What can a bee teach us about innovation?
Av Johan Bergquist
April 4, 2024
An important element of creativity is innovation. Not following the herd, but daring and being able to go your own way. It's easy to think that this is genuinely human behavior. But the fact is that we are not alone in this. You only have to go to the nearest beehive to see how nature has instilled creative thinking even in insects. And, just like a business, it's about long-term survival.
The rebellious bees
A group of bees return to the hive and start dancing for the others. They tell them that they have found a really good nectar site where there is plenty to be had. Soon they have convinced their friends and they all start flying there. The trips go back and forth for many days. Sure enough, there was an abundance of goodies.
But not all bees go there. For some reason, a small group of bees chose not to listen to their colleagues. Even though it's obviously true that they've found a real goldmine of pollen and nectar. Instead, they fly off in completely different directions with no idea what they're going to find - if anything. Why do they do this? Are they a bit stupid? No, quite the opposite actually.
Utilization versus exploration
The fact that some bees behave like this was something that puzzled scientists for many years. After all these millions of years of evolution, why were there still bees that didn't seem to understand the dance? Who were unable to fly in the right direction? Natural selection should have made them gradually disappear. They were obviously completely useless. But scientists eventually realized that these bees were actually acting quite rationally.
It's about exploitation vs. exploration. One simply requires the other. Because, of course, it would make sense for all the bees to join forces. If everyone pulled together and focused on the task at hand, they would be so much more efficient. A bit like when a company in a recession requires everyone to focus on sales and puts product development and branding on hold.
Tomorrow's business is created today
In the long run, this is not a sustainable behavior. Only exploiting and never exploring will lead to the death of the bee community (and the company). You over-invest in what you already know and under-invest in what you don't yet know. Those rebel bees are actually crucial for the long-term survival of the bee community. They fly to unknown places without having the slightest idea of a plan. They explore new areas, new places. You could say that the obedient bees focus on ROI while the disobedient bees invest in R&D. At the same time, if a disobedient bee finds a brand new source of pollen, a meadow that has suddenly started to bloom, that particular bee's effort is worth a thousand times more than the obedient bee's.
The same is true for a business. Just like the bee community, management must ensure that there are always rebellious bees exploring new business opportunities and ideas. Even those that don't immediately have a clear upside. Innovating is about allowing yourself to sometimes just venture into the unknown. To buzz around aimlessly. To suddenly land on the next big thing...
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