I choose the
global biomimicry network "Biomimicry 3.8" as a case-study because it
is relevant to our field of Industrial Ecology, and is a good example of self-organization.
The regional network comprises of bodies that focus on the application of
biomimicry. Biomimicry is the conscious emulation of nature’s design
principle. By harnessing local resources and expertise the regional
network connects with government officials and planners from all sectors
to forward the movement for the use of biomimicry. The Biomimicry 3.8
regional network is encouraging the connection of networks of biomimicry
leaders, experts, students and citizens who apply the concept of emulating
nature.
The organization has helped more than 250 clients and partners redesign
carpets, furniture, manufacturing processes, airplanes, and even entire cities,
all in nature’s sustainable image [1]. In
collaboration with its network partners Biomimicry 3.8 has reached of
millions people through the media. Janine Benyus popularized the term
biomimicry, in her book which escalated interest and sparked the movement that
eventually created this regional network. In 2010, the hybrid social
enterprise comprised of a for-profit Corporation and a not-for-profit
corporation under a single brand and integrated management strategy. The
cooperative is managed through a self-governance mechanism. Based on the
concepts of self-organization and co-evolution which we have discussed in
class. The different existing
relationships and interactions that actors engage in make a social network.
We can analyze the ways in which the
Biomimicry regional networks emerged and evolved. According to Boon
"self-organization is the process of ‘spontaneous’ coordination that is
exemplified by the pure market such as shown in Adam Smith’s metaphor of the
invisible hand" (2008). Actors within the Global network choose to share ideas in order to
minimize transaction costs (Gordon & McCann, 2000). Biomimcry 3.8 characteristics
of a social network. These
types of networks are characterized by inter-actor trust and its ability to
collectively undertake risky operations and pursue mutually beneficial goals
(Gordon & McCann, 2000).
While it may be considered a cooperative a regional network, the partners are not positioned close enough to one another to for the organization to coordinate things such as closing material loops with other industries. In 2010 the Biomimicry Group united with the Biomimicry Institute under a shared brand, and in 2014 the two entities decided to revert to the original model of dual brands in order to more effectively achieve their missions. The Biomimicry Group consults clients such as Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Shell, and Colgate Palmolive. In 2008, the Biomimicry Group entered into a strategic alliance with one of the world’s largest architectural firms.
Through planning and coordination, the local
firms and government. In terms of information sharing for example, members were
able to track substance exchanges, waste quantities, and other crucial
developments. Moreover, a centralized
management system that oversaw. The joint investments in technology and
information systems kept actors updated about the flows of by-products and
allowed the system to quickly adapt to any uncertainties.
References
1) Boons, F.A. 2008. Self-Organization and Sustainability: The Emergence of a Regional Industrial Ecology, Emergence: Complexity and Organization.
2) Gordon, I. and McCann, P. 2000. Industrial Clusters: Complexes, Agglomeration and/or Social Networks? Urban Studies 37(3): 513–532.
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