struck me as deeply unfair.
I suspect the reason silos have become synonymous with the problem of information/resource hoarding is because they are often the most visible part of the agricultural ecosystem to the layperson.
However, silos are just that, a part of an ecosystem, and a valuable one at that.
I would go so far as to argue that silos are such an enduring symbol because of their usefulness in an agricultural ecosystem. Silos exist to store dried grain (and other dry goods) until they can be transported to the next part of our food chain. They serve a vital protective function and information silos often start out the same way--as a repository for new information.
Silos only become a problem when the ecosystem around them is not functional. Over my 20-year career working in information ecosystems I can tell you that every single time someone has complained about a problem with information siloing their actual complaint boils down to the fact that there are insufficient mechanisms in place to move the information where it needs to go.
Just as grain improperly stored in a real silo can rot or become toxic, so too, information that is not distributed properly can become useless or cause more harm than good.
That said, the problem is not the silo itself. The problem is in the rest of the ecosystem that is failing to move the product, whether it be grain, innovation, or funding resources, to the people who need it most.
Destroying the silo itself, whether real or metaphorical, will never solve the infrastructure problem that is being blamed on the silo.
Instead, we need to work on building that infrastructure to effectively move those resources. This comes in two parts. First, building effective, reliable pathways for the information to flow and, second, eliminating barriers to the movement of information.
The next time you have the urge to complain about a knowledge or resource silo, take a step back and look at the broader ecosystem. What is preventing that resource or knowledge from reaching its destination in a timely manner and how can you fix that issue?
Aside from being technically (and pedantically) correct, this perspective is empowering. It changes the issue from being out of your control to, at least partially, within your control.
Building up your information ecosystem around the structures that exist to house it can mean everything from building websites to building relationships. Luckily, this is the type of work at which entrepreneurs excel. Destroying barriers to the flow of information can mean confronting our own biases and assumptions. All of this is valuable work that doesn't just build up the ecosystem; it builds up the entrepreneur.
Tom Love Innovation Hub | The University of Oklahoma
Powered by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science & Technology
and the U.S. Small Business Administration
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