My latest book "Built to Thrive, using innovation to make your mark in a connected world" is available at Lulu.com, Amazon.com, iStore, etc. It also includes a case study on FNB, rated as the worlds most innovative bank.
The premise is that in an ecosystem of complex behavior our success depends on our ability to see the system as an organism and pick out the genetic behavior that suggests a change in trends and economic activity. With the correct understanding, complexity can be mapped, navigated, and utilized. Within our overarching ecosystem, the interconnected and interdependent relationships between its elements see the entire system function as a living organism. Every entity within the ecosystem can be likened to cells performing the duties required by their genes. On all levels we see genetic behavior contributing to the ecosystem.
The replication of genes and genomes is a constant phenomenon occurring in our bodies. When we donate blood, new blood cells are formed from the replication of new cells. This replication is driven by the instructions found within our existing genomes, and as a result, all new cells will contain exact copies of our existing genomes. Replication as a business-related activity needs to be distinguished from copying, and in doing so I am going to alter the meanings of replication and recombination slightly. In our context, replication is the act of imperfectly duplicating an existing form while copying is the act of doing so perfectly; replicating is, therefore, more closely linked to imitating. Replication is a fundamental activity undertaken by entities in the business sphere as well as all spheres of our ecosystem. We would not be where we are today without replication. Cultures came about through the replication of shared systems of language and custom; we thrive as a species through the replication of systems of behavior such as mating, hunting, and cooking, and we are accepted in society through the replication of societal norms and values. A child learns to speak through the replication of language and becomes educated through the replication of knowledge.
The reason I think that efficiency in network related activity will change the face of the human race, commercial systems and the like. I’m seeing the replication, mutation and regeneration of ideas into viable businesses as a key set of leading indicators. Startups using social lending models in the banking world are exploding at the moment, just look at Kickstarter, etc. Digital payment systems are being rolled out globally where the “transaction enabled” phone is the pipping point for credit card “plastic” systems. Global players like Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Google are all tinkering in financial services. Consider this; Apple is the world’s most valuable company and has $100 billion in cash in the bank. Could Apple enter the banking world or not?