3DN conflict competition and symbiosis synergy
Conflict, Competition and Symbiosis/Synergy
- We can think of the various forms of human organizations as different species competing in an ecosystem with those forms with the best fit surviving and those forms that do not fit becoming extinct. Individual human beings have a different identity than the organizations to which they belong so that competition does not necessarily lead to conflict. Indeed, when an organization dies, there is no conflict, so long as the individual humans are free to join other organizations and/or form new ones. We can think of this in the same way that the death of an individual organism does not threaten the existence of the species so long as the species still fits within the ecosystem and continues to reproduce.
- Conflict arises between human organizations where the individuals that make up the competing organization are seen as a threat to the continuation of the organization that provides the means for its participants to survive. People are willing to kill in order to ensure the survival of themselves and their families.
- From a System point of view, competition is good because that process leads to innovation and refinement which in turn leads upward on the complexity spiral. Conflict is counterproductive to the extent that it destroys productive relationships between people and organizations leading to less complexity.
- When thinking about what is right and what is wrong with the world, it is important to know from which point of view you are thinking. Each individual seeks to participate in organizations that will provide for their basic needs. Each organization seeks to compete successfully with similar organizations and find a fit in the complexity spiral. From a System point of view, different forms of organization find a fit where there is Symbiosis/Synergy. That is, where the interaction of both forms produces more energy flow than the sum of the energy that each would produce without the interaction.
- Therefore, to make the world a better place to live, we should focus on avoiding conflict, increasing competition among similar organizations, and designing new forms of organization to increase the incidence of Symbiosis/Synergy through increased complexity.
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