On July 4th, 2024, IDEAFUND Co., Ltd.(Founder & CEO: Naoko Okawachi, Tokyo) hosted held an internal study session centered on The Silo Effect: The Peril of Expertise and the Promise of Breaking Down Barriers by Gillian Tett, focusing on the themes of organizational growth and the pitfalls of increasing specialization. 

Discussion
The discussion highlighted parallels between the silo-related drawbacks mentioned in the book—such as the diminished sharing of ideas across departments and the focus on short-term gains—and insights from previous research conducted within our company. One view raised was that when silos stem from personal pride or differences in mindset, integrating dialogical processes is essential. However, we also recognized that, despite the ubiquity of silos and their associated challenges, not every industry has the time or culture to prioritize cross-department dialogue, so we shared alternative ideas to address these cases. As this book is written from an anthropological perspective and argues that anthropology can help dissolve silos, we debated both points of agreement and disagreement with this point. 

A Word from the Presenter
The silo phenomenon of classification, specialization, and segmentation is a natural and essential aspect of daily life. Rather than pushing for immediate integration, this study session helped us recognize the importance of classification itself. While the significant challenges posed by silos were well understood, clear methods for overcoming them were less defined during this session. Thus, I intend to continue exploring ways anthropology can contribute to breaking down silos. — Mio Taguchi  

Contact info:
info@ideafund.co.jp