Whenever I hear someone take up the cry against organizational silos, I both empathize and cringe. Of course silos are awful and keep us from doing our best work, but when you’re in the middle of a silo—and maybe that silo is inside ANOTHER silo, all inside slow-moving higher ed—well, what’s a content strategist to do? With lessons from architecture, the Midwestern landscape, and a hearty dose of humor, we’ll examine how to use our unique positions working in and with higher ed to not only understand our ivory-tower silos but to teach them a thing or two as well.

1. Amanda Costello
College of Education and Human Development
University of Minnesota
@amandaesque
Working in the Idea Factory
how silos learn

2. Hello
My name is
Amanda

3. Content Strategy model
College
Dept.

8. silos!
You betcha.

9. spoiler alert:
You can’t report to
yourself

13. bro, do
midwest?
you even

14. Minneapolis:
Mill
City

18. how buildings learnby Stewart Brand

19. … not only to remain
sturdy with age
appropriate to its users
but to remain
as they themselves evolve.
-Stewart Brand

25. Humans form groups

26. protection from crap

27. us vs. them

28. Unwilling to share

29. wreck Efficiency

30. “I sure hope all of my
hard work is being
secretly duplicated
elsewhere!”
- No One, Ever

31. Reduce Morale

32. higher ed

33. idea factory

34. myth of the lone genius

35. myth of the lone genius

36. 20% thinkers

37. 20 - 40% thinkers

38. higher education
motivation

39. 1. resource scarcity

40. not enough space

41. not enough time

42. not enough people

43. not enough money

44. Athletics!

45. 1. resource scarcity
2. Jealousy

46. they have something
I want

47. they have something
I want
I deserve

48. The politics
Sayre’s Law:
because the stakes
are so vicious
are so Low

49. silos dipped in
crazy sauce

50. image: K.C. Green, Gunshow #648

51. good news
everyone!

52. The Ivory Tower
photo by Michael G White

53. … not only to remain
sturdy with age
appropriate to its users
but to remain
as they themselves evolve.
-Stewart Brand

54. Site
Structure
Skin
Services
Space Plan
Stuff

55. Site (functionally eternal)
Structure (30 - 300 years)
Skin (20 years)
Services (7 - 15 years)
Space Plan (3 - 30 years)
Stuff (days/months)

57. Working horizontally

58. who else?

59. chronicle.com/interactives/peers-network

60. Higher Ed Slam Book

62. chronicle.com/interactives/peers-network

63. 1. resource scarcity
2. Jealousy

66. build strong bridges

67. Working vertically

68. My Boss
Chief
of Staff
Chief
of Staff
other

69. Content Strategy model
College
Dept.

70. My Boss
Chief
of Staff
Chief
of Staff
other

71. Good: Therapy Session

72. bad: Fear

73. Eric Qualman, “Social Media Revolution 2015”

74. From Flickr User futureatlas.com

75. beloit mindset list
Class of 2019 mostly born in 1997

76. Never licked a stamp

77. Assume wifi is an
entitlement

78. Have no first-hand experience
with the charismatic celebrity of
princess diana

80. do the work.
Give context.
be better.

81. You are not
literally trapped
metal death tube
in a

82. protection from crap

83. vomitoxin

84. Keep toxic in its silo

85. Change can happen

86. Site (functionally eternal)
Structure (30 - 300 years)
Skin (20 years)
Services (7 - 15 years)
Space Plan (3 - 30 years)
Stuff (days/months)

88. invocation for beginnings
Ze Frank

89. My pencils are
even the dull ones
sharp enough,
will make
a mark.
Ze Frank

90. life isn’t just
of waiting for
a sequence
done.
Ze Frank
things to be

91. Start small…

92. but Start.

93. Let’s be in touch
amandac@umn.edu
@amandaesque
Thank you!
I can drink lattes forever.