View source for Information silo

{{short description|Insular information management system}}
An '''information silo''', or a group of such silos, is an insular [[Management system|management system]] in which one [[Information system|information system]] or subsystem is incapable of reciprocal operation with others that are, or should be, related. Thus [[Information|information]] is not adequately shared but rather remains sequestered within each system or subsystem, figuratively trapped within a container like grain is trapped within a [[Engineering:Silo|silo]]: there may be much of it, and it may be stacked quite high and freely available within those limits, but it has no effect outside those limits. Such '''data silos''' are proving to be an obstacle for businesses wishing to use [[Data mining|data mining]] to make productive use of their data.

[[File:Information silo.png|thumb|Typical information silos in a hierarchic structured organization]]
Information silos occur whenever a [[Data system|data system]] is incompatible or not integrated with other data systems. This incompatibility may occur in the technical architecture, in the application architecture, or in the [[Data architecture|data architecture]] of any data system. However, since it has been shown that established [[Data modeling|data modeling]] methods are the root cause of the data integration problem,<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://maxxphase.com/data-compatibility/top-benefits/data-silo-elimination/|title = Incompatible Data Silos|access-date = 2018-02-19}}</ref> most data systems are at least incompatible in the data architecture layer.

== In organizations ==
In understanding organizational behaviour, the term '''silo mentality'''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Halas|first=Michal|date=2020-04-05|title=Bajka o 2 silosach - TRIZ - Baza Wiedzy, Szkolenia, Warsztaty, Wdrożenia Feed|url=https://www.triz.oditk.pl/strefa-wiedzy/opinie/bajka-o-dwoch-silosach|access-date=2021-06-04|website=TRIZ|publisher=ODITK|language=pl}}</ref> often refers to a [[Philosophy:Mindset|mindset]] which creates and maintains information silos within an organization. A silo mentality is created by the divergent goals of different organizational units: it is defined by the ''Business Dictionary'' as "a mindset present when certain departments or sectors do not wish to share information with others in the same company".<ref name=forbes>Quoted in {{cite magazine |last1=Gleeson |first1=B. |last2=Rozo |first2=M. |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2013/10/02/the-silo-mentality-how-to-break-down-the-barriers/ |title=The Silo Mentality: How To Break Down The Barriers |magazine=Forbes |date=2 October 2013 |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref> It can also be described as a variant of the [[Social:Principal–agent problem|principal–agent problem]].{{clarify|date=November 2020}} 

A silo mentality primarily occurs in larger organizations and can lead to poorer [[Engineering:Performance#Management science|performance]] and has a negative impact on the corporate culture. Silo mentalities can be countered by the introduction of shared goals, the increase of internal networking activities and the flattening of hierarchies.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.rotize.com/silo-mentality/|title = Silo mentality in companies|publisher=Rotize |access-date = 2016-05-26|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161005230416/https://www.rotize.com/silo-mentality/|archive-date = 2016-10-05|url-status = dead}}</ref>  

Predictors for the occurrence of silos are 
* Number of employees 
* Number of organizational units within the whole organization 
* Degree of specialization 
* Number of different incentive mechanisms.

Gleeson and Rozo suggest that
{{quote|The silo mindset does not appear accidentally&nbsp;... more often than not, silos are the result of a conflicted leadership team&nbsp;... A unified leadership team will encourage trust, create empowerment, and break managers out of their "my department" mentality and into the "our organization" mentality.<ref name=forbes />}}

== Etymology ==
The term '''functional silo syndrome''' was coined in 1988 by Phil S. Ensor (1931–2018) who worked in organizational development and employee relations for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and [[Company:Eaton Corporation|Eaton Corporation]], and as a consultant. "Silo" and "stovepipe" (as in "[[Stovepipe (organisation)|stovepipe organization]]" and "[[Stovepipe system|stovepipe system]]") are now used interchangeably and applied broadly. Phil Ensor's use of the term "silo" reflects his rural Illinois origins and the many grain silos he would pass on return visits as he contemplated the challenges of the modern organizations with which he worked.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Functional Silo Syndrome|url=https://www.ame.org/sites/default/files/target_articles/88q1a3.pdf|first=Phil|last=Ensor|journal=AME Target|page=16|date=Spring 1988|access-date=2013-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Organizational Renewal – Tearing Down the Functional Silos|url=https://www.ame.org/sites/default/files/target_articles/88q2a1.pdf|author=AME Study Group on Functional Organization|journal=AME Target|page=4-16|date=Summer 1988|access-date=2013-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Breaking Down the Functional Silos: Motorola Paging Division "Bandit" Plant|url=http://www.ame.org/sites/default/files/documents/89Q4A5.pdf|first=James|last=Pullin|journal=AME Target|date=Winter 1989|access-date=2013-10-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Benjamin|last=Zimmer|title=Of Silos and Stovepipes|url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002964.html|publisher=[[Organization:University of Pennsylvania|University of Pennsylvania]]|work=Language Log|date=2006-03-27|access-date=2013-10-19}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{annotated link|Bounded rationality}}
* {{annotated link|Business process interoperability}}
* {{annotated link|Closed platform}} (also called walled garden or closed ecosystem)
* {{annotated link|Data architecture}}
* {{annotated link|Data integration}}
* {{annotated link|Data warehouse}}
* {{annotated link|Disparate system}}
* {{annotated link|Enterprise application integration}}
* {{annotated link|Social:Filter bubble}}
* {{annotated link|Engineering:Islands of automation}}
* {{annotated link|Metadata publishing}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120601005717/http://www.camagazine.com/archives/print-edition/2002/march/columns/camagazine23400.aspx The silo effect in business]

[[Category:Business software]]
[[Category:Information systems]]
[[Category:Enterprise application integration]]

{{Sourceattribution|Information silo}}