Organizing Instincts | Brand, Business & The Biological System
“Most complex biological organisms have an innate feel for how they should organize. While not all of them end up in hierarchical structures, many do, especially in the animal kingdom. Human beings like to think they are outside of this, but they feel the hierarchical instinct as strongly as any other organism.” Shane Parish, Farnam Street Blog
Dominance hierarchies form around the scarce resource that will have increasing utility overtime.
In nature, and specifically the animal kingdom — the first thing that comes to mind is the Lion. The apex predator of apex predators. But, why is the lion important why is it feared in such a way?
I like how Ian York put it on Quora.
The reason for this seems pretty straightforward. Lions are huge, muscular, vicious bastards with sharp teeth and claws that are well adapted to brutally murdering most things that would try to attack them. The only things in their ecosystem (aside from other lions) that can plausibly challenge them are large bands of spotted hyenas, and even those extremely tough predators can really only deal with small numbers of the much smaller females and the young, and head for the hills when adult male lions challenge them.
Externally, I am of the belief that markets organize around Prestige and Admiration as opposed to Dominance and Submission, which would be more akin to the murderous way of the apex predator Lion in the animal kingdom. While there is a place for this aggressive hostility in great businesses and brands it is definitely not in the product or the customer experience.
Apex Prestigiousness and Admiration
My thinking here is deeply influenced by Kevin Simler and his post social status:down the rabbit hole. Brands that rise to the top of their respective external market organizing hierarchy are prestigious, meaning they have won the competition for admiration. What is admiration in the conxtext of business? it is my belief that customers or the market will admire the company that can provide leadership and guidance both philosophically and practically. That is to say they can create a cult around a belief that is imbued in the incredible intuitiveness and effectiveness of their product or solution.
Internal Orangizing Structure.
Now, this is a bit more interesting, because great products and brands come from the culture within the company. They are the creative manifestation of a collective effort.
Interestingly, this is where I think admiration goes out the window. The philosophy can still be admired, it can even be the thing that KPIs are tetthered to, like ‘True North Metrics’.
But, it is actually hostility and dominance that makes a company tick from inside. Before you think I am crazy — I do not mean physically or even verbally. I simply mean that the ideas that are rooted in insights from talking to customers, should be the murderous, hostile, apex predators. They must win over everything in order to create a great business or brand. Someone who expresses this idea well is Ray Dalio and the idea meritocracy.
