ADAPTATION

We have all explored a landscape. Some of our most memorable vacations are those in which we have perseveringly scouted vast areas of unfamiliarity. From the moment we first walk through the doors at our new place of employment, we begin our exploration of both the physical and cultural territory. The youth of our culture grow and learn about the many facets of life by exploring everything from shopping malls, to just how long they can postpone something before they provoke their parents. Members of the animal kingdom continually explore terrain for possibilities of food, shelter, and threats to their survival. The life of the young of any species can be seen as an exploration of available landscapes.

Exploring a landscape plays a critical role in an entity's ability to adapt and innovate. Where adaptation is possible, or where there are many variations of possible environments, the ability to search a landscape is essential for long-term success. Our proficiency at searching a landscape becomes even more important when there is an acceleration in the speed at which a landscape changes and adapts. When a landscape is changing, no single adaptation will provide long-term survival value. Inevitability the conditions which suit an entity will change. When that occurs, what was once beneficial becomes a handicap. The ingredients for a sustainable future can be found in the ability to adapt -- not in any particular adaptation.

Our proficiency at adapting co-evolves with our proficiency at moving around in an environment. Adaptation possibility increases proportionately to the increase in our range and speed of mobility. In a constantly changing or rugged environment, proficiency at learning, adapting, and innovating are essential. As the rate of environmental change increases and the rangeof mobility increases, the demand for a capacity of adaptation increases exponentially. The explosion of new technology, global competition, and alternative organizational forms is putting enormous pressure on those in our corporations to understand the principles of exploring landscapes, so that we can enhance our adaptability.