Antifragile
Coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his 2012 book 'Antifragile'
A property of systems that gain strength, improve, or thrive when exposed to volatility, randomness, stressors, and disorder. Beyond merely resilient (surviving shocks), antifragile systems actually benefit from them.
Biological Context
Bones grow stronger under stress. Immune systems develop through exposure to pathogens. Muscles grow through controlled damage and repair. Evolution itself is antifragile—random mutations and selection pressure drive improvement. Antifragility is common in biological systems but rare in engineered ones.
Business Application
Antifragile organizations benefit from market volatility: they have optionality (many small bets), avoid fragile debt structures, and position to capture upside from disruption while limiting downside.