siloes

Noun

silo (plural silos or siloes)

1. A vertical building, usually cylindrical, used for the production of silage.
2. From the shape, a building used for the storage of grain.

   Synonyms:

   granary, grain elevator

3. An underground bunker used to hold missiles which may be launched.
   • As a rule of thumb, to reliably destroy a hardened missile silo or communications bunker, a one megaton warhead should land within a 600 foot radius of its target. This will ensure that the enemy silo lies within the crater gouged out by the nuclear blast.1987, Michio Kaku, Daniel Axelrod, To Win a Nuclear War: The Pentagon's Secret War Plans, Black Rose Books Ltd., →ISBN, page 203
4. (derogatory, informal) An organizational unit that has poor interaction with other units, negatively affecting overall performance.
   • A silo is created when members in one department or function do not interact with those in another department, even though there might be operational benefits to the interaction.2006, Albert J. Mills, Jean C. Helms Mills, John Bratton, Organizational Behaviour in a Global Context, page 116
5. (derogatory, informal) A structure in the information system that is poorly networked with other structures, with data exchange hampered.
   • Our networking is organized in silos, and employees lose time manually transferring data.

   Synonyms:

   information silo

6. (derogatory, slang) A group of like-minded individuals who are not exposed to outside opinions or input.

   Synonyms:

   echo chamber

See all 9 meanings of silo