STRATEGY LESSONS FROM THE BEES

On Saturday 9th November the BEELOSOPHY team was at the Center of the Earth in Ilion, in a beautiful natural environment, for an interesting workshop about the society of Bees and their importance.

We had the opportunity to present to both youngsters and adults (business executives, general public) the problem of the decline of bees and other pollinators (social as well as solitary) both in abundance and diversity in recent years, as well as the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. At the same time, we referred to ways in which we can contribute to mitigating or even preventing this problem.

By better understanding the wisdom of the hive, its structure and organisation and the decision-making mechanism, we encouraged environmental awareness, love for nature and inspired to learn strategic lessons for our work, but also our daily life.

The CEO (queen) holds the group (colony) together, without too much control, but rather guides to a shared vision. Each Bee (employee) has a specific purpose and role, acts with a margin of autonomy and communicates effectively, contributing to sound decision-making. The goals are clear to everyone and are formulated mainly at the level of (individual and collective) achievements (honey production), rather than at the level of activities (number of visits to flowers). A clear communication protocol leading to a specific action (food collection) contributes to an efficient operation. The most skilled and experienced workers (scout Bees) should qualify for upgraded roles. The group's knowledge is synthesized through consultation. Decisions are made by simple majority, to achieve, through collective intelligence, coherence, accuracy and speed. Just as Bees have a mechanism for replacing the queen in case of need or a quick response to enemies, so businesses must have a crisis management plan ready for immediate implementation. At the right time, businesses (Bee colonies) must seize opportunities by allocating sufficient resources to a new initiative (swarming – establishing a new colony), otherwise they risk becoming stagnant.

Did you learn any useful lessons from the Bees?

Many thanks to Organization Earth for the invitation, as well as to all the participants.