Silo busting is a very interesting thing. \u00a0Everyone knows that systems atrophy when they divide their work into silos. \u00a0Silos entrench difference and prevent learning across sectors whether we are talking about departments in an organization, or a social system like health care or child and family services.<\/p>\n
Silos have limited usefulness. \u00a0They divide work into manageable chunks. \u00a0But in general they create reductionist responses to systemic problems and they pose a massive challenge to people working nfor change. \u00a0If we first have to bust the silos, and only then can we address the problems, how do we know we’ll have energy left for the real work?<\/p>\n
So let’s be real. \u00a0Dr. Rob Anda<\/a>, who I met this week in Seattle, had a great line when talking about reducing the effects of adverse childhood experiences. \u00a0“I don’t see silos as disappearing anytime soon, but if we work together in community from common information sources we can make change.”<\/p>\n Great line. \u00a0Forget about the silos. \u00a0Bring people together in communities of practice<\/a> to learn about the information they need and that serves their common purpose, and then engage in the conversations that build network and community around learning about change and enacting solutions that make sense at the community level. \u00a0Bottom up silo busting. \u00a0Forget about the structural reforms first. \u00a0Do the work first and then institutionalize the solutions that work across sectors, disciplines and other silos. \u00a0Follow the Theory U process:<\/a> concretize solutions following social prototyping.<\/p>\n