When you think
of a beehive and an ant colony, what comes to your mind?
In a beehive, thousands of worker bees, or drones, work
endlessly. The drones mindlessly work hard without so much of a hint
of objection to the way things are being run. They search out nectar,
The Queen sits at the top while the drones fly out of the hive to fill
up their reserves and deposit their nectar to the other drones so it
can be turned to honey.
The drones even help bear her children while she sits
there unabashedly and, should someone attempt to take on her post or
deviate from the Queen's wishes, are quickly killed and fed to the other
drones or ostracized from the hive.
Seems pretty harsh in comparison to the structure of
an ant colony.
Tens of thousands of ants work hard, in synchronous
motions, moving bits of grain or tiny debris to make the colony bigger.
The Queen, being more active, does not exhibit a strong binding rule
as her comparitive other in the beehive. She's present, but finds herself
to be more supportive, working alongside her felow worker ants and even
going so far as digging new holes for a brand new colony.
Each ant takes it upon themselves to find new channels
for the colony to extend into, often times at their own demise. Using
their feral notion of innovation, they don't let anything hold them
back (except for the odd rock or thundering foot from above). The common
thought is the survival of the colony. Every ant for themselves is the
motto.
There's a strong
contrast between how the two species operate. What may come as a surprise
is that they can both be applied to humanized business structures as
the two are virtually identical in both societies.
In the beehive, the Queen depends on her drones to do
the work. She barks orders and expects everyone to conform to her wishes.
If they dare deviate, then they get punished. This structure shows a
a very centralized & tall form of operation with one dictating to
the workers how to do their jobs.
The Queen has complete control over what goes on and
doesn't give much in teh way of lateral movement. The bees do what their
told and are essentially told to doCommunication gets lost in teh bustle
or is very much distorted by the time it gets to its intended destination.
The structure of the ant colony shows a more laissez-faire
approach. A colony can sport not one but multiple Queens, indicating
a more decentralized structure in their forms of conduct.
The ants move as they please, taking it upon themselves
to do what it takes to expand the colony. They have more say in how
things get done and feel a leyline of empowerment from the many Queens
that present themselves throughout the colony.
Is your business
more of a beehive, with one central power, lots of hierarchy and a very
diluted systems approach, or are you more of an ant colony, with little
levels and a wide breadth and giving your own "ants" free
reign with their contributions to the success of the "colony"
as a whole?
Many lessons can be learned by these two animal kingdoms.
Perhaps one should take the time to analyze the potency and unstoppable
force of the ants. WE've all had experiences with the ever-so-elusive
ants who continue to spread even if we've applied several litres of
Raid to knock them off their tracks.
In business, if you really want to make the breakthrough
that you've been wanting to make, be a swarm like the ants. Give your
people free reign over their duties. Give them the opportunity to fully
explore their surroundings for the fulfillment of the colony but, more
importantly, themselves.
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