As I sat in a room full of creative thinkers, stimulated beyond belief by feeling connected and understood – hearing about the innovative projects that represented “Silo-Busting Strategies” from different parts of the world – I realized once again that there were assumptions in the room that needed to be challenged. Even here, especially here.
Once an illustrative concept has been applied to a problem area, used to describe something complex in a sort of shorthand, the reification of the concept’s shorthand into ‘the thing itself’ begins. Silos were clearly seen as a metaphor for something impenetrable and problematic, looming over us in majestic isolation. They seemed to be, uniformly, a BAD THING. It was assumed we all understood this concept and interpreted it this way, so that the workshop session was created and attended because of our shared view that silos need to be busted.
The thought crept in…”What kind of image are we using to describe this vertical organization and isolation of people and organizations, a grain silo or a missile silo?” My mind riffed further on the description – and the implications – of each image. They both represent a form of storage, the first above ground, standing tall on the prairie, seen for miles, Gathering and protecting a resource. Loading in from the top, using gravity to help with delivering at the bottom.
Fairly benign, especially when one thinks collective ownership and economies of scale for farmers. However, they have come to represent the isolation and inward-focussed attention of community and governing organizations and groups. Hoarding, doling out, impermeable to other silos. Rats scurry around trying to get in and steal a few grains now and then….
Missile silos, on the other hand, store things below ground, hidden and yet ominous. I think there is a useful metaphor in that, as well.
I say: silos have a purpose, but what about the sowing and reaping that goes on inbetween them? In a healthy sustainable environment/community, silos need not be fortresses, nor the people in their shadow the beggars or gatekeepers of needed resources. Let us not be so over-focussed on the silos that we forget to attend to our fields.