I had been hearing about Darwin’s “Survival of the fittest” since childhood. I had the eager to know about the “origin of Species” and “survival of the fittest”. I had the question like what are they? What is their significance in real life? I was in Delhi during this summer vacation and I had a day to spend in my Dad’s office where I found one book on “Origin of Species”. Oh, I don’t remember the author’s name. I went through the book the whole day and completed just the half of it. I found it interesting. But I had to leave for my home next day and the reading of book was left incomplete. It describes how the origin of species was formulated by Darwin. It generated even more interest to know its importance in real life and how does it get connected. Is Darwin’s theory relating to extinct species or organisms or connected with business field as well? If yes, then how?
When we consider an organization surviving in the market, to survive corporate leaders talk to their peers, copy their competitors, and copy each other, and the theory becomes a managerial fad. Do any of these “canned” theoretical solutions really work? In some instances, managerial theory or fad might work; but for most businesses, the pursuit of theories and fads is a prescription for disaster and decay. If we can’t trust the academics, the consultants and the soothsayers, who can we trust? Who, or what, can we believe in? Is there no hope in a world of economic turmoil, chaos and confusion?
The central question in my mind is: Why do some companies thrive, while others perish? Why do some companies make extravagant profits, while others scrape by on bare subsistence? What is the secret to success? What is the secret of survival? Businesses and brands also compete with each other in a struggle for survival, and collectively tend to operate in ways analogous to natural eco-systems. Is the survival of a business akin in any way to the survival of an animal, a plant or a bacterium? Is it possible that success and survival in the wild might be analogous to success and survival in the business world?
And here I found J. W. Thomas’s (a Decision analyst) analysis of, ‘popularizing the phrase “ Survival of the fittest” phrase by Darwin’ interesting.
Darwin did not say “survival of the fastest.” He did not say “survival of the biggest,” nor “survival of the smartest.” He said “survival of the fittest.” What a strange word, “fittest.” One might tend to interpret Darwin’s “fittest” (without thinking about it much) as somehow related to physical fitness, or physical superiority, in other words, to “strength.” But, Darwin did not say “survival of the strongest.” He said “survival of the fittest”. There is the meaning of it.
By “survival of the fittest” Darwin did not mean that the toughest will survive, the swiftest will win, the smartest will succeed, or the biggest will dominate. What Darwin meant was something far different. Darwin said that the organism that best “fits” its environment had the best chance of survival; hence, the term “survival of the fittest.” The plant or animal best “fitted” to its natural environment, according to Darwin, would be the most likely to survive and thrive.
So what does all of this mean for the strategy of a business or a brand? It means that the company and/or brand best “fitted,” or best “adapted,” to its environment (its markets, its customers) is most likely to survive, and most likely to flourish. It means that companies or brands not well “fitted” to their markets will not survive long-term. Product improvements and new products are pathways to the future, the lifeblood of strategic survival.
I went through a working paper “Survival of the Fittest or Fattest? Exit and Financing truck Industry”, by Luily Zingales, which challenges the theory and concludes after going through various observations and calculations that, in industries with high barriers to entry, relatively inefficient firms are very less likely to get challenged by the new and may stay in the market even after the mistakes. Thus competition will not always lead to survival of the fittest. Not everyone would agree to the above one. But I have few sources claiming it does apply to the alien life..
In an article "marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species", one of the Nasa scientists said that Darwinian evolution will be the driving force of life anywhere in the universe, and we should use its predictions to decide where to look..
And every theory is criticized. But as far as I have gone through the different cases it applies to many of the real life cases..
But for my eagerness in the topic I do have few questions on it.I have some queries on the survival of dinosaurs, why didn’t they manage to survive, being the strongest animal of times, I believe so. Is that they were not able to fit in the changing climate or what’s the reason?
And my query about human being - will it be able to survive the change; We have been able to do so till date but the rate of change is so rapid these days. Suppose we manage till ice age, what changes are likely to be occurred in us and how are we going to adapt to all change and threats? Will there be total change in our physical structure? I would like the reader to give me the view on it.
Thanks
Suraj Sharma.
The central question in my mind is: Why do some companies thrive, while others perish? Why do some companies make extravagant profits, while others scrape by on bare subsistence? What is the secret to success? What is the secret of survival? Businesses and brands also compete with each other in a struggle for survival, and collectively tend to operate in ways analogous to natural eco-systems. Is the survival of a business akin in any way to the survival of an animal, a plant or a bacterium? Is it possible that success and survival in the wild might be analogous to success and survival in the business world?
And here I found J. W. Thomas’s (a Decision analyst) analysis of, ‘popularizing the phrase “ Survival of the fittest” phrase by Darwin’ interesting.
Darwin did not say “survival of the fastest.” He did not say “survival of the biggest,” nor “survival of the smartest.” He said “survival of the fittest.” What a strange word, “fittest.” One might tend to interpret Darwin’s “fittest” (without thinking about it much) as somehow related to physical fitness, or physical superiority, in other words, to “strength.” But, Darwin did not say “survival of the strongest.” He said “survival of the fittest”. There is the meaning of it.
By “survival of the fittest” Darwin did not mean that the toughest will survive, the swiftest will win, the smartest will succeed, or the biggest will dominate. What Darwin meant was something far different. Darwin said that the organism that best “fits” its environment had the best chance of survival; hence, the term “survival of the fittest.” The plant or animal best “fitted” to its natural environment, according to Darwin, would be the most likely to survive and thrive.So what does all of this mean for the strategy of a business or a brand? It means that the company and/or brand best “fitted,” or best “adapted,” to its environment (its markets, its customers) is most likely to survive, and most likely to flourish. It means that companies or brands not well “fitted” to their markets will not survive long-term. Product improvements and new products are pathways to the future, the lifeblood of strategic survival.
I went through a working paper “Survival of the Fittest or Fattest? Exit and Financing truck Industry”, by Luily Zingales, which challenges the theory and concludes after going through various observations and calculations that, in industries with high barriers to entry, relatively inefficient firms are very less likely to get challenged by the new and may stay in the market even after the mistakes. Thus competition will not always lead to survival of the fittest. Not everyone would agree to the above one. But I have few sources claiming it does apply to the alien life..
In an article "marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species", one of the Nasa scientists said that Darwinian evolution will be the driving force of life anywhere in the universe, and we should use its predictions to decide where to look..
And every theory is criticized. But as far as I have gone through the different cases it applies to many of the real life cases..
But for my eagerness in the topic I do have few questions on it.I have some queries on the survival of dinosaurs, why didn’t they manage to survive, being the strongest animal of times, I believe so. Is that they were not able to fit in the changing climate or what’s the reason?
And my query about human being - will it be able to survive the change; We have been able to do so till date but the rate of change is so rapid these days. Suppose we manage till ice age, what changes are likely to be occurred in us and how are we going to adapt to all change and threats? Will there be total change in our physical structure? I would like the reader to give me the view on it.
Thanks
Suraj Sharma.
