Creating the Immortal Organisation: Lessons from Nature and the Frontier of Science

Imagine an organisation so resilient, so adaptive, that it operates like a living organism, one that not only survives but thrives, no matter the challenge. This vision, though compelling, has often faltered in execution. Why?

One reason may be that until now, we’ve lacked a deep enough understanding of the biological principles that could guide us... well, that's all changed!

Enter the groundbreaking work of Dr Michael Levin and his exploration of cellular electrical signalling. Levin’s research unveils principles that extend beyond biology into the heart of leadership and organisational strategy.

These discoveries are not just fascinating, they’re a playbook for the future of business.

The Cellular Orchestra: A Model for Leadership

Levin’s findings reveal that cells operate like an orchestra, with electrical signals as their music. Through a precise sequence of ion exchanges, potassium, calcium, sodium etc., cells communicate their roles, ensuring each contributes to the collective harmony of the organism.

When cells lose this rhythm, chaos ensues. A rogue cell, forgetting its place in the symphony, starts behaving autonomously, replicating unchecked in ways that might be good for its own survival, but reduce the function of the community it was formerly part of.

This breakdown in connection and alignment is what we know as cancer!

Yet Levin’s work offers hope: by reintroducing the correct electrical pattern, even “rogue” cells can reintegrate, rediscovering their purpose and restoring balance.

Now, let’s apply this biological principle to organisations and society at large.

Imagine:

• departments as organs
• the teams as tissues
• and the individuals as cells.

Each must know their role and stay in rhythm if they are to contribute to the overall health of the enterprise. Just as cells align their actions to the body’s needs, by being part of organs, every part of an organisation must align with its mission, strategy, and values. (Pull in the same direction).

Hoshin Kanri and the Symphony of Strategy

Hoshin Kanri, an approach to strategy deployment, driven by the principle of respect (for humanity), mirrors this biological orchestration. At its core, it’s about ensuring that the organisation's "firing sequence", (i.e. its strategic goals), reverberate through every business unit, department, and individual. (Aligned to a constant purpose).

This starts at the top. Leadership defines the rhythm, setting clear objectives that cascade down to teams and individuals. But very importantly, just as Levin highlights when describing the biological science behind our cellular orchestra analogy,

it’s NOT about micromanagement.

In his experiments, he doesn’t have to tell cells to push potassium here and sodium there, once the cells know the firing sequence that achieves the outcome objective, they remember it and repeat it … all they need is a nudge in the right direction in the first place.

He says, all he has to do is hijack the front end of the system already in play. Analogously, shift the 'belief' the cell has about what it has to become. After that it's 'hands off', stand back and let the experts who do the job, crack on! (use their innate intelligence).

The key is to instil an understanding of the rhythm so that every "cell" of the organisation knows how to act autonomously, while remaining harmonious with and complimentary to, the whole. This is so often the opposite of what we achieve in practice.

Regeneration Through People Development

Levin’s insights also highlight the regenerative power of healthy systems. A flatworm can be chopped up and every piece will grow back into a fully functioning organism … a new flatworm (Planaria) within 7 days! A salamander can regrow a limb because it's cells abide by the same laws of biological function. It's the degree to which a whole organisms cells are able to repeat the firing sequence without getting interrupted, that makes the difference.

Common sense (from experience) suggests, organisations can regenerate and adapt in similar ways, when their people (cells) are empowered, aligned, and engaged.

But what happens when employees, or cells, lose sight of their purpose?

Disengaged workers act like rogue cells, focused solely on survival, disconnected from the bigger picture. Left unchecked, this disengagement spreads, threatening the health of the entire system.

The solution lies in development. By investing in the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of employees, organisations can restore rhythm and purpose. When people feel valued and understand their role, they naturally align with the organisation’s goals, ensuring they are able to maintain maximised contribution.

The Universal Principle: Health at Every Scale

These principles don’t just apply to businesses. They are universal, spanning scales from cells to solar systems, with the human contingent (and how we connect), somewhere in the middle, threatening the survival of the bigger systems we exist in, be that our employment or our planet.

Just as a healthy cell contributes to the body’s survival, a healthy organisation contributes to economic survival of a country, and healthy economies, (when cognoscente of their eco-system), are best placed to sustain the planet.

This perspective demands a shift in leadership thinking. CEOs must see their organisations not as machines but as living systems. Success depends on nurturing the health of every part. When we ensure the individuals are at their best (i.e. we attain optimised brain function), how they then connect, communicate, collaborate ... improves the health of entire departments and divisions, to ensure the whole organisation thrives.

The Path Forward: Principle-Based Practice

Toyota’s famed principle-based practice, rooted in continuous improvement and respect for people, aligns perfectly with this biological wisdom. It’s not about rigid rules but about guiding principles that adapt to circumstances while maintaining alignment with overarching goals.

Leaders who adopt this approach unlock a new kind of intelligence in their organisations, one that mirrors the adaptive, self-healing capabilities of nature. They create systems that are not only efficient but also resilient and regenerative.

The Call to Action

As leaders, the challenge is clear: to build immortal organisations, we must mimic the biology of the flatworm.

We must create systems where every "cell" understands its purpose, acts in harmony with the whole, and thrives in a healthy environment, even when exposed to significant trauma!

But wait … doesn't this challenge extend beyond the boardroom and into the realm of investors.

When introducing a new “cell” into the system, a CEO, for example, investors must consider the long-term health of the organisation, not just the short-term ROI or the promise of rapid multiples and an exit strategy. The serial CEO, hailed for delivering immediate results, can often act like a rogue cell… indeed, it’s the belief in multiples and short term ROI (5-years), that can make the investors themselves, the rogue cell that negatively impacts the very system that must perform to deliver the desired outcomes!

In pursuit of short-term metrics, they (Investors / their teams) may prioritise aggressive cost-cutting or unsustainable growth, destabilising the organisation's rhythm and damaging its culture. Such ‘leaders’, influenced by the allure of money to operate in their own interest, risk leaving behind a system so strained that the very foundations of the organisation begin to crumble. (Not their problem if they've moved on before the repercussions of their actions are felt over time).

Conversely, a visionary CEO can act as the source of a system-wide reset, realigning the rhythm, instilling harmony, and fostering resilience. Just as Levin’s research shows that rogue cells can be reintegrated into the whole, the right leader, one who prioritises long-term outcomes and sustainable health over quick wins, can guide the organisation toward a new equilibrium.

This is where we find the holy grail of 'Sustainable Change'. Something global markets have struggled with for the last 50 years.

For investors, this means shifting their focus from extracting value in the short term to creating lasting value through careful stewardship.

Of course, how people [brains] behave at any level, always comes down to ‘Belief’ (imprinted neural wiring patterns). #BTFA

If the investor / owner / controller is happy / comfortable, asset striping the organisation, or knowingly damaging the long-term prospects in favour of short term, self-serving outcomes, or worse, being ignorant of their own influence over the system and blindly leading the blind …. Nothing in this brief overview will appeal or make any difference at all!

However, for those looking to benefit the system, within the system, within the system, with thoughts and concern for people, profit and planet, this kind of thinking is not just a strategy; it’s a philosophy, a universal truth drawn from the very fabric of nature and life itself.

By embracing these principles, we can lead our organisations into a future of unprecedented resilience, adaptability, and success in ways that are not only sustainable economically but ecologically.

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General Leadership and Business

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Science and Nature-Inspired Themes

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Human-Centric and Employee Development

#EmployeeEngagement #PeopleDevelopment #WorkplaceWellness #SustainableLeadership

Broader Themes on Purpose and Vision

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Industry-Specific

#HoshinKanri #LeanLeadership #ContinuousImprovement

Trending and Broader Reach

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