Integritus Prime

I love it when ideas converge – especially when they come from very different sources.

I’ve been reading The Web of Life by Fritjof Capra (thanks to my friend Katie for lending it to me) as a foundation for the biomimicry and wellness book I’ve outlined, and every page is mind-blowingly important and goosebumpy. It’s a wonderful book about how we pesky humans have historically come to understand how living systems work and how to model them. Living systems are self-making (autopoietic), that is, their components produce each other – think DNA, which releases RNA, which goes to a cell’s production centers to produces enzymes, which then repair said DNA. Rad, right? Living systems are also defined by a boundary (for example a cell membrane), and they persist through evolution and transformation of their components. Living systems in a word: awesome.

My friend Aaron recently put Matter, by Peter Sheahan, and Julie Williamson, PhD, into my hands. I read it in one sitting. This delicious book is about how to build a company that solves complex challenges while adding unparalleled value, thus becoming indispensable.  The focus is on being at the edge of disruption, building strong relationships, and being committed to thought leadership. I was inspired and affirmed by this approach, because it describes my personality – I like to be on the edge of disciplinary knowledge where interdisciplinary innovation can happen, and I write about it relentlessly in this here blog. This book also seemed to describe the way Alchemus Prime is set up: with a dynamic science-based model that evolves continually as it receives new information, and aims to solve the increasingly complex and entwined challenges of climate change and wellness.

Well folks, the epiphany for me as I read these two books is that the way Sheahan and Williamson have articulated their approach to value-creating business strategies is so very similar to how the pattern of life works. In essence, I am tracing the success Sheehan and Williamson report, to roots in how living systems evolve to thrive, and making the case that as we follow nature’s relationship-centric principles, we cannot help but succeed. Biomimicry, or emulating nature, is a strategy for the win.

I’ve condensed some of the similarities between the two books and approaches in the table below:

 

A Comparison of how Self-Making Living Systems and Disruptive Companies Work:

Characteristic:	Self-Making (Autopoietic) Systems from The Web of Life by Fritjof Capra	Disruptive Entrepreneurship from Matter by Peter Sheahan and Julie Williamson, PhD
Boundary of the system	Self-bounded – the boundary is an integral part of the network. It is semi-permeable, lets in energy and matter.	Setting professional boundaries – learn to say no unless it’s your niche. Semi-permeable, allows in information and communication.
Production of the system	Self-making – all components, including those of the boundary, are produced by processes within the network. Bifurcation point leads to unpredictable changes in direction that evolve the structure and behavior of the system.	Reinventing – allows the company to reinvent itself for elevated impact depending on how the edge of disruption changes and what complexities arise. Evolves the structure and behavior of the company.
Sustaining the system	Self-perpetuating – production processes continue over time so that components are continually replaced by the system’s processes of transformation.	Continuous improvement – iteratively improve processes, products, and services, maintain high standards and nurture generative relationships that renew over time.
Organizing principle	Network of relationships – the pattern of organization is a network of relationships. This matters more than structure.	Network of Relationships – goal is to build virtuous, intimate, and understanding partnerships and share information extensively throughout the network.
Order	Based on chaos – order arises far from equilibrium.	Based on disruption – innovation comes from following the edge of disruption and generating high-value solutions that make deep impact.
Matter-energy throughput	Constant flow – of matter and energy from a chaotic environment into a dynamically ordered system.	Constant flow – of information and communication from the edge of disruption into a dynamic, value-creating company.

 

Based on this comparison, you can see that the characteristics of the two systems are very similar. As I’ve described in earlier posts about biomimetic engagement as well as what biomimicry teaches us about collective intelligence, when we emulate nature, our chances of success are stronger because we’re standing on the shoulders of 3.8 billion years of experience. I’m excited to see this convergence, and hopeful about humanity’s ability to safeguard the future by returning to nature’s wisdom (our humble vision).

The ultimate takeaway though, is creativity – living systems AND biomimetic companies are set up in this way so they can facilitate creative solutions to complex challenges in the constant environment of chaos. Now, that is breathtakingly beautiful, and it is why we humans are here – to create. What is the challenge you’re innovating to solve, and how has nature helped? Share with me in the comments!

And if you like what you’re reading, drop me a note and let’s discuss further.

 

Special thanks to Aaron and Katie for lending me the books, inspiring this post, and for their general badassity.