Thoughts, ideas, and lessons learned from real-world customer engagements and interactions...
Ecosystems are not just for waterfowl
23 Oct 2009 | No Comments | posted by admin | in Business Development
Everyone has heard the term ecosystem. From an everyday perspective it refers to a system of interdependent organisms which share the same habitat, within an area functioning together with all of the physical factors of the environment. In other words it is a number of living things who share the same space, living conditions, etc. However they are interdependent in that one living thing affects the ability for the others to survive. If using the marshland as an example, if the frogs die off, then it will have an effect on the insect population, which may in turn affect the ability of plant life to survive….I am sure all of us have a good understanding of this concept.
However, do you also know that the same holds true with your business? It does not matter what stage of growth your company is at, the reality is that if you are not tapped into your ecosystem, then not only are you missing out on opportunities, chances are you may be putting yourself risk of being wiped out. As we have mentioned above, in an ecosystem each organism (company) is interdependent upon the others within the same habitat. As a very simple example of this, a photocopier company and its products are useless without paper suppliers and the paper that they deliver. Both the paper and the photocopiers are reliant upon toner in order to produce the results that they both promise – multiple copies of an original document. Without the toner suppliers and products…the paper is blank and useless…and the photocopier is a piece of metal and plastic that produces nothing. This is a very basic example, however it clearly demonstrates the value and vital importance of an ecosystem.
