Outcomes of Organisational Ecology
 
OE is concerned with the practical results of viewing organisations in the light of the lessons from living systems. The aim is to create an organisation that is successful by being in tune with its environment and adapting as demands change. This brings about a number of outcomes.

There are three outcomes that are particularly relevant to the challenges facing organisations today and these are discussed below.

          
 

 
Agility
The pace of change is increasing and the demands placed on an organisation are more complex. Many organisations find this difficult to deal with as they have developed internal processes which maximise efficiency (for cost control and profitability)  and increased control (for consistency and reliability). This is a barrier to rapid response to changes in demands from the  outside world.

 

An organisation practicing OE will develop a range of ways to respond that are likely to be successful because they 'belong' to the people doing the task. Empowering people, encouraging experimentation and good interaction (internally and externally) are key factors and these come from the OE Principles:
Distributed decision-making power
Experimentation with new ideas
Embracing failure as well as success
Right relationships with the world outside
Diffuse communications

 

 

 
Delivery
An organisation that enables its teams to find and implement the best solutions to the problems that they face will improve its ability to meet the demands made on it.

When the team (or organisation) needing to deliver has a simple, clear picture of what it is trying to achieve and the ability to get on with doing it then scene is set for the team to be able to deliver. Strong connections with the customer of the output from the team and with each other and the organisation as a whole will keep the team on track. Look at the following OE principles:
Clear, simple vision
Distributed decision-making power
Right relationships with the world outside
Diffuse communications

 

Innovation
It is important to be able to find new solutions to problems not only in the products or services that an organisation offers but also to ways of working. Many organisations find this difficult. OE builds innovation into the way the organisation operates.

A key factor here is the willingness to include and encourage a wide range of abilities, behaviours and ways of thinking. The principles in OE that are particularly relevant are:
Diversity of people
Experimentation with new ideas
Embracing failure as well as success