The University of San Diego is scheduled to publish a paper on the Argentine Ant later this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. What makes the study so fascinating is that the researchers have discovered that it is the Argentine Ant’s ability to change diets which has allowed it to not only survive but thrive in a variety of different environments. More specifically, the Argentine Ant is able to switch from a carnivorous, protein-rich diet (in which it eats other insects) to a carbohydrate, sugar-water diet as conditions change (or once it has devoured all of its competitors).
I mention this study because I think it is a wonderful methaphor to keep in mind as you seek to remain competitive in today’s Exponential Economy: To survive, you will need to possess the necessary flexibility to change diets on occasion. For example, in the health care sector companies might think they are in the disease “treatment” business, but as advances continue to accelerate in the fields of genomics, nanotechnology and information technology, these companies could find that they will need to become distributors of “preventive” health care information. Similarly, a number of traditional manufacturing companies might need to adopt a new business model as the field of rapid prototype manufacturing continues to progress.
The bottom-line is this: The real lesson of Darwinian evolution is not that the “Fittest” or the “strongest” survive. Rather, survival is more closely aligned with the ability to change and evolve quickly. The Argentine Ant is a case in point.
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Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
