A school of mackerel senses a predator. Each individual pays close attention to their neighbor, so information travels rapidly through the pack. The predator closes in, but the group stays calm, yet alert. They stick together, change direction quickly while avoiding collisions, and move in the same direction. Result: a confused, exhausted predator that chooses to spend its energies elsewhere.
Yes, yes, I have been reading National Geographic. Is that such a bad thing? But there is so much we can learn from nature – even lessons that pertain to the business world.
What currently intrigues me is a phenomenon called swarm intelligence. Consider ants. They have division of labor: scouts, foragers, workers, soldiers, and let us not forget the queen. Yet when their scouts spot food (opportunity) or trouble (increasing competition) the colony responds quickly and effectively to their environment. What is mind boggling is that the ants do this with a minimal amount of meetings and virtually no coffee – other than the occasional spilled Starbucks on the old anthill. So the question becomes: What makes swarms of ants, flocks of starlings, and schools of bigeye jack successful? In my opinion there are five traits. These qualities also serve high performing business units quite nicely as well:
- Empowerment – each individual in the swarm not only is empowered to make important decisions, but they feel empowered to make decisions without the fear of harsh recourse from their peers.
- Cooperation – as decisions are made, members of the swarm support the decision, as well as the decision-maker. Likewise, if a better decision presents itself, the swarm changes direction quickly, with no pushback from the original decision-maker.
- Coordination – the group focuses on the task at hand and strives to move in the same direction.
- Selflessness – the swarm acts as one large unit. While each individual member possesses an identity, the mantra of ‘the whole being greater than the sum of its parts’ courses through their collective veins. In other words, team accomplishment, not individual glory, is the most satisfying end.
- Results-Driven – it is clearly understood by the swarm that positive results are paramount. In the swarm’s case, of course, results are often a matter of life and death.
So what happens when the swarm puts these five qualities together? More often than not, they achieve success. Can we achieve great success by emulating nature? When it comes to exhibiting the above five qualities the answer is a resounding ‘you betcha!’
Now go out there and swarm. And when you do so, please swarm intelligently.