Q1 - I'm not sure. Perhaps with a high level viewpoint, you don't see enough detail to see evidence of siloed thinking. It's too easy to gloss over.
Q2 - No, I think that 'absent' here means ignore, or remove. In other words, unless you give some value to clear speech, you will get biz-speak. You missed the c out of scheme, BTW.
Q3 - 'I'm afraid' does not mean there is any fear. It is just idiom. It means 'I am sorry to say' or 'I regret to say', or even just 'unfortunately'.