Evolution
28 May 2009
Carlos Alonso led off the interesting discussion in the Innobasque group, the Basque Innovation Agency, in LinkedIn:
You can follow this fascinating discussion in LinkedIn (you have to register).Is the theory of biological evolution an appropriate model for apply to the evolution of companies and organisations?
This year marks the celebration of the second centenary of the birth of the English naturalist Charles Darwin, as well as the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of his most famous work – The Origin of the Species. Many events, publications, exhibits and conferences are taking place around the world, shining a new light on this knowledge of the development and diversification of life on Earth and of the role played by humanity in nature.
A number of business analysts and consultants have used the occasion to highlight the interesting parallels and divergences between biological evolution and the evolution of companies and organisations. They tend to put special emphasis on the mechanisms and effects of innovation in the world of nature as well as business.
In his famous work The Selfish Gene (1976), the ethologist and evolutionary theorist Richard Dawkins coined the term "meme" (analogous to gene) in order to describe how the principles of genetic evolution could also explain the spreading of ideas and cultural phenomena.
The most famous application of this to the business world comes from the consultant Geoffrey Moore, of TCG Advisors. In his book Dealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution (2005) he writes: "Evolution requires us to continually refresh our competitive advantage, sometimes in dribs and drabs, sometimes in major cataclysms, but always with some part of our business portfolio at risk and in play. To innovate forever, in other words, is not an aspiration; it is a design specification. It is not a strategy; it is a requirement."
What lessons can be learned from the theory of biological evolution and applied to our companies and organisations? Does the evolution of a company follow a specific direction, or is it a blind mechanism for adapting to the environment? What role is played by fate and necessity in the evolution of organisations?
Labels: Opinion, Publications
