what is a silo mentality 
a silo mentality is a reluctance to share information with employees of different divisions in the same company this attitude is seen as reducing the organization s efficiency and at worst contributing to a damaged corporate culture understanding a silo mentalitythe term silo originally referred to storage containers for grain or missiles but it is now used as a metaphor for separate entities that stockpile information and effectively seal it in in business organizational silos refer to business divisions that operate independently and avoid sharing information it also refers to businesses whose departments have silo system applications in which information cannot be shared because of system limitations the silo mentality is generally seen as a top down issue arising from competition between senior managers the protective attitude toward information begins with management and is passed down to individual employees it also may be seen between individual employees who may hoard information for their benefit it is often found between employees of competing departments such as marketing and sales where some assigned duties overlap it s not always a matter of clashing egos a silo mentality can reflect a narrow vision the employees are so bogged down in their daily chores that they never see the bigger picture or see themselves as having a critical role in that bigger picture or they may be utterly unaware of the value to others of the information they re sitting on no matter what the reasons for it are a silo mentality exists because senior management allows it to exist managers of successful firms generally encourage the free flow of information between departments so that all aspects of the company can function effectively impact of a silo mentalitythe lack of cross departmental communication can negatively impact workflow as information is not passed freely across the organization this can leave some departments working with inaccurate or outdated information these and other operational inefficiencies resulting from silos also complicate how companies deliver value to customers and adversely affect profitability a silo mentality inevitably damages morale especially when employees become aware of the problem and are unable to do anything to change it special considerationsattitudes are difficult to change especially when self interest is at stake a writer for salesforce com suggests that the keys to dismantling silos are cooperation communication and collaboration 1some of the specific suggestions for management changes include 